The Los Angeles Zoo is presenting their first Sip & Stroll at the Zoo. on April 13th. The brewery list isn’t large but it does have a good sampling of local favorites plus some distillery action too and as I have said previously, it is a great location to drink at.
Here is the basic info: “It’s a playful parade of specialty cocktails, craft brews, and mocktails and other nonalcoholic delights, all paired with live beats, pop-up animal keeper talks, food trucks, and more! This celebration of beverages, melodies, and wild encounters will be an event to remember.”
First non-beer stop was Freeland Spirits in NW Portland near the towering Montgomery Ward blocks.
Lovely spot with nibbles and seasonal cocktails and mocktails and a little shop too with their signature bottle shape and an RTD Gin Rose and Tonic.
I sampled the “whole flight” which had three gins and three bourbons. The gins were each distinct from the previous one and I quite liked them all. The flagship gin had a mint top note. The Forest Gin despite the presence of chanterelles was very spring day in Oregon. The Navy Strength had a real punch to it and would be a boon to the G&T. The bourbons were less impressive in contrast. I found the standard bourbon a little weak and the rye was extra malty and cereal laden. The Cask strength was my favorite of those three.
Next stop (not the same day, don’t worry) was a trip to the Alberta bar and restaurant, the Radio Room. A multi-level and multi-room experience with a fun cocktail list filled with creative new cocktails as well as reimagined old standbys.
Last, but not least was my first visit to Aviation Gin HQ. Since they only have a distillery license, they can only serve so much gin per person but you can get a flight of special monthly cocktails or classic Ryan Reynolds choices or just a G&T.
The candy Valentine cocktails was my choice and all but the last one was really good. The presentation was excellent and the setting and staff was really cool. Did not see any Wrexham gear though.
Disney has been slowly moving into liquor from their California Adventure park to EPCOT to cocktails at in the Star Wars universe. But the one attraction that I thought could really capitalize on drinks has been missing, Haunted Mansion.
I am not going to ever recommend a cruise but I will be looking out for more information about the The Haunted Mansion Parlor styled to “resemble a first-class drawing room of a classic cruise liner from the golden age, invoking inspiration from the original Haunted Mansion with a nautical twist.”
If the floating parlor is successful, maybe it will come to the parks and who knows with the Disneyland Haunted Mansion slated for refurbishment all of 2024, maybe a ghoulish cocktail will be a possibility in Anaheim.
I love me a hotel bar. Something about the charging of a drink to your room gives me a charge. And the Inn at the Mission in San Juan Capistrano has a really nice one. This year there was even nightly free hot cocoa with marshmallows.
This year my goal was to splurge on a smoked cocktail….
I will circle back to it at the end but first I had to try their signature Mediterranean Old Fashioned with Old Forester bourbon and a sprig of burnt rosemary for a touch extra. I could order these by the case. That initial whiff of flame and herbs is great.
I also partook of two selections from their Heritage Classics section of the cocktail menu and I will start with what could be a new favorite drink for me, The Aviation (not the Deadpool gin) with a combination of gin, maraschino liquor and creme de violette. Soft and floral and each flavor component got a turn but none wore out their welcome. I sipped from coupe next to a Christmas tree while watching guests check in.
The other classic was my first ever Brooklyn which is rye whiskey, maraschino liquor and dry vermouth. It was just fine but far too close to a Manhattan in my limited cocktail experience book.
As promised, the smoke. I went the Gin route. The presentation was great. Smoke piped into an empty tequila bottle, then the drink was mixed separately and then added into the smoke. Wait for the two to meld, then poured. Mine tasted of, you guessed it, smoke. Nothing but smoke. I smelled smoke all night, it was on my pillow in the morning. Yikes. The rye drink was better but still the balance was tilted to the smoke.
Despite that, I was glad to have tried it because now I know a bit more about my tastes and what will be more successful choices in the future.
Ice is a cocktail thing but beer is linked via water so I am interested in the new Camper English book, The Ice Book.
I fear that I do a lot of wrong things with ice much like my disregard of proper beer glass etiquette at times. Always good to have people hold one to the mark.
I veer into cocktails on occasion, actually bulking up my bar this year for once, so I was excited to try Thunderbolt and their primarily pre-made drinks.
I started with one of two cocktails on the menu that had a charity component to it. $2.00 from the Highball of the Month goes to the Another Round Another Rally fund for hospitality workers. The glass and the slab of ice was very eyecatching with the red/pink of the brambled gin. This is a raspberry drink that you can drink all day.
Next was a final attempt at the famous Negroni. I have had two before this and the strange Campari flavor had left me unfulfilled. The Thunderbolt version was fine but it put the nailin the coffin of me liking Negroni’s.
The location on Temple is done up real well with a dark bar vibe that is pierced by sunlight from two sides. They also have beer and cider but the star is the spirited concoctions.
I have passed by the RTD’s from On The Rocks at both Whole Foods and Vons, thinking, next time. Well, I finally got to next time and here is my review of their Old Fashioned made with Knob Creek whiskey.
This is strong. Take the over ice suggestion seriously. The alcohol is hot here. There is a nice citrus undertone here as well as a nod to sweetness at the top but this is basically a shot of whiskey. A little rounding off of the edges would do wonders.
If you like a up in your face Old Fashioned this will work for you but if you are looking for more depth, you may need to add extra to it.
I enjoy a good walk but I am a city streets kind of guy and not one to venture into the out of doors and hike in nature. That being said, if I knew there were cocktails (or of course, beer), I could be tempted to find a dusty trail. That is what makes the Summit Sippers such a cool idea. They haul up cocktail ingredients and fancy dress to welcome hikers to the summit. Hauling a keg would obviously be a harder endeavor plus that first draft might get messy but maybe there could be a halfway beer stop too.
Cellador Ales is going fancy on Friday November 15th when they release two Jackson Ranch wild ale variants. They are whiskey inspired beers as described by the brewery as, “one aged in a High West Double Rye Single Barrel and the other in a Knob Creek Cask strength Single Barrel.”
Cellador will be making cocktails with the beers that night and if you have had one of them before, you know it will be tasty and interesting.
