Bliss in a Barrel

Cask Strength Art for the Whisk(e)y aficionado

Rivera: Tequila Ocho Flight Tasting April 16, 2012

Filed under: Cocktails,Restaurants,Tequila,Uncategorized — L.T. Do @ 4:43 am

http://www.riverarestaurant.com/

I absolutely love this place; the staff here are very talented, knowledgable and nice!  If you enjoy tequila, mezcal and crafted cocktails I highly recommend this place.  Erik, the bar manager here, creates a wonderful selection of creations.  He likes taking unexpected ingredients and mixing them together.

 

The cocktails here tell a playful story and the flavors are robust.  For example, Erik created this cocktail called “The Down Time Euphoria and Bitter Disappointment.”  It’s equal parts Kilchoman (Single Malt Whisky from Islay), Cynar, Benedictine and Orange Bitters.  The nose on this beverage are smoky/sea-salt air based with subtle hints of orange petals.  The flavor has overtones of peat with burnt rubber band.  The orange flavor lingers here with some secondary vegetal notes that latch onto the tongue, leaving a bitter note.

The also have rare, unique whiskies here, too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rivera: DTLA April 15, 2012

Filed under: Bars,Cocktails,Restaurants — L.T. Do @ 9:21 pm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Haven Gastropub March 15, 2012

Filed under: Bars,Cocktails,Restaurants — L.T. Do @ 1:42 am
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Haven is located in The Orange Circle, a quaint little town with some historical sites that is close to Chapman University.  The Orange Circle is a charming city overall, filled with vintage stores and other delicious places to eat (i.e. Felix, which is a Cuban restaurant; Citrus, a relaxing environment to get decent brunch on Sundays).   As far as Haven, I like their burgers, mac ‘n’ cheese, and shepards pie the most.  They’ve got more selections of beer than they do with whisk(e)y, and they opened a second location in Pomona around January or February of 2o12 I think.   This place opens until 2:00 AM, which is rare for Orange County.

 

Memphis and Lola Gaspar: Drinking in Down Town Santa Ana March 15, 2012

Filed under: Bars,Cocktails,Restaurants — L.T. Do @ 1:35 am
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The Artist Village in Santa Ana has a lot of amazing bars and restaurants popping up.  Memphis has great southern-style food and cocktails, while Lola Gaspar has tapa-style dishes and cocktails.

 

@Chapter One: George Dickell, High West, and Sheep Dip March 11, 2012

Filed under: Irish Whiskey,Restaurants,Rye Whiskey,Uncategorized — L.T. Do @ 10:10 am

 is a restaurant that is located in The Artist Village in Santa Ana.  It’s an open space filled with vintage books and a great selection of spirits, especially whisk(e)y.  The bartenders and owners are very friendly here.  The last Wednesday of every month, the staff holds a “Women and…” event, which is launched in celebration to encourage women to dapple their toes into spirits and wine.   They have a fantastic dessert called Milk and Cereal, which is a playful dish that explores different textures in a bowl.  Flower petals are strewn over a vanilla flan-like piece basted by crushed, honey chex mix and cinnamon ice cream.  The vanilla custard is very light in terms of flavour, but it blends well with the sweet, cinnamon ice cream and Chex cereal to create a fantastic balance of mild to sweet.  Aromas of petals bounce off from the cinnamon spice in a masterful manner that makes the dessert a thoroughly fantastic dish.

The Milk and Cereal pairs well with Russel’s Reserve Rye Whiskey.   Since the vanilla custard is very light and subtle, the rye whiskey, which has some spice and earthy notes, punctures the custard and helps make the custard sweeter.   As a result, one does not have to rely on the cinnamon ice cream and honey chex mix cereal to add sugar into the custard.