Eater LA - All the Action From Eater LA's Cocktail Week 2014The Los Angeles Restaurant, Bar, and Nightlife Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2014-10-24T09:42:31-07:00http://la.eater.com/rss/stream/68449222014-10-24T09:42:31-07:002014-10-24T09:42:31-07:00Introducing Loft & Bear, A Locally Distilled Vodka Exclusively Sold in Los Angeles
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<figcaption><a href='http://instagram.com/elizabethdaniels01'>Elizabeth Daniels</a></figcaption>
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<p>Loft & Bear, An artisanal and award winning Vodka, solely developed and sold in Los Angeles by one of the youngest distillery owners in the country.</p> <p> </p>
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<p><span>Meet <b>Paul Ryan Elliott</b>, who at 29 is one of the youngest distillery owners in the country. <b>YSA (Young State America) Distillery </b>is located in Elliott's hip commercial loft space in the flourishing Arts District in Downtown LA. <b>Loft & Bear</b> is the first spirit released by YSA and is an ultra premium, small batch, and handcrafted vodka, developed to please an expansive audience.</span></p>
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<p>Elliott's humble beginning started with almost no money in his pockets, but with enough belief in his dream that that he journeyed to Los Angeles in 2011. After spending two years polishing his business model, the move paid off when Elliott founded YSA. After a couple of years, YSA is still a very small operation, only capable of putting out 100 cases per month with full production (and no social life). The mash is cooked and fermented in one corner of the loft and then taken about 10 steps to the right to distill four times in the still.</p>
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<p>Loft & Bear Vodka uses pure California mountain spring water and is characterized by its sweet, rich aroma with a silky smooth mouth feel and an understated light flavor. It derives its character from soft winter wheat grains sourced seasonally from North Carolina and Michigan, in which, results a clean and less neutral tasting flavor. The nose is full, sweet, with vanilla bean and a mild, buttery, pleasant and herbal taste. Loft and Bear has won a variety of awards including Gold Medal for The Fifty Best Domestic Vodka Awards 2014 and Gold Medal for the Microliquor Spirit Award.</p>
<p>Loft & Bear retails on average at $40 a bottle. However, it can be found in a variety of restaurants around LA, including Baco Mercat, <a href="http://la.eater.com/venue/craft" class="sbn-auto-link">Craft</a>, Bar Keeper<b>, </b>K&L Wines, Mess Hall, <a href="http://la.eater.com/venue/harlowe" class="sbn-auto-link">Harlowe</a>, and Crustacean Beverly Hills. Eventually, Elliott plans on distributing to different markets like New York, Miami and Washington DC, but for now, it's exclusive to Los Angeles.</p>
<p>With expansion plans in the works, Elliott has teamed with up-and-coming mixologist Karl Frederick. Although Paul's favorite way to enjoy Loft & Bear is on the rocks with a little lime while listening to his James Bond records, Frederick is developing a delicious cocktail program including Go FIGure, which incorporates homemade fig puree, coconut water, lemon juice and rosemary or the Bear's Knees, with a mustard-infused Loft & Bear, fresh squeezed lemon juice and a honey syrup. Frederick grows his own herbs to make infusions and bitters at the loft.</p>
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<p>YSA's motto is Distill.Drink.Donate. They have teamed up with PATH, an organization working to end homelessness and help distressed families, veteran affairs and human services. By giving 5% of all profits it is "implementing these practices at the outset of our inception that has insured solid values at the core of our brand."</p>
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<br>Paul Ryan Elliott's award winning artisanal Loft & Bear Vodka is worth picking up and taking to your next party. With a classic, refined bottle exterior decorated with a simple black ribbon and covered cork stopper, the 80 proof hometown spirit will definitely produce some local pride.</p>
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https://la.eater.com/2014/10/24/7056699/loft-bear-vodka-distilled-locally-los-angeles-distillery-arts-district-photos-featureKeyla Vasconcellos2014-10-22T11:00:02-07:002014-10-22T11:00:02-07:00Tonga Hut, LA's Oldest Tiki Bar, Has Become Its Greatest
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<figcaption>Tonga Hut, North Hollywood | <a href='http://www.instagram.com/wonhophoto'>Wonho Frank Lee</a></figcaption>
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<p>Tiki culture lives on in the San Fernando Valley.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tiki culture in the United States as we know it traces its roots back to 1934, the year after Prohibition was repealed. Two enterprising gentlemen, one a bootlegger named Ernest Gantt, the other a young entrepreneur named Victor Bergeron simultaneously, but independently, opened small bars in California that featured tropical décor and potent rum-based drinks with exotic names like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mai tai</i> (which, for your information, is Tahitian for <span>"</span>out of this world<span>"</span>).</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Bergeron<span>’</span>s place in Oakland, originally called <span>"</span>Hinky Dink<span>’</span>s,<span>"</span> would be re-named <span>"</span>Trader Vic<span>’</span>s,<span>"</span> and would expand rapidly through the United States in the and 1950s and 60s. Gantt<span>’</span>s place in Hollywood would soon be known as <span>"</span>Don the Beachcomber,<span>"</span> and would be no less influential in the rise of tiki culture throughout the US.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Fast forward 24 years to 1958. The Dodgers had just left Brooklyn to inhabit Chavez Ravine, Rodgers and Hammerstein<span>’</span>s <span>"</span>South Pacific<span>"</span> was a bonafide hit, and two brothers named Ace and Ed Libby decided to ride the wave of popularity of the growing tiki movement by opening the <b>Tonga Hut</b> in North Hollywood.</p>
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<cite>Wonho Frank Lee</cite>
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<p class="MsoNormal">For years, <span>"</span>The Hut<span>"</span> was the place to be for returned G.I.s and their wives looking for an exotic escape into tiny umbrellas, palm fronds, thatched huts, and dropped ceilings. In the 1980s, however, The Hut fell on hard times, due to partly to a decided backlash against tiki. The exoticizing of Polynesia was no longer an escape, but merely cheesy. The quality of drinks and service at the bar fell precipitously.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><q class="pullquote float-right"><span> The Hut fell on hard times, due to partly to a decided backlash against tiki.</span></q></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>"</span>Tonga Hut became known as Tonga Butt,<span>"</span> said manager Marie King. The place was so bad that when a patron complained that a mai tai should have lime in it, the confused bartender unironically threw a whole lime, peel and all, into the blender with the drink. Tiki bars all over the country closed shop. Don the Beachcomber<span>’</span>s original location shuttered in 1985. The Trader Vic<span>’</span>s at the Beverly Hilton, which opened in 1955, eventually succumbed and closed its doors in 2007.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">The Tonga Hut survived, and is now<b> the oldest tiki bar in Los Angeles</b>. Not only that, but it<span>’</span>s had a renaissance in the past few years, enjoying a remodel that has left the interior looking chic and mid-century modern while still distinctly tiki in character (they've even expanded to Palm Springs). Furniture is simple and democratic. Black velvet paintings of topless native women overlook the snug, curved booths on one side of the bar. On the other side is a larger, communal space where leather benches flank an inglenook-style chimney fireplace. A driftwood sculpture abuts the excellent jukebox (runs the gamut from Johnny Cash to Kiss to Hawaiian-themed exotica) and a large map of the Polynesian islands. The lighting is very dim, as it should be.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">King is very much in charge – the owners Amy Boylan and former rap-metal guitarist Jeremy Fleener don<span>’</span>t deal much with day-to-day operations. With such autonomy, King has had free reign to re-make the drink menu and whip the bartending staff into shape. They now go through rigorous training: <span>"</span>If a bartender here makes you a Zombie and then a few days later you come back and a different person makes you a Zombie and it doesn<span>’</span>t taste the same? That<span>’</span>s not acceptable to me,<span>"</span> King said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><q class="pullquote float-left"><span>A different person makes you a Zombie and it doesn</span><span>’</span><span>t taste the same? That</span><span>’</span><span>s not acceptable to me</span></q></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The art of the craft cocktail is something King has been weaving into the fabric of the Tonga Hut<span>’</span>s long history. So far, it seems to be working. The drinks are good – some are downright fantastic. It helps that <b>King is a wizard who makes dozens of syrups in house at the bar: hibiscus, tamarind chili, Earl Grey(!), ginger – she even makes her own allspice liqueur.</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">King is acutely aware of the most common problem that befalls most tiki drinks: they<span>’</span>re too sweet. <span>"</span>I follow this formula,<span>"</span> King says, then she recites: <b><span>"</span>One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak.<span>"</span></b> That balance ensures that mai tais don<span>’</span>t turn into the sugary garbage you get from a machine or on a Carnival cruise.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">King<span>’</span>s own creation, the <span>"</span>Hawaiian Eye,<span>"</span> contains two different rums, orange and lemon juices, passion fruit puree, a tiny bit of Pernod, and is a splendid mix of tart and sweet. The <span>"</span>Coconaut Re-Entry<span>"</span> is for those who – <b>well, let<span>’</span>s face it, sometimes you just want something that<span>’</span>s on fire. </b>The drink is, like many at the Tonga Hut, a deadly combination of delicious and ungodly strong. Seven ounces of Jamaican rum strong. It<span>’</span>s mixed with coconut cream and lime juice, all set ablaze on a pyre of Bacardi 151.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">The Tonga Hut is, at its heart, a place for locals. <span>"</span>Sunday is our regulars day,<span>"</span> King says, and smiles. <span>"</span>Lots of overweight guys in Hawaiian shirts. I say that endearingly.<span>"</span> One particularly touching tribute is that during every weekday happy hour, they place a <span>"</span>Reserved<span>"</span> sign at one seat at the bar. That seat is for Dottie, who began attending weekday happy hours with her husband beginning in 1961. When her husband died in the 1980s, Dottie continued the tradition, settling into the same seat every day at 4pm for a scotch and soda until she passed away in 2010.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><q class="pullquote float-right"><span>The Tonga Hut is, at its heart, a place for locals</span></q></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Those looking to enshrine themselves forever into tiki immortality can accept the challenge of imbibing, over the course of one year, every drink in a book called <span>"</span>The Grog Log.<span>"</span> There are 78 in total, and you get a piece of paper that the bartender initials every time you try a new drink. If you make it, you become an honorary member of the <b><span>"</span>Loyal Order of the Drooling Bastard,<span>"</span></b> and your name, and probably your liver, go onto a wall display for all to envy and admire.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Tonga Hut is located at 12808 Victory Blvd in North Hollywood. (818) 769-0708 The Hut is open every day from 4 p.m. until 2 a.m. Happy hour is every day until 8 p.m.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Photos by </i><a href="http://www.instagram.com/wonhophoto" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.24;">Wonho Frank Lee</a></p>
https://la.eater.com/2014/10/22/7031497/tonga-hut-north-hollywood-tiki-bar-cocktails-photos-profileLucas Peterson2014-10-21T13:30:02-07:002014-10-21T13:30:02-07:00Three Days, One Punch: How To Make English Milk Punch With Faith & Flower's Michael Lay
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<figcaption><a href='http://instagram.com/elizabethdaniels01'>Elizabeth Daniels</a></figcaption>
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<p>Chief of Booze Michael Lay walks through the process of making his award-winning milk punch.</p> <p>
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<p><i>Photos by <a href="http://instagram.com/elizabethdaniels01" target="_blank">Elizabeth Daniels</a> and <a href="http://instagram.com/wonhophoto" target="_blank"><i>Wonho Frank Lee</i></a></i></p>
<p><b>Michael Lay</b> has birthed a modern classic. His <b>English Milk Punch</b>, which certainly doesn't sound like it would be the drink of summer, has had booze hounds driving from across town to get a taste of the classic cocktail re-mastered by <b>Faith & Flower</b>'s "Chief of Booze." Lay, who might have the best business card title in history, has been honing his craft across California for years, the result of which has earned him a fair share of well-deserved accolades.</p>
<p><a href="http://la.eater.com/2014/10/15/6984395/la-esquire-best-new-restaurants-2014-chi-spacca-faith-flower" target="_blank">Fresh off a Best Restaurant nod in <i>Esquire Magazine</i></a> for not only Faith & Flower as a part of the Best New Restaurants 2014 list, but also for the English Milk Punch as the<b> Cocktail of the Year</b>, the demand for the punch is higher than ever. Faith & Flower goes through at least 80 quarts of the cocktail per week, double what it was at opening.</p>
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<p>Lay took Eater into Faith & Flower's kitchen to show us how to make this now famous cocktail. The labor-intensive process takes three days and utilizes a milk wash technique that results in a drink that is surprisingly rich and clear.</p>
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<p>Lay begins by taking handfuls of lemon zest and mixing it with sugar to make <i>oleo saccharum</i>, which literally means oil sugar, with the oil from the lemon zest. This mixture serves as an old school punch base, and was a common technique used in 19<sup>th</sup>-century bartending.</p>
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<p>After preparing the <i>oleo saccharum</i>, Lay adds in two sliced pineapples, cinnamon, coriander, and cloves. As he muddles everything together, he explains the development of the recipe. While the original comes from Jerry Thomas' <i>How to Mix Drinks</i>, first published in 1862, Lay's version took four years of tinkering to perfect.</p>
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<p>Next up, lemon juice, green tea, and a mixture of rum, cognac, whiskey, and absinthe. Lay explains that while there are some recipes floating around online for his proprietary punch, he keeps the true proportions of the liquors closely guarded. He pours in boiling water to help the ingredients meld together, and allows the fragrant slurry to sit overnight.</p>
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<p>The following day, Lay pours boiling whole milk into the strained rum base. What once looked like it could be a tasty cocktail worthy of a colorful mini umbrella is now a curdled mass of goop (and not the fancy Gwyneth Paltrow kind).</p>
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<p>The biggest chunks of curd are removed with a spider, then the mixture is passed through a chinois. The opaque result is left to sit overnight, allowing the fine milk solids to settle to the bottom. Once separated, Lay can simply pour the clear milk punch from the container.</p>
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<p>After the three-day process, the punch is ready to be served. The chilled drink is served tableside-poured over a single large cube of ice, twist of lemon zest, and sprinkle of fresh nutmeg. It tastes like a refined version of spring break in the tropics, fruity and refreshing, with more complexity and less hangover-inducing syrupiness. A subtle viscosity from the milk protein and whey, the only elements left from the milk, lends a pleasant mouthfeel that rounds out the drink.</p>
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<p>The punch goes down dangerously quickly; it is clear to see how the drink made with such finesse has become a favorite of so many. And Michael Lay's favorite drink? A shot of whiskey and a beer. A fitting pairing for the true Chief of Booze.</p>
https://la.eater.com/2014/10/21/7029101/english-milk-punch-michael-lay-faith-flower-downtown-how-toCrystal Coser2014-10-21T10:45:02-07:002014-10-21T10:45:02-07:00Drinking Through the Signature Cocktail Menu at Hollywood's New Dave & Buster's
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<p>In accordance with Cocktail Week 2014, we decided to drink our way through most of the cocktail menu at Hollywood’s new Dave & Buster’s. Enjoy.</p> <p>One could be forgiven for not realizing that <b>Dave & Buster’s</b> actually landed right in the heart of Hollywood several weeks back. The popular adult arcade/bar/sports watching venue/home of pretzel hotdogs has flown a bit under the radar, despite occupying tens of thousands of square feet right inside the Hollywood and Highland complex, and throwing an opening night party that was DJ’d by Brody Jenner.</p>
<p>So not only is Dave & Buster’s alive and kicking in the heart of tourist-town, it’s got a full menu of signature and classic cocktails that are ripe for the drinkin’. Here now, everything from the D&B TNTea™ and the Angry Balls™ to the signature snowcone, all available at your local Dave & Buster’s in Hollywood.</p>
<p>It’s important to note that all ™ and ® symbols are courtesy of the <strike>restaurant</strike> party zone itself, and in no way is meant to be an endorsement of or thankfulness for said ™’d and ®’d brands.</p>
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<p><strong>Backwoods Blueberry Lemonade:</strong> You know what’s better than a cocktail? A cocktail with a sidecar of pure firewater! That’s the thought behind this Backwoods Blueberry Lemonade, which blends ABSOLUT® Berri Acai vodka, lemonade and Reàl® Blueberry puree, and comes saddled with a little red Solo® cup of Firefly Moonshine Strawberry</p>
<p><strong>Cherry Berry Mojito</strong>: Slapped with the ‘FAVES’ banner like it’s your least-hated stepchild, this Cruzan® Black Cherry rum is finished with such elegant ingredients as "mojito mix" and Strawberry BACARDI® Premium Mixer.</p>
<p><strong>Fiery Peach Margarita:</strong> For the fruity drink lover who craves adult beverages that are served on a paddle. This "perfect and peachy" marg is made with Hornitos® Reposado 100% Blue Agave tequila, plus Countreau® and a peach puree. The fire, apparently, comes from the <i>totally twizzted</i> Twizzler® that comes dunked into the glass.</p>
<p><strong>Million Dollar Margarita:</strong> Don’t run away! This drink doesn’t really cost one million dollars! Haha it’s marketing! But seriously, this ‘flagship’ margarita is a blend of Hornitos® Reposado 100% Blue Agave tequila, plus Tuaca® an Grand Marnier®. And it won’t even set you back that many game tokens or whatever.</p>
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<p><strong>Original Snowcone:</strong> Holy sh*t will this drink make you wish you were a ten year old alcoholic. We’re talking a no-brainer mix of DeKuyper® Watermelon Pucker® (two ®’s means it’s ultra exxxclusive), Malibu® Coconut rum, Pinnacle Cherry vodka (no ®???), MORE DeKuyper® in the form of blue curaçao and a hint of Sprite®®®®®®®®®®.</p>
<p><strong>Strawberry Sangria:</strong> Ooh! Another ‘FAVES’! This one mixes booze and wine better than your weirdest aunt, with the latter coming from 14 Hands Vineyards. There’s also rum and brandy and, somehow, an entire <i>other </i>sangria (Monin® Red Sangria? The hell?!) inside this sangria. That’s how you know both Dave and Buster are serious as all get out.</p>
<p><strong>D&B TNTea®:</strong> At last, a drink so important that it deserves its own ®! This exclusive to Dave and Buster’s boozebucket somehow improves on the timeless Long Island iced tea with a towering mix of ABSOLUT® vodka, Tanqueray® gin, BACARDI® Superior rum, Grand Marnier® and a finish of Coca-Cola®. And hold onto your butts, because you get to keep the goddamn glass.</p>
<p><strong>Angry Balls™:</strong> Anyone who can tell you the difference between that ® symbol and the ™ symbol is a goddamn liar. Case in point, this heavily-™’d and ®'d concoction of Fireball® Cinnamon Whisky and Angry Orchard™ Crisp Apple Cider. This thing tastes like the kind of apple pie that you’d bring to a bar fight.</p>
<p>There are other drinks of course — many, many others — but they’re all plays on the above themes. Different types of snowcones, more premier-ier margaritas, and Coronitas™, where dinky lil’ Corona Extras get turned upside down in a plastic glass full of tequila, which you inexplicably drink through a plastic straw ringed by pickles.</p>
<p>Welcome to the neighborhood, Dave & Buster’s!</p>
<p><i><b>Dave & Buster's - Hollywood</b><br><span>6801 Hollywood Blvd.<br></span><span>Hollywood, CA 90028<br></span><a href="http://www.daveandbusters.com/locations/StoreInformation.aspx?StoreId=78">www.daveandbusters.com</a></i></p>
https://la.eater.com/2014/10/21/7028075/dave-and-busters-signature-cocktail-menu-drinking-through-hollywoodFarley Elliott