“These bars are places that have had their ups and downs in their hip factor, but they are all still there. I love them.”
Photograph courtesy of Three Clubs Cocktail Lounge
Three Clubs Cocktail Lounge
I love Three Clubs so much I got a job here. It has a very particular, timeless design stamps. It has that neighborhood bar feel that you don’t get a lot in Los Angeles. You are starting to get it more, because people are going out in a different way, but it is really hard to find a place that is not about going out. Meaning it is not a club, it’s not the kind of place you feel comfortable not matter what you wear. I always love the kind of place that if I go in a tuxedo I feel comfortable, and if I go in shorts and flip flops I feel comfortable. This is definitely one of those places where if you are fancy, the room has this shabby fanciness about it, and you are like, 'I’ve got my thing on.' But it's where another guy in the corner has a backward cap on and is drinking a Budweiser. It has been around a long time. They were of an era for sure.
1123 Vine Street, Los Angeles, CA 90038
T: 323.462.6441 | threeclubs.com
Photograph courtesy of Boardner’s by La Belle
Boardner’s
I like Boardner’s because it is one of those bizarre things where you walk around and it feels very much like a time capsule. It is right off of Hollywood Boulevard and the thing about bars in Hollywood is the old regular crowd is nowhere else. They are so entertaining. It is a bar full of weirdos. It is lovely. You just sit there and your peripheral vision picks up all these characters, 'What is he wearing?' 'Oh my god, that guy just said that?'
1652 N Cherokee Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028
T: 323.462.9621 | www.boardners.com
Photograph courtesy of Jones Hollywood
Jones Hollywood
It used to be and still is the place to see and be seen. They have worked the food into it very well. It is probably the closest you are going to get to an Odeon-type place in Los Angeles. Very famous people still come here, just because they love it. Certainly musicians. It’s also perfect if you just want a beer and a bite.
Order a dirty martini from the head bartender named Eric Tecosky. He started a company called Dirty Sue, which is a bottled premium olive juice. His Dirty Martini is this layered, infused drink that is the most delicious, easy dirty martini you’ll ever have in your life. So much of drinking is about the environment that you are in and I never drink a Dirty Martini unless I am here. This is the place to drink Dirty Martinis.
7205 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90046
T: 323.850.1726 | www.joneshollywood.com
Los Angeles Souvenirs
There is a lot of good stuff happening in California and a lot of spirits are being made
St. George Spirits
They are the grand daddies of the craft spirit movement. They have been around for more than 20 years and have a whole line of spirits. They do blends from 12 different batches, each aged in different kinds of wood barrels (apple wood, cherry wood, etc.). Every year is a different whiskey. When they started making other things the barrels live on and are used to age whiskey in. They are super creative.
2601 Monarch Street, Alameda, CA 94501
T: 510.769.1601 | www.stgeorgespirits.com
Visit: www.stgeorgespirits.com/visit | Buy
Sweet Potato Spirits
They are making a really interesting rye whiskey called Corbin Cash Merced Rye Whiskey. It is rare and very small batch. These guys are still farmers, so it is a true farmer/distiller thing. They grow their own rye and actually do a very good job, especially for a young rye, since it is anywhere from a year to two years old.
Charbay Distillery
Anything by Charbay. Marko Karakasevic is one of my favorite distillers in the world. He is a friend of mine. Just a cowboy. His whiskeys are phenomenal. They are interesting and weird.
4001 Spring Mountain Road, St. Helena, Napa Valley, CA 94574
T: 707.963.9327 | www.charbay.com
Visit by appointment: Make a Reservation | Buy
Photo Credit: Find. Eat. Drink.
Bartender Michael Neff is a bi-coastal bartender who has launched and worked at classic bars in New York (Ward III, The Rum House, and most recently Holiday Cocktail Lounge) and Los Angeles (Three Clubs, and soon to be opened Clifton's Brookdale).
Get bartender Michael Neff's New York City and Los Angeles bar recommendations in the Find. Eat. Drink. iPhone app.
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