THE QUAFF: 11 Amazing Cocktails From Library Bar

In case you’ve been living under a rock (or Orlando), hand-crafted cocktails are all the rage these days. It’s all about mixology, and Los Angeles (as well as San Francisco) seems to be at the forefront of the whole movement. Whether it be a speakeasy (Roger Room), a hideaway (La Descarga), a restaurant (Hungry Cat), …

THE QUAFF: Roasted Red Pepper Juleps

How dreadful that it’s been practically three weeks since I last updated anything in The Quaff category. Well, I’ve been behind on all my posting in general, but I’m determined to catch up, beginning with a new addition to this category. I’m happy to report I have a fun item that I whipped up with …

ADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: Mint Fudge Ice Cream Edition

I’ve been on a small ice cream kick lately ever since I procured David Lebovitz’s food bible, The Perfect Scoop. Actually, it had been more of a chocolate sorbet kick, but last week I decided to elevate my game with an attempt at mint ice cream. It’s difficult for me to have ice cream without …

Random Reality Stars From The Fig & Olive Opening

The Los Angeles branch (pun INTENDED) of Fig & Olive restaurant opened last night, and I was lucky enough to be invited to the swanky event. The bash featured a full-on red carpet, which I walked with my cohort, and I’m happy to report that absolutely none of the three paparazzi who were standing there …

THE QUAFF: More National Margarita Day Fun

Since today is National Margarita Day, I knew I had to post a bonus Quaff. The only problem is that I haven’t recently created or sampled a new margarita to profile (actually, not true — I tasted my friend Sly’s margarita at the Thompson hotel last week, but I neglected to take photos; so that …

THE QUAFF: A National Margarita Day Celebration of Don Julio!

Today is National Margarita Day, and in honor of the day, I plan to a) have a margarita later, and b) celebrate its most vital component: tequila! I’ve gained a recent appreciation for the notorious spirit, which had previously ranked low on my favorite alcohols. However, thanks to a handy tasting seminar in December courtesy …

THE QUAFF: Cocktail Hour at the Allston Yacht Club

Angelenos might be shocked to learn this, but there’s a yacht club in Echo Park, the otherwise landlocked Eastside neighborhood that’s known for its gentle mix of hipsters and low-income Latinos. Granted, there are no yachts at the yacht club, and the closest thing to a marina is a puddle of water at the Walgreens …

THE QUAFF: Thai Boxer Edition, Featuring An Epic Feat of Strength

About a week ago, I saw an intriguing cocktail book on sale at Williams-Sonoma. It was called Artisanal Cocktails and written by Scott Beattie, who apparently is a big time mixologist up in the Bay Area. I figured it would be a nice change of pace from Paul Abercrombie’s Organic, Shaken, and Stirred, which I’d …

THE QUAFF: Dark & Stormy Edition

On the occasion of my 32nd birthday last weekend, my crew and I (née The Lametourage, since renamed The VC — as in, The Vicious Circle) decided to take in a viewing of the latest Twilight movie (a.k.a. laugh at the screen). There’s absolutely no way to slog through the vampire saga sober; so clearly, …