Booze News

• Would you like to drink wine from a piece of art?

Behold the Premier Cru Collection of stemware. Damn it’s beautiful. And hand-blown, lead-free crystal and, YES, even durable. Well, if you throw them in the fireplace, that’s another story, but because of the absence of lead, they are demonstrably stronger than your lead crystal varieties. Because isn’t breakage particularly frustrating? No worries, the wine glasses [...]

• Memorable Montelobos Mezcal. Gotta Have It.

Last night, Montelobos launched their wonderful Mezcal at Las Perlas (downtown LA). I’ve had mezcal and haven’t really been able to get over the, some might say, gasoline taste, but this mezcal was DELICIOUS! It was smooth, had depth of flavors and just the right amount of smoke. Mezcal is typically served neat, and that’s [...]

• NO VALENTINE? NO WORRIES!

NO VALENTINE? NO WORRIES! (for those who do, pass this along to some worthy friends) Let’s celebrate our specialness! Join me Traxx Bar at Union Station tomorrow from 6-9. There’ll be a couple of special Valentine cocktails and if you mention BoozeNews.com or “a woman walks into a bar…”, you’ll get 50% off! Isn’t that [...]

• “a woman walks into a bar…” at MessHall, Los Feliz

First of all, GOOD RIDDANCE LOUISE’S! Hello, Messhall…owned by one of Louise’s owners, Rob Serritella, plus partner, Bill Chait. Names that only matter if you really care about who owns the joint. The name that really matters is the name of the guy running the bar and that name is Erik Lund. Remember that when you [...]

A taste of The TASTE

Is it possible to put on 10 pounds in one weekend by gnoshing your way around The TASTE? Add to that many many sipping  samples of ‘creative’ cocktails or straight booze and I’m thinking 10 pounds is ‘cheap’! Here’s the official lowdown on THE TASTE: THE TASTE, Los Angeles Times’ annual celebration of the Southern [...]

• Kern River Brewing’s Citra…worth the 6 hour trip!

You remember that catch-phrase slogan “I’d walk a mile for a Camel!” Well, that’s nothing. I drove 340 miles for one of my all-time favorite beers. And I wasn’t disappointed. First of all, the drive on Route 178 is spectacular. River rocks the size of houses, towering mountains on either side. Breathtaking. (Scroll down for [...]

LA Food & Wine Fest: How To Blind Taste White Wine

The LA Food and Wine Festival took over downtown this past weekend and it served up every celebrity chef you’ve ever seen on whatever foodie tv show you’re addicted to and enough wine seminars to satisfy your inner sommelier. Lucky chefs and presenters…champagne awaited in the lobby along with chefs personalized coats.       [...]

• Five Stars for Four Roses Bourbon

Oh, the perks of having a booze blog! You HAVE to taste in the interest of your dear readers and also for your own edification. And so it was that I went to a Four Roses tasting recently. It was all for you. Problem is, I misplaced my notes somewhere along the way so I [...]

• “a woman walks into a bar…” at the Eveleigh

I just happened to be going minus 30 mph by the Eveleigh, on the Sunset Strip, and I thought, fuck this fucking traffic, that bar is beckoning to me. Fifteen minutes and a hundred yards later, I finally parked the car, unfolded myself and walked swiftly past the Armani Exchange – 70% off – to [...]

• “a woman walks into a bar…” at Buzz Wine Beer Shop for a Beer Tasting

There’s a cool wine/beer shop on the corner of 5th and Spring Street in downtown LA called Buzz Wine Beer Shop in what is called the Historic Core – which may come as a surprise to some persnickety Angelenos (Westsiders) that there a) is a downtown and b) that there’s actually some history there. Be that [...]

“a woman walks into a bar…” at Terroirs & Signatures Burgundy Wine Tasting

Have you ever been to San Francisco City Hall? If you have, you know how beautiful it is. Well, that’s where the Terroirs & Signatures Burgundy tasting took place. A grand setting for grand wines…most from the great 2009 vintage and some really wonderful 2010′s. The tasting started off with a two hour seminar on [...]

• “a woman walks into a bar…” at Dan Tana’s

This is how I got to Dan Tana’s, one of LA’s oldest Hollywood hangouts, still going strong where who-knows-what went on in the dimly lit old-school booths, safe from paparazzi and curious snoops. It’s like stepping right into the screen of a Hollywood movie where everyone from Hollywood powerbrokers to pawnbrokers, the rich, the famous, the [...]

• Hurry, Hurry…Take the A Train to Traxx Bar at Union Station

I needed a drink. In a hurry. A bad week will do that. So, I cajole my friend, Bea, to join me because my friend Bea is a great drinking companion, and while she is in her golden years, she can drink anyone under the table. She totally has a hollow leg. I’ve only seen [...]

• L.A.’s Palm Restaurant – A Fabulous Bourbon and Scotch Tasting Dinner

Have you been to a special event dinner at the Palm yet? You should. Jonathan Mitchell, Assistant General Manager & Wine Director, manages to make every moment totally fun. Food pairing dinners can be tedious and serious with detailed recitations of where the food came from, its DNA, the farmer’s name who grew it, the [...]

“a woman walks into a bar…” at La Cita – the awesome-est bar in L.A.

Helllooooo L.A.!!!! Where have you been? More like – where the hell have I been? DAMN. I just ‘discovered’ the most awesome little bar in L.A. – La Cita rocks! Or whatever the prevailing hip hype word is. Hey, you like booze…it’s there. You like rockin’ dancin’ music…it’s there. You like to smoke…it’s there on [...]