So, our “winter” in Los Angeles is warm and dry, but that doesn’t stop us from chilling out and sipping on winter cocktails. Hollywood’s Wood & Vine (6280 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, 90028; 323.334.3360) is serving up wintery flavors on their new Seasonal Cocktail Menu, offered alongside their Classic Cocktail Menu, both of which were created by their new Beverage Director Justin Stidham!
This new cocktail list is broken into two sections: W&V Classics, offering classic cocktails, as well as some of Wood & Vine’s original cocktails that have become classics and are now considered the restaurant’s standby sips. The Seasonal section, is a new collection of Stidham’s original cocktails highlighting the market-driven seasonal offerings.
The Classics section of the menu kicks-off with the Accomplice which is made with organic vodka, strawberry, champagne and lemon juice; and the Magnolia which combines Rain organic vodka, cucumber, lime, ginger and honey; the Bee’s Knees is a simple sip with a kick, featuring Nolet’s gin, organic honey and lemon juice; and the Zocalo, which pairs Azul tequila with citrus, cilantro-infused agave and a habanero tincture that adds the perfect kick on the finish.
Stidham and the Wood & Vine bar crew have created interesting, flavorful and dramatic drinks including the Black Manhattan made with Maker’s Mark bourbon, Averna Amaro and Luxardo cherries; the 5 Points Manhattan includes smoked Buffalo Trace bourbon along with a Guinness reduction, Punt e Mes, Angostura bitters and an orange peel as the garnishl and the Penicillin, which includes Bank Note scotch, ginger, honey, lemon and a Laphroaig Spritz.
The Seasonal section features the Thai Massage, which is a kicked up version of a Gimlet uses Nolet’s gin, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, vanilla bean, fresh lime and mint leaf; the Above the Clouds, which uses Ron Zacapa rum (a rum that Stidham says is aged at 8,000 feet of elevation in Guatemala), along with a blood orange-cinnamon reduction, Demerara, Angostura, fresh lime and ginger foam; the Southern Sour, uses Buffalo Trace bourbon, Laird’s Applejack, tangerine, rhubarb syrup, egg whites and Angostura; and the Ancho Rancho, which features Pierde Almas mezcal, Ancho Reyes chili liqueur, red bell pepper, lemon, honey and chipotle smoked salt on the rim.
Enjoy the cocktails during Wood & Vine’s Late-Night Happy Hour on Monday-Thursday, 10 pm-Midnight, and on Friday & Saturday, midnight-2 am. You can sample a selection of Stidman’s cocktails for just $5.
No doubt, the conversation will now center around the new winter cocktail you just ordered, so step up to the bar at Wood & Vine and order up a tasty conversation starter today!
Photo Credit: acuna-hansen
