Friday, February 15, 2013

Casa Del Mar's New Lobby Lounge Bites, Barrel Aged Cocktails

Casa Del Mar has been elevating their cocktail program under the radar, inviting renowned bartenders locally and internationally to train their staff and help with new menus. One of the latest such consultant is LA's own Aidan Demarest.

Not only that, now you can age your own 5 liters of cocktails with your name or logo etched into the barrel! Choose from Brooklyn, Manhattan, or Vesper, or consult with the bartenders for your own. Once you finish the contents, you get to take the barrel home as a keepsake. The pricing for this starts around $500 per barrel (it depends on the spirits you use).

Barrel Aged Cocktail
I tried their Barrel aged Vieux Carree (Hudson rye whiskey, Tariquet Armagnac VS, Carpano Antica, Angostura bitters, aged 8 1/2 weeks in new American white oak barrels).

The lead bartender, Raymond, has also been coming up with fun new cocktails using fresh produce, like the
Smoky Beets (Alipus mezcal, fresh beet puree, lime juice, Ras El Hanout). This may be my favorite out of the cocktails I tried. The beet flavor wasn't overpowering and the ras el hanout is a unique touch.
Beet Cocktail


Some of the cocktails on the menu were designed by Aidan, like the Winter Apple (Whistlepig rye whiskey, fresh apple and orange juice, cinnamon)
IMG_3721

The bar bites menu have also been revamped with items like hamachi crudo with cucumber, radish, basil, and Meyer lemon
Yellowtail


I loved the beets with burrata, grapefruit, and pistachio! The grapefruits were a great addition to the staple.
Beet Grapefruit Burrata

There are also snacks for $5 each - try the fried artichokes.
Artichokes

Lobby Lounge at Casa del Mar
1910 Ocean Way
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 581-5533
http://www.hotelcasadelmar.com/los-angeles-hotel-lobby
Veranda Bar at Casa Del Mar on Urbanspoon

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