By: Miss. Veronica in LA

To me, the world of specialty mixed cocktails can be sort of like quantum physics- I feel like I have an overall sense of what it entails, and I think I know what the formulas are, but I don’t necessarily understand the final product (and therefore am skeptical when it comes to the whole “cocktail taste to enjoyment to cost” equation.) In fact, this is the precise reason I often stick to beer or wine. If craving a cocktail when facing a bartender, I generally default to the cliché “cranberry vodka”, or my signature cocktail, the Dirty Shirley (this would be a Shirley Temple vodka, and to those who have never ordered their favorite drink from elementary school amped up with a dash of alcohol, I say: trust.)

But all of this is beside the point. Recently, I was lucky enough to nab an additional invitation (care of The Minty) to mixologist Devon Espinosa‘s blogger preview for Hatchi Mix at The Tasting Kitchen in Venice. I quickly accepted and found myself bar side, deeply immersed in a four hour lesson on pre-Prohibition cocktails.

The first drink we all tried was “The Last Word”, a classic prohibition cocktail that was only recently resurrected by Seattle bartender Murray Stenson. This was literally pure refreshment in a glass, featuring gin and fresh lime juice with a supporting cast of maraschino luxardo and green chartreuse that created a lovely floral nose on the beverage. Shortly thereafter the perfect post-post-traffic-hour drink, “The Modern Hemingway”, was served. With rum, grapefruit, and the previously mentioned luxardo and lime, this simple clean combination poured over a single ice cube was easily a favorite of the party I was with. (Then again, it may have been too soon to play favorites, for we were only getting started!)

Devon Espinosa is one of those bartenders who has the speed and finesse of a highly-trained athlete; he’s just one of those people that makes what he does look so easy (and sexy to boot.) This man can simultaneously take multiple orders, carry a conversation, and create a mean cocktail without breaking a sweat. Just watching him made me thirsty! Thank goodness then, that there were still more drinks to try.

Our mixologist ventured away from the tasting for half a beat to offer us his latest experiment, “Kumquat Mayhem”, a first of season blend featuring the tart little citrus with the lesser known Dimmi, a mix of Grappa and other neutral wheat spirit. Now for anyone who’s ever tried Grappa straight, you know how astringent this liquor can be. However, the Dimmi was particularly smooth and provided a welcome canvas for the kumquats. After this brief sidetrack, we dove back into the lesson plan (and began to order food- you can only get this girl so many drinks deep sans carbs before you have to start worrying about me randomly breaking into song. And by song I mean show tunes. Specifically Liza. Which of course requires sitting ON the bar. In a makeshift cell phone spotlight. But I digress.)

The third cocktail in our tasting flight was the “Sazerac”, supposedly the first cocktail to ever be invented in America, because at some point someone realized that bathtub booze straight just didn’t cut it anymore. Rinsed with absinthe and made with rye whiskey, lemon peel, and two types of bitters, this drink is not for the faint of heart, but had such a nice warm earthy quality to it that despite its strength and mildly astringent nose, I kept going back for more.

Fourth up was the post-prohibition classic and my personal favorite, the “Moscow Mule.” I’ve had variations on this drink before, but bartenders (and vodka connoisseurs) take note: everyone should make this drink like Espinosa does. Whereas before I had only been exposed to the traditional mix of vodka, ginger beer, and a dash of sweet and sour, once this particular version in its purest form touched my tongue, I knew I could never go back. Featuring a fresh ginger emulsion added to simple syrup, the cocktail is finished with fresh lime, angostura bitters, and was absolute perfection. I actually tried to convince Devon to come to my house once a week after work just to make this for me, and though I’m sure I’ll eventually get him to at least agree to once every other week, I can see myself going out of my way in the interim to indulge in a Moscow Mule time and again. (Seriously, if there’s one drink you ever have the honor of ordering from this particular mixologist, make sure it’s this one.)

Eventually we all put in orders for food, and I was delighted to see both clams and fries on the menu, as I had been craving this combination for weeks but had not had an opportunity to seek it out in our city (so if anyone in LA has a favorite haunt that does Moules et Frites really well, please let me know!) The clams were very good, sprinkled in house made chorizo that had a nice kick to it, and the leftover cooking liquid made a perfect dip for my fries in between bites of aioli. And the bread! OMG.

I must mention that the bread they make at The Tasting Kitchen is UHMAYZING; a nice crusty rustic loaf sliced and warm, served with a side flake-salted butter that was quickly devoured.

Alongside our food came our last two cocktails, the “Negroni” (Gin, Camparo Antica, Compari, orange) and the classic “Manhattan” (Bourbon, Camparo Antica, bitters, and a homemade brandied cherry.) Though the Negroni was a bit too biting on both the nose and palette for my taste, the Manhattan was velvety and well balanced, and its homemade brandied cherry was a nice finishing touch.

Seven cocktails later, my blogger friends and I had successfully passed our crash course in Pre-Prohibition Cocktails 101 with flying colors. All in all, it was great to get a chance to venture outside of my usual happy hour comfort zone and really try some new combinations and flavors that I might have otherwise never ordered… though come to think of it, I’m sure it helped to be in good hands: Espinosa really goes above and beyond as a mixologist, putting so much care and effort into every concoction; from the creation of syrups, juices, and bitters, to painstakingly double-straining each and every drink, I honestly got the sense that he really loves what he does, and he’s damn good at it too. So whether you get a chance to check out one of his Hatchi Mixes (the next one being June 3rd at Breadbar) or you just catch him at The Tasting Kitchen, be sure to sit at the bar and take a second to listen and learn. He’s definitely one to watch… and his cocktails aren’t half bad either.