Ol' Fezziwig from Joe's Restaurant
Shopping, holiday cards, family dinners, parties — you could probably use a drink right about now. Below is a list of L.A. bars/restaurants that have just the thing, with several cocktail recipes thrown in for you to try at your own holiday soiree or a quiet night at home.
Bigfoot Lodge: This Atwater Village’s holiday cocktail scares me a little but here’s the recipe if you want to try it.
Log Nog
- 1 oz. Seven Tiki Rum
- 1 oz. 3 Olives Vanilla Vodka
- 1 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
- A dash of Hot Damn
Line a cocktail glass with Hot Damn. Pour, shake and strain all the other ingredients and serve.
Bond St: This Beverly Hills hotel restaurant bar features a couple of cocktails to warm up holiday shoppers off Rodeo Drive. The Firecider ($6) with hot apple cider, spiced rum, and holiday spices) and The Holiday Sidecar ($14) with Cognac, orange juice and Nutmeg.
The Edison: One of my favorite downtown bars is presenting the Pilgrim and the Tuscan Noel Flip. More recipes!
The Pilgrim
- 1 1/2 oz Oxley Gin
- 1/2 oz Leopolds Cranberry Liquor
- 1/4 oz fresh lemon juice
- Ice-shaker-Strain
Garnish with lemon twist, cranberry and mint.
**
Tuscan Noel Flip**
- 2 oz Right Gin
- 1 oz Limoncello
- 1 Egg White
- 1/4 Maple Syrup
- Pinch of Nutmeg
In a shaker with ice pour gin, limoncello and maple syrup. Shake strain into cocktail glass. Then dry shake 1 egg white and layer onto cocktail. Grate whole nutmeg on top. Lemon peel garnish.
Essex Public House: The Hollywood gastropub adds another beer cocktail to its menu. This one is perfect for a cold day. Mmm, cider-ish. Drunken Malum ($11) with Floris Apple beer, diced apples, cinnamon and Woodford Reserve Bourbon, served in a glass rimmed with caramel and streudel.
Hudson House: Gentleman’s Rootbeer with Bulleit bourbon, coffee liqueur and Bundaberg Ginger Beer. This cocktail favorite at Beechwood has been brought to the Hudson House to winterfy the Redondo Beach bar’s cocktail menu.
Joe’s Restaurant: The Venice restaurant offers a couple of festive concoctions — Great Punchkin with bourbon, milk and pumpkin which tastes like a fab pumpkin in a cocktail glass and the creamy Ol’ Fezziwig with egg nog, rum and brandy.
Little Dom’s: This cozy Los Feliz Italian eatery offers you a couple of yummy cocktails to fill you with good cheer — a pear margarita and a bacon old fashioned cocktail. Here are the recipes for you to try at home.
Pear Margarita
- 1 ½ oz. D’Anjou Pear Puree
- 1 ½ oz. El Jimador Blanco
- ½ oz. Lemon
- ¾ oz. Simple
Shake together all ingredients with ice. Pour into a nine ounce bucket and garnish with a thin slice of pear on top.
Bacon Old Fashioned Cocktail
- 2 Dash Peychauds
- ½ oz. Maple Syrup
- 2 oz. Bacon Bourbon (Rebel Yell)
- Orange Peel to garnish
Stir all ingredients together with ice. Strain over ice. Garnish with an orange peel.
Rush Street: The Culver City bar/restaurant is celebrating the holidays with a slew of candylike cocktails:
- Apple Pie-tini ($12) — Stoli Apple, Baileys, apple juice, caramel
- Brandy Alexander ($12) — brandy, creme de cacao, light cream, nutmeg
- Candy Cane Shot ($8) — peppermint schnapps, creme de cacao, grenadine, whipped cream, 7-Up
- Chocolate Pomegranate Martini ($12) — Three Olives pomegranate vodka, Godiva Dark liqueur, light cream
- Gingerbread Vanilla Spice ($12) — Stoli Vanilla, gingerbread spice, Goldschlager
- Twigs and Berries ($12) — Absolut, Frangelico, Godiva White Chocolate, Carolans, Chambord