Angelenos can get a taste of the city’s bar scene this week when Cocktails in the City brings together leading cocktail bars from across Los Angeles to The Majestic Downtown for one night on Sept. 23.
This is the first time this cocktail event, which has seen success in the UK, is landing stateside, and will highlight 30 bars showcasing specialty drinks created for the event, along with interactive pop-ups, a craft spirits discovery room, food vendors and more. The event is under the leadership of Steve Kelly, who launched the West Hollywood spot Now Boarding in 2013.
Each participating bar is paired with a liquor brand for their specialty drink. Bars featuree include Sassafras, Birds & Bees, Harvard & Stone, Hotel Figueroa, Otium, Lono, The Wallace, The Peppermint Club, Good Times at Davey Waynes, Redbird LA, Normandie Club, Walker Inn, Melrose Umbrella Company, No Vacancy, Big Bar, Wolf and Crane and many more.
“Los Angeles has such a dynamic cocktail and bar scene,” says Kelly. “This city often gets overlooked on a global level when we think about the best bar cities across the world, but that is far from the reality, which is why we selected LA to launch Cocktails in the City when we decided to bring the event to the U.S.”
A panel of judges — including Dushan Zaric from Employees Only, long-time LA bartender and beverage director Jason Bran, and food and beverage writer Katherine Spiers from LA Weekly — will taste cocktails across the venue before awarding one bar and brand the Best Signature Cocktail award. Guests can also vote for the Best Activation award at voting polls.
There will be local bites to nosh on to help soak up the booze.
Tickets can be purchased for the Pre-Dinner Cocktail Party, which takes place from 4:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m., or the After Dinner Cocktail Party, from 9:30 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. All cocktails, activations and celebrations will be the same for each of the evening’s two portions. Each ticket includes one cocktail from any of the participating bars, an event guide, and a “swag bag” to collect complimentary merchandise at the event. Guests can purchase additional cocktail tokens.
Proceeds benefit Cocktails in the City’s charity partner, My Friend’s Place, which helps homeless youths build self-sufficient lives.