staff favorite and best seller is the Chili
Passion, made with Boiron passion fruit
purée and the usual cachaça ingredients.
We use Leblon as our house spirit, but
people often request Cabana and also
Sagatiba.”
LAS VEGAS
; Tobin Ellis, principal, Bar Magic
Bar Magic is a consulting company
that assists operators with the A to Z of
nightlife, including concept developing,
drink styling and more.
The popular cocktail in Vegas, according to Ellis, is a classic Italian aperitivo.
“The Negroni, served straight up or
on the rocks, has become a staple in
Vegas,” he says. “A lot of people say
the best Negroni is made at Red Room
Saloon — they call themselves the most
glamorous dive bar. The cocktail is doing
so well it’s spawning spinoffs like the
Zamboni, which is a Brazilian Negroni but
the gin is replaced with cachaça.”
Ellis also pinpoints a comeback drink:
the Gin and Tonic. He credits its revival
to the launch of artisan tonic waters and
the boutique gin craze. “Gins are taking
off. Two of the most popular ones are
Plymouth and Hendrick’s. Aviation and
Right Gin are doing well, too.”
ing it with anothe
embracing the spirit.” Ehrmann’s own in-
terest in the sugar cane spirit was evident
in his hugely popular cocktail, a twist on
the Caipirinha.
“There are a lot of
spins on the Caipir-
inha. I’ve had a honey
kumquat one on
the menu for quite
awhile. I’m taking it
off now, only because
kumquats are out of
season. I’ll be replac-
r version soon. I’m wait-
H. Joseph Ehrmann
ing for cherry season to roll in.”
; Dominic Venegas, bar director at
Gitane Restaurant
Gitane is a Belle Epoque-styled
restaurant where the popular cocktail
is a variation on the classic Last Word
libation, the Gypsy. “It features Right Gin,
Green Chartreuse, St-Germain liqueur and
fresh lime juice, shaken and served up in
a cocktail glass,” Venegas shares. “I substituted the Maraschino with St-Germain.
It’s a staff favorite and they love to push
it. It’s a drink that is very approachable for
having aggressive spirits and a beautiful
jade green hue.”
LOS ANGELES
; Marcos Tello, resident mixologist at
The Edison
The cocktail scene has taken root in
L.A. As one of many cool cocktail bars
downtown, The Edison specializes in
retro drinks that tell local stories. “We’re
looking specifically
at historical cocktails
that were invented in
L.A.,” asserts Tello.
He adds, “Throw-
back cocktails are a
big trend.”
Marcos Tello
One drink that sells
like hotcakes at The
; Patricia Richards, mixologist for
Wynn Las Vegas and Encore
Richards is in charge of a mass scale
cocktail program at Wynn Las Vegas and
Encore, and though she doesn’t point to
a specific “It” cocktail, she does shed
light on the popularity of certain flavors.
“There is a trend toward exotic ingredients as the world becomes smaller. The
taste is for flavors like yuzu, guava and
tea. One of my popular cocktails is an Earl
Grey-infused Martini.”
SAN FRANCISCO
; H. Joseph Ehrmann, proprietor
of Elixir
Cachaça is on a roll at Elixir in San
Francisco. Ehrmann puts it down to two
reasons: “First there are the cachaça
producers coming onto the market with
a big push, such as Leblon, Sagatiba and
Cabana, and secondly, bartenders are
The Ward 8 is a popular whiskey-based cocktail at L. A.’s Bottega
