Above Vitello’s restaurant and the Rendition Room bar is the newly opened Velvet Martini Lounge: an Old Hollywood, Rat Pack-inspired lounge located in Studio City. The Velvet Martini Lounge aims to transport visitors to another time and place with live music, drinks, and dishes that stick to the theme, including an old-fashioned TV dinner that’s served on a metal tray. Cocktails are well-made, as they are in the rest of the building, and include Sammy’s Jazzerac, which comes together with rye, amaretto, bitters, and an absinthe rinse.

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.

After undergoing a renovation in late 2022, the Den on Sunset has a stunning new look, menu, and bar program. New drinks added just last month include the Mojave Magic, which features tequila with cactus fruit, jasmine, and lime, and the nonalcoholic Lodi Dodi, made with pomegranate juice, pineapple, lemon, ginger, basil, and egg white. There’s also an exciting new wine program that includes the classics alongside some French and Spanish pet nats and skin-contact orange wines.

This new addition to the Sunset Strip plays with all things retro. There are vintage touches, like an old reel-to-reel machine and even a menu that’s designed like an old newspaper, with classic cocktails alongside drinks like the La Cienaga, which features ingredients like cold brew, matcha, basil, and mint with a generous pour of rum.

Pijja Palace’s new bar director Jason Lee (N/Soto) has created a new drink menu that takes inspiration from the Indian kitchen to create cocktails with ingredients like lentils and spices. The Chana Dal includes a lentil-based orgeat that adds earthiness, balanced with nutty and buttery ghee. The Kheer Royale is reminiscent of the spiced rice pudding and includes ingredients like pistachio, basmati rice, cardamom, and sparkling wine.

Located on the 24th floor of The Ritz-Carlton in Downtown LA, Sendero is a four-in-one dining concept that features the cuisines along the Pan American Highway, from LA through Mexico, Columbia, Peru, and Argentina. There are several dining options to accompany Downtown views: the seafood-driven Corteza, Argentinian steakhouse Leña, and the new Agave Library, where chef Kevin Luzande creates a tasting menu centered around a selection of rare and premium agave-based spirits. Cocktails at Corteza include the multisensory Palo Santo, made with bourbon, Carpano Antica Rosso, cynar amaro, bitters, and palo santo smoke.

This intimate cocktail lounge in the Proper Hotel in Downtown LA has just 18 seats. Expect a pared-down menu with Iberian-inspired bites and classic cocktails prepared using rare and small-batch liquors, plus a roving cocktail cart that delivers drinks table-side.

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.

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.

Following Nueva’s closure in early May, bar proprietor Jared Meisler (the Roger Room, Bar Lubitsch, the Friend) and David and Patti Reiss of Reiss Co. (the Brig and the Alibi Room) opened cocktail bar Gin Rummy in the same Marina del Rey space on May 26. Gin Rummy is a celebration of beach bars and will serve classic, tropical, and original cocktails, like piña coladas, frozen margaritas, and more boozy and booze-free options.

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.