Category: Drink

Meet the Willy Wonka of Whiskey and Rum

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READ IT AT LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (in print too)

In my summer search for the best distillery tour in Los Angeles, I stumbled upon the truly mind-boggling experience that is Lost Spirits, where smoke and mirrors are bush league, the mere jump-off point for an entire fantasy land crammed into an Arts District warehouse, complete with animatronic dinosaurs and sphinx-capped riverboats (also, a river). The process behind the booze is just as bizarre, not only in that many of the theme park elements are part of said process, but because master distiller Bryan Davis uses light to “age” his rums and whiskeys 20-some years in just a few days. If that doesn’t make sense you can try reading the article (which also appears in Los Angeles Magazine‘s October print issue), but no promises. You might just have to put on a pith helmet and sip some overproof juice with Davis down at his working wonderland. Also, the print sidebar about three more must-own local bottles got its own URL.

Three Must-Own Bottles That Are Made in L.A.

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READ IT AT LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (in print too)

This is the mere sidebar to a bigger October print story about the Wonka-esque whiskey factory that is Lost Spirits DTLA, but the boozes deserve their due. I was given a lovely personal tour of Pasadena’s Stark Spirits by the even lovelier Karen and Greg Stark themselves. Their booze, loveliest of all, was so damned good I blew most of my pay stocking my home bar. (May I also recommend their Brennivín-esque aquavit, California Silver Rum, and peated single-malt? No? Well, I already did. Sorry.) Paul Ryan, no relation, also walked me through the Loft & Bear loft, where there was a bear-sized dog, and Max at The Spirit Guild gave me tastes of each isolated botanical from their Astral Gin in the form of pulls from jugs of sage-, pistachio-, peppercorn-, etc.-infused vodkas. The only reason I didn’t include Greenbar’s Grand Poppy amaro is this: I wrote about it in the magazine’s Best of L.A. issue. Also, try their City Bright Gin. It’s dope.

BEST OF LOS ANGELES 2017: MEZCALERIAS AND MORE

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READ IT AT LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (in print too)

Ready your appetite, your liver, and your sense of adventure — it’s that time of year again: Los Angeles Magazine’s BEST OF LOS ANGELES. I had a huge haul this year, play-testing (for your benefit, not mine, nope, didn’t enjoy this at all, haha riiiiiight) three finalists in each of 13 categories, which for convenience’s sake I’ll split here into two super-categories. In the WHAT TO EAT zone (page one of the long list on the mag site), I crowned winners in the domains of: Fancy Grilled Cheese (No. 4), Coffee Concoction (No. 5), Mezcaleria (No. 6), Barcade (No. 13), Cemita (No. 18), Rare Liquor Retailer (No. 19), and Cheese Appreciation Class (No. 26). In the WHAT TO DO space (page two), you’ll find: True Crime Tours (No. 40), L.A. River Kayak Tour (No. 48), Laser Tag for Adults (No. 50), Picnic on Mars (No. 54), Hip Bowling Alley (No. 55), and Distillery Tour (No. 57). Whew. And the latter should include a quick Q&A in print. Now go plan your entire summer.

Best of Los Angeles 2016: Poke Edition

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READ IT AT LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (in print too)

It’s the year of the tuna — ahi, specifically, and in poke form (that’s “poh-kay”) in case you haven’t noticed, which, if you live in Los Angeles, would require never leaving your home or reading about food trends on the internet. So yours truly mustered up the nerve to eat five bowls of delicious fish and various thrilling toppings at five different L.A.-area poke purveyors, all for the sake of journalism and sparing you, dear reader, the terrible inconvenience of doing such a thing yourself. You can read about my best poke pick at Los Angeles Magazine, and then plan the rest of your day around the best falafel in the city, and the best late-night happy hour too.

Los Angeles Mag’s Best of L.A., Starring Carrot Cake

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READ IT AT LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (in print too)

For the first time in my life, I found myself with a cheese budget. It was glorious. Sadly, the results of that painstaking research appear in print only: the crowning of Cheesemongers of Sherman Oaks as the best (duh) cheesemongers in the city. On the L.A. Mag site, though, you can find my entries on carrot cake, gin joints, Filipino food, bone broth, dinner and a gig, bird-watching, outdoor gun ranges, and build-a-bot classes for kids. How’s that for range?

A Coffee Snob’s Guide to Camping, and More

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READ IT IN LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (print only)

It sucks that you can’t read this online, but if you’re headed to the wilderness soon, you’ll want a hard copy of Los Angeles Mag’s Camping issue. I’ve got several contributions: the Coffee Snob’s Guide above (click the pic for a bigger image); a breakdown of the Channel Islands’ offerings; select sites in the big list (Joshua Tree, Sequoia); and a few additions to the camping etiquette ticker. Remember, if a bear is a’wanderin’, you should get to hollerin’: Comin’ yer way!

Best Beer Shops and DIY Home Barkeeping

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READ IT AT LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (mostly in print)

Well, you’ll have to track down the issue to read both of my contributions to Los Angeles Mag’s booze-soaked new issue, but it’s worth it to be able to — ahem — tap into the liquid knowledge of so many professional drunks journalists. You can peep my Best Beer Shops in the greater L.A. area online. The one that’s only in print: DIY must-makes for home barkeepers, featuring expert advice from Miracle Mile Bitters Co., Pickled by Hattie, and Bäco Mercat chef Josef Centeno.

The Battle of the Bean: Coffee Roasting in L.A.

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READ IT ON LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (in print too)

I’m a coffee geek and a cheerleader for Los Angeles, so I nearly spit out my brew when I realized I’ve been favoring beans roasted by out-of-towners—Verve, Blue Bottle, Heart, Stumptown, Four Barrel. So began my quest to find out the truth about L.A.’s caffeine scene. Is there a homegrown roaster who can finally put my town on the map? Yes. No. Well, sort of. Let me explain…