Drink Recipes
Bare brick walls, faux fur bear skin rugs, green velvet booths, copper-painted bar top... I’m stealing glances at the scenery of soon-to-be-opened Madam Bonnie’s while I chat with all-smiles bar manager Dakota Godden. “Madam Bonnie …
I’ve done it again: found my way inside another speakeasy. This time, it’s Realm of the 52 Remedies, where Chris Lee tells me how the Saigon Dreamer cocktail was inspired by an Asian coffee shop. …
I can’t tell you how to get here, exactly, but I’m inside Neighborhood’s speakeasy, Noble Experiment. And I can’t give you the exact name of the cocktail, but you could call it a tequila sour. …
The cool, crisp air inside Herb & Sea restaurant rescues me from a warm afternoon in downtown Encinitas. Behind the bar, Laz Jiminez greets me with a spirited smile before recommending the Mezcal & Spice …
On a windy, overcast day on the boardwalk of Mission Beach, I make my way up to Cannonball’s rooftop bar. Alvaro Cruz recommends Midnight in Tokyo as the perfect drink to help warm up. “With …
“Berries and cream, berries and cream, I’m a wee little lad who loves berries and cream,” sang a colleague of Nick Gergen’s when he told her about the strawberries-and-cream-flavored cocktail he was creating for Juniper …
On a cool day in Carlsbad, Nick Sinutko presents me with one of Campfire’s current menu cocktails, the Over/Under. He describes the drink as “a super juicy, refreshing, and herbaceous cocktail that utilizes grape as …
“It’s beautiful, it’s purple, and it’s probably the one you’ve seen the most of all over Instagram,” anticipates Tina Heschke when I arrive seeking the specialite de la maison. She’s describing the Fleur de France …
New to the neighborhood, Wormwood introduces itself as an absinthe-focused bar. After greeting me, Ben Marquart busts out a beginner’s lesson on absinthe. He decides Le Frappe is a good place to start. “It’s an …
It’s a Saturday night in University Heights, and groups of friends are pouring into Park & Rec. Busy bartender Alex Rodriguez is slinging cocktails left and right, keeping pace with the crowd as they order …
Claire Sexton Kettner Exchange 2001 Kettner Boulevard Little Italy “It’s like a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie,” says Claire Sexton, Bar Director at Kettner Exchange, about her cocktail, the Scouts Honor. The recipe was partially …
Caroline Wilhelm The Corner Drafthouse 495 Laurel Street Banker’s Hill Drawn by twinkling lights and decorations, I duck into The Corner Drafthouse during their Christmas Pop Up, and bartender Caroline Wilhelm offers to help me …
Justin Greenwood 619 Spirits North Park 3015 Lincoln Avenue North Park A pretty candy-red cocktail adorned with a sprig of green, the Blood of the Scorpion comes served with a warning. “It’s based with our …
Anthony Belcufini Animae 969 Pacific Highway Downtown “Every single night, it’s probably the top seller,” says Anthony Belcufini about Animae’s A5 Old Fashioned. “And it ties into what we do in the back of the …
Ramon Torres Barleymash 600 Fifth Avenue #6916 Gaslamp It’s a summerlike day in the city, but my desire for festive autumnal libations rages on. Thankfully, I’m not alone in wanting to soak up the season’s …
Scott Slater Understory 12841 El Camino Real, Suite 209-210 Carmel Valley The hunt for a spooky cocktail brought me to Understory, the central bar within Sky Deck at Del Mar Highlands Town Center. Explains bartender …