Find Los Angeles’s hottest cocktails in both expected and untraditional settings, from hotel lobbies to new restaurants and lounges. The places on this list are mostly newer openings, typically less than six months old, and can represent the bleeding edge of cocktails in the city. Here now are 14 hot cocktail spots to check out in LA. (See the essential cocktail map for a list of more established venues.)
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The 14 Hottest Cocktail Spots in Los Angeles
Sip LA’s newest drinks at these restaurants, bars, and lounges

Wine House Kitchen
A true hidden gem, this upstairs dining area has been a popular West LA wine bar for years but has recently gotten a refresh from Francois Renaud and a team of industry vets. Bartender Chris Grosso, formerly of Blind Barber and Viale dei Romani, mixes new takes on classic cocktails like the Liquid Sunshine, blending rye, Cointreau, honey, and lemon.
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Steak 48 Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills loves a ritzy new addition, and the fancy steakhouse from Mastro’s co-founders Jeff and Michael Mastro stands as a towering example of the area’s glitzy vibes. The center of the space features a half-circle bar and plenty of lounge seats that cater to the after-work and business crowd. Steak 48 mixes some of the best Old Fashioned variants in this part of 90210, perfect preambles to the parade of seafood and steaks
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Juliet
Featuring one of the prettiest new interior designs in Los Angeles, Juliet comes from the restaurateur behind Norah and Margot, which also offer great-looking spaces to go along with polished fare. Juliet leans more heavily into French bistro, with the cocktails following suit, like the cognac, rye, and Benedictine sipper called Mon Coeur or the Special Potion, mixing calvados, absinthe, apple, and egg white.
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Angler
Angler is back at the Beverly Center, and now there’s even more focus on crafting a cool-kid space with a semi-separate lounge area attached. Hang out with snacks from the open hearth while sipping on the Catch & Release, a rye, rum, and sherry concoction spiked with guava, or the Oaxacan Ruby with mezcal, maraschino, and grapefruit.
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Casa Madera
Expect rooftop decadence from this West Hollywood newcomer at the Mondrian, where a mostly coastal Mexican menu leads diners to lots of tequila and mezcal, a house margarita, and (in a bit of a surprise) a charred pineapple tepache, also made right on site.
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Mírate
Spread across two bars, this sequel from the Mírame crew plays with agave spirits like tequila, mezcal, and bacanora infusing flavors like papaya and anise-y Xtabentun liqueur that have the inventive perspective of chef Joshua Gil’s Baja-inspired menu. Former Gracias Madre bartender Max Reis shakes a mean margarita too, except it’s made with aquachile, nopales granita, and coconut.
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Cafe Basque
Le Coucou chef Daniel Rose took over the ground floor space of the Hoxton hotel with an elegant Basque restaurant. The wraparound bar offers European-style drinks that won’t overpower palates before diners dig into Rose’s subtle but satisfying bistro fare. The house martini comes with gin and vodka, plus a splash of onion brine while the Mon Cherry mixes gin, cynar, cherry, and lime that tastes like a grown-up juice box.
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Bar Clara
Bar Clara not only has a stunning view atop the Hotel Per La, but its airy central bar also features an array of cocktails, from straight-up classics to new takes on popular pours. There’s also a focus on craft beer and wine, given the coming early-summer months.
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The Let's Go! Disco & Cocktail Club
Above De La Nonna sits this terrific gateway to the Italian disco clubs of the 1970s tucked into the Arts District. Previously a Japanese listening bar, the incredible sound system remains along with a colorful new decor and sprawling lounge seating arrangement. Expect tasty drinks too, such as a sesame leaf-infused gin martini or saffron soda-flavored Campari and white wine spritz.
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Steep LA
Bartender Huy Pham worked with Steep’s owners Samuel Wang and Lydia Lin to prepare a set of tea-infused cocktails that go along with the teahouse’s creative bites. A pu’erh tequila with blackberry liqueur chrysanthemum vodka with cucumber and sesame oil make for thoughtful, lighter-spirit cocktails that feel appropriate in the relaxed setting. Think of Steep After Dark as an antidote to the loud, party-like bars in Downtown.
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Capri Club
Eagle Rock hotspot Capri Club celebrates all things aperitivo-related, which, drinks-wise, translates to a selection of Italian-leaning spritzes ranging from watermelon to vermouth-spiked, as well as classic cocktails like Negronis and martinis. There’s also a list of amaro-based 50/50 shots — like red bitters mixed with fernet — so no matter how one chooses to start their evening, there’s something refreshing to kick it off.
Baby Gee
With relaxed thrift store vibes and a friendly neighborhood dive bar feel, this new entrant in Long Beach from two established LA bar veterans keeps things simple with approachable but well-crafted drinks and a ’70s-style menu of easy bites, from crudites to honey-drizzled flatbreads.
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Bar Chelou
Pasadena’s rather fetching new bistro from seasoned fine dining chef Douglas Rankin also sports terrific cocktails in an intimate bar and lounge area featuring illuminated drapes. Drinks are slight variants or strict versions of classics, from the Chambord-tinted French 75 to a very au courant Negroni sbagliato. The brandy crusta works for those who like their cocktails spirits forward but lower on sugar.
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19 Town
Sporting one of the coolest spaces in the eastern SGV, 19 Town serves modern Chinese fare and baijiu cocktails to a well-heeled crowd. Bartenders work in elderflower and even plum juice, a nod to a popular Sichuan beverage that helps quell spicy flavors.
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