Some of my favorite L.A. haunts are featured (peruse The Liquid Muse blog archives for more info):
Bar Centro at The Bazaar: SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, 465 S. La Cienega Blvd
This surrealist-chic lounge—complete with a fortune teller—is part of superchef José Andrés’s new culinary center (which includes the restaurant Rojo y Blanca). Avant-garde drinks are made with ingredients like liquid nitrogen, cotton candy and “olive brine air.”
Comme Ça: 8479 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood
Star chef David Myers of Sona has created a modern brasserie, complete with Parisian staples (steak frites) and updated retro cocktails like the Gin & Tarragonic.
Copa d’Oro: 217 Broadway, Santa Monica
This brand-new bar headed by Vincenzo Marianella has a “be your own mixologist” option. This allows guests to concoct their own drinks with seasonal ingredients (kumquats or sage, for instance) and a choice of artisanal spirits.
The Doheny: downtown LA
An exclusive, members only drinking club, which has a list of 25 cocktails and a smoking area inside a former greenhouse.
The Edison: 108 W. Second St., Los Angeles
This lounge inside an early 1900s power plant serves handcrafted cocktails, an amazing selection of gins and snacks like lobster sausage corn dogs with mustard crème fraîche.
The Hungry Cat: 1535 Vine St., Hollywood
Made with local vegetables and herbs, the Hungry Cat’s Holy Mary (vodka, fresh juices from carrot, lemon and ginger, plus rosemary and parsley) is terrific with chef David Lentz’s burgers, seafood and raw bar.
Musso & Frank Grill
6667 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
The cocktail and food menus (and the bow-tied waiters) at Hollywood’s oldest restaurant have remained virtually unchanged since the place opened in 1919. The Silver Screen clientele, however, has been replaced by actors like Brad Pitt.
The Penthouse: The Huntley Hotel, 1111 Second St., Santa Monica
Star mixologist Ryan Magarian developed the drink list at this luxurious 18th-floor restaurant and lounge, which has fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean and Hollywood.
Seven Grand: 515 W. Seventh St., Los Angeles
One part Irish pub, one part English hunting lodge, this hip second-floor lounge serves 125 whiskeys.
The Varnish: 118 E. Sixth St., Los Angeles
A collaboration between cocktail heroes Sasha Petraske and Eric Alperin, the Varnish is accessible only through a secret door at the newly renovated Cole’s, downtown L.A.’s century-old public house (a.k.a. saloon).