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We’re in the midst of a campaign to find LA’s best bartender - table20.strutta.com. Our goal is to find LA’s best by having you tell us who your favorite bartenders are.
We’d like to make the process of submitting your favorite barkeep as simple as possible.
So for a limited time you can leave a comment in this blog post telling us who you like, why, and immediately get a chance to be 1 of 10 people to win “How to Booze: Exquisite Cocktails and Unsound Advice”
In addition, at the end of the contest you’ll have a shot at winning a $275 LA Entertainment Package which includes the following:
- • dinner for four at Lazy Ox Canteen
- • dinner for two at Takami Sushi Robata & Restaurant
- • tickets for two to the post-contest party - there will be 25 randomly drawn ticket winners
Enter in two steps.
1. Leave a comment below with the following info about your favorite bartender.
- • first name (full name if possible)
- • place of work (name and location)
- • why they deserve to be named LA’s Best Bartender
2. Then retweet or Share through Facebook “I nominated my favorite LA bartender and got a chance to win ‘How to Booze: Exquisite Cocktails and Unsound Advice’ http://bit.ly/9qcWk1″
Then we’ll jet out to their bar to let them know how much you appreciate them and take their picture for their official entry into the contest.
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Your contest entry will be invalid if we are unable to take a picture of your bartender or if someone else submits your favorite bartender to our contest site before we can get your entry loaded to the site.
It goes without saying that Shannon at Springbok (16153 Victory Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406) has mastered the skill of making excellent drinks, handling the chaos of busy times and new patrons with odd requests, still tending to the regulars so that they never are waiting for their next drink, and being pleasant the entire time. I’ve quietly seen her make classic drinks, offer suggestions to those looking for a new drink of choice, all the while keeping the bar hoping and lively. She’s been there for a few years now (since at least 2005?), and while I’m not there all the time, when I do stop by, she remembers me by name - and not just the name on my credit card. There might be flashier or trendier bars in L.A., but if you want to appreciate a bartender who knows what she’s doing - and why you are at a bar.
I can’t believe Devon Espinosa from The Tasting Kitchen/Breadbar hasn’t been nominated yet. The guy is a cocktail genius! He hits up the farmer’s market for the freshest produce, cooks up his own infused syrups, even brandies his own cherries. And he can keep all glasses perfectly filled in a packed house without breaking a sweat. Really, really fantastic bartender/mixologist.
I wrote a piece that was mostly about him here- there’s even an action shot ready to go! http://uncouthgourmands.com/2010/05/12/my-uncouth-initiation-a-case-study-in-classic-cocktails/
Hey Veronica,
Looks like someone already posted Devon from The Tasting Kitchen - http://contest.table20.com/entries#69397. Be sure to vote for him.
Who else do you love in LA? We’ll go take their pic and submit them for you.
Courtney, at The Fifth, located at 4821 Whitsett Avenue North Hollywood, CA 91607-3511
She makes amazing drinks, and has a great memory for her customers. She has always greeted me like a regular since the first time I came in, remembers that I like extra lime in my gin and tonic (and makes a great gin and tonic) and she always treats me and my friends (as well as everyone else) like royalty. She knows what I like to drink, and will recommend her own snazzy made up drinks when I’m unsure of exactly what I want, and they’re always exactly what I was craving.
Aside from all that, she’s smoking hot.
Stephanie at White Harte Pub
SATURDAY NIGHT WITH A GREAT BAND WITH STEPHANIE BEHIND THE BAR IS LOTS OF FUN
The real attraction, though, is their weekend ‘happy hour’ (4-8pm). During this time, they have a special bartender named Kelly, who is making some of THE BEST cocktails I’ve had in LA.
I never expected to find the level of mixology that I enjoyed at the Tonga Hut at such a low-profile bar.
I say “mixology,” because this bartender isn’t only making the usual run of cocktails — she is creating her own recipes and they are mind-blowingly good. This is a bartender that really cares about each drink she makes — she takes the time to accurately measure her ingredients (an important & disappearing act in many bars) and continually tastes her drinks (with a straw, in case that sounds strange to you) until they are made just right.
[...] • the bartender’s picture (no picture? nominate via this link) [...]