News
05/04/2012
Salvatore Launches Mixology101 in Los Angeles
This April, I launched my new bar in Los Angeles in partnership with Robert Earl.
It's called Mixology101 and is at The Grove, an amazing shopping destination just east of Beverly Hills. The Grand Opening was attended by some great celebrity guests including Jennifer Lopez, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Piers Morgan, Cee Lo Green, Tommy Hilfiger and Katherine Jenkins, all of whom enjoyed the chance to sample some of my signature cocktails and food provided by Planet Dailies, and the feedback so far has been really excellent. I really hope they spread the word far and wide and return with their friends and families!
You may be wondering why I have opened a bar in the US. Indeed, LA is a long way from my residence in Mayfair, so what relevance is a bar in California to the West End? Well, for one thing, the whole concept of 'mixology' has a bit of a bad name in London, where amid the high-brow cocktail renaissance it's often mocked, as if it's a modern marketing term. I don't think that's fair: in fact, the word first emerged in the 1850s to describe the art of combining spirits and liqueurs. So in a way, by calling it Mixology101, we might be going against the grain, but I hope it's a step towards restoring its true significance again.
Secondly, I'm proud that the US is looking to London for its cocktail inspiration. Given that the drinks world used to only look in one direction - to New York - it's a sign of the times and of the sophistication of the London scene. I've taken my signature drinks, developed at Dukes Hotel, the Lanesborough, Fifty St James and of course, my current home at Salvatore at Playboy, and given them an LA twist. That's helped by the fact that Mixology101 is right next to the oldest market in LA, perfect for fresh fruits. In a country where the cocktail is still defined largely by Vodka Martinis, I don't think they knew what hit them.
Of course, there are some things that LA offers that London unfortunately cannot: at Mixology101 we have these amazing glass walls that slide up and over - like a retractable roof - to let in that southern Californian sunshine. The warmth and the breeze remind me of my childhood home on the Amalfi coast - whilst London is a little more unpredictable on the weather front!
So if any of you are reading this from California, then please drop in and see my bar and experience it for yourself! To my London based friends.....if you happen to be in Los Angeles for a holiday in the foreseeable future, then you should go and try the cocktails and see how they compare to my bar at Playboy, because I have taken a few of my signature cocktails over there in addition to the new creations specific to Mixology 101! You can find the Breakfast Martini and Spicy Fifty for starters, so there will always be a bit of Mayfair amidst the Californian sun!
For those of you who love Tweeting, follow me @CocktailMaestro or my bar @Mixology101LA
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