Opium Den Cocktail

While killing time before dinner at Marino on Melrose, I stopped in at Providence for a quick drinkie. I had kept meaning to go there to visit renowned mixologist Zahra Bates but unfortunately on this night she was out. In any case at least I had an impressive cocktail menu to keep me company. What caught my fancy was the concoction called Opium Den ($14), a cocktail with tamarind-infused Buffalo Trace bourbon, apple juice and sesame-kombucha dry Vermouth.

The bartender of the evening, Tricia, had described this as the perfect winter drink in that it’s warm even though chilled and she was absolutely right.

Now, I usually don’t like kombucha, hated that vinegary-gross kombucha tea that my mom used to make all the time, but here it appears as just an earthy hint at the back of the tongue. Ever so subtle that you probably really wouldn’t be able to put your finger on the flavor if you didn’t read the ingredients first. And I loved the balance of bourbon and apple juice which perfectly complemented one another, never overpowering.

I highly recommend this if you’re in the mood for something to warm you up on a wintry night.

Providence
5955 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90038 (map)
(323) 460-4170