When The Culver Hotel, after an extensive renovation, is introducing the Velvet Lounge (The Culver Hotel, 9400 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232; 310.838.7326) and eighteen all-new Prohibition-inspired craft cocktails in honor of the hotel’s opening in 1924 and their recent Grand 90th birthday celebration!
The newly renovated décor in the Velvet Lounge brings back the elegance of the 1920s and has a “Prohibition meets Paris” style. With plush couches, dark colors, rich fabrics, soft lighting, vintage accents, and a translucent bar top lit from beneath, it’s everything you would imagine from a Grand speakeasy in a Grand Hotel. The Velvet Lounge is located on the mezzanine level of the ground floor, which only adds to its ‘hidden’ quality and exclusive ambiance.
Adding to the Prohibition-era vibe, silent movies are projected on the wall in the Velvet Lounge, in addition to the nightly live jazz music you will find in The Culver Hotel’s Grand Lobby.
The duo behind the new cocktails are The Culver Hotel’s Head Mixologist J.J. Weiner and the Velvet Lounge’s Head Bartender Phil Santos. With more than 20 years of experience in the industry between the two, their goal was to create an exciting new cocktail program that offers innovative and delicious drinks for everyone to enjoy.
The Velvet Lounge cocktail list, Culver Classics & Such, brings together classics made the traditional way, as well as original creations inspired by old favorites. Spetrini expects the number-one favorite will be the Dorothy’s Daiquiri. Named for the hotel’s connection to The Wizard of Oz (the movie was filmed in Culver City, and much of the cast, including the Munchkins, stayed at The Culver Hotel), the cocktail combines Ketel One Citroen with lemon, muddled strawberries and Prosecco for a fizzy sipper.
Another sure-to-be-favorite is the Dutch Mule, which is an elegant take on the Moscow Mule and swaps vodka for Nolet’s Silver Gin, along with ginger beer and a bit of grapefruit. Another twist on a classic is the Phony Negroni, which eases up on the bitterness of the original by trading Campari for Aperol and gin for Ketel One Oranje Vodka. For a refreshing cocktail, enjoy the Raspberry Martini, a sweet-and-tart mix of Nolet’s Silver Gin, lemon and muddled fresh raspberries. Or there is the even more refreshing Southside Limeade, combining Ketel One Citroen with fresh lime, cucumber and mint.
Topping off the Velvet Lounge’s cocktail list is a trio of classics including the Ward 8, a Boston invention that mixes Bulleit Bourbon, Pama Pomegranate Liqueur and orange and lemon juices in a fruity but powerful concoction. The Blood & Sand, named for a Prohibition-era Rudolph Valentino movie about a bullfighter combines Johnnie Walker, Cherry Heering, sweet vermouth and orange juice. And the Boulevardier, a Negroni variation calling for Bulleit Rye Whiskey in place of gin, is one of Weiner’s very favorite cocktails.
Downstairs, you will find Weiner behind the Grand Lobby Bar, where the cocktail selection more than doubles with all of theVelvet Lounge libations available, along with ten additional handcrafted Prohibition Cocktails.
Open Thursday, 7 pm-1 am, and Friday & Saturday, 7 pm-2 am.
Photo Credit: Kelley Rich
