Where & What You Need To Be Drinking This Winter In LA

Photo Credit: AVABlu Images

Where you need to be drinking now. 

THE FLEUR ROOM

Photo Credit: AVABLU Images

Photo Credit: Ashley Randall

The Fleur Room is the latest West Hollywood hot spot from Tao Group Hospitality. The maximalist décor — inclusive of art like Anissa Kermiche’s curvaceous, larger-than-life ”Love Handle” vase filled with fresh flowers; a mirrored ceiling with an oversized gold disco ball; velvet seating; marbled cocktail tables; and bespoke Venetian glass fixtures — is meant to showcase a rebellious take on old Hollywood, and, in turn, offer a secretive, sexy escape for cocktail enthusiasts. (There’s also a ”Love Room,” draped in gold shagreen velvet, so you get the point.) The bar program centers around handcrafted cocktails made with fresh juices, housemade syrups and infusions, and surprising elements like dramatic vapors and dry ice.  Make sure to grab a drink under the signature pink-flower Venetian glass pendants at the bar. 9201 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 90069

THE HIDEAWAY

Photo Credit: Erik Melvin

Photo Credit: Erik Melvin

The Hideaway, located in the heart of Beverly Hills, is a straight-up homage to 1970s Baja California. The interior, with its rustic tiled floors, vintage wood, faded stucco fireplace, and wrought-iron tables, is essential to creating a low-key vibe. Yet, it is absolutely the eatery’s jewel box of a bar that demands immediate attention. Here, Julian Cox, LA’s own mixology master, has created a tequila-heavy menu of handmade cocktails that play to the Mexican theme. Blood Sugar Sex Majik — made with rye, agave, Fresno chili, red bell peppers, and basil — is a standout, but even a house margarita is flawless on Cox’s watch thanks to a unique blend of both blanco and reposado tequilas and fresh, house-blended sweet and sour juices. Worldwide wines, inclusive of a prominent selection of California’s best, are also featured heavily on the menu. 421 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, 90210

THE LET’S GO! DISCO & COCKTAIL CLUB

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Photo Credit: VeryTaste Media

The Let’s Go! Disco & Cocktail Club is newly “serving it up and shaking it down” in the Arts District as of December. This new nightlife spot, courtesy of Lee Zaremba and the team behind De La Nonna, channels a late 1970s and early 1980s Italian Riviera discoteca. The rose-colored stucco space, designed by Butcher’s Daughter creator and founder Heather Tierney, is anchored by a 30-foot-long marble bar with green ceramic tiles. Additional design elements include custom-made furniture, modeled after Italian designers of the era, such as Mario Bellini; Eames cocktail tables that surround a cognac leather table; and swiveling brass stools that line the bar. Inspired by the dazzling disco floors of the time, the ceiling was fabricated into a checkerboard pattern with gold mirrors and mahogany wood panels. Playing up the disco theme, the space is also dotted with vinyl-filled shelves, a DJ booth, and a hi-fi sound system designed by Uncanned Music. The beverage menu plays to this theme as well: our favorites include the Fizz Italiano, a gin and grapefruit sour; 5:1 Boys, a sesame leaf-infused dry gin martini; and Mucho Disko, a nutty mezcal cocktail. 710 E. 4th Place, Los Angeles, 90013

THUNDERBOLT

Photo Credit: Marie Buck Photography

Photo Credit: Marie Buck Photography

Thunderbolt is one of the greatest new bars to grace Los Angeles in quite some time — and it was even recognized by the 50 Best organization as Campari’s ”One to Watch” in 2022. It’s a cozy neighborhood cocktail bar located at the intersection of Filipinotown, Echo Park, and DTLA, but don’t let its comfortable façade and Southern vibe (with an accompanying menu of Southern delights like biscuits and gravy) fool you: Thunderbolt has a slew of ambitious innovations that many LA bars haven’t yet matched. Liquid Picnic — a gin-based cocktail with elements of citrus, tomato, rosemary, and black pepper — is made using centrifuge-strained tomato water, stored just above freezing point, and poured to order in a lemon oil-dusted frozen glass, while the espresso martini is forcibly nitrogenated to give it a nitro cold-brew texture and head. 1263 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, 90026