Ask A Los Angeles Expert: Best Fun Holiday Drinks
Winter holidays in the Southland would not be the same without a bit of liquid cheer to complement the season. Try a glass or three of the highest order you'll make with loving care thanks to the following trio of drinkable recipes conjured up by a local barkeep who knows what will warm your heart and your spirit at this very festive time of the year.
Gust Tsilis
1160 Bar and Lounge
Hollywood Hotel
1160 N Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 315-1800
www.hollywoodhotel.net
Gust Tsilis gleaned his bar tending skills from renowned restaurateur Andres Lugris who, along with his son Andres Lugris II, took Gust under his wings as he began to develop New York City's ultimate jazz club called Visiones. Fast forward to 2014, this talented mixologist lives in Los Angeles as he has for 15 years. Gust was dubbed manager and then lead bartender of the Hollywood Hotel's 1160 bar and lounge. A natural, the multi-talented, very affable fellow serves the City of Angel's citizens, up to and including fine comics who have become 1160 Bar and Lounge regulars.
This martini, honoring linebacker Joe Greene, rocks an inviting holiday color of green, an important part of the season's spirit. Gust Tsilis reckons the cocktail "relaxes anyone who sips it" and is "perfect for the end of a long, sometimes hard year for some." Salud!
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Hendricks Gin
- 1 1/2 ounces St. Germain
- 1 ounce fresh organic cucumber juice
- Garnished with kiwi fruit or a lemon twist
Gust proclaims this upbeat cocktail as "Refreshing and cool just like the music of American Jazz master [Miles Davis], who hailed from the great Midwest of our nation. This drink's combination of rums and fruit juices brings out the best in celebration of these most important holidays." Cheers!
Ingredients
- 1 ounce Bacardi light
- 1/2 ounce Myers dark rum
- Splash of Bacardi 151 Rum
- 1 ounce pineapple juice
- 1 ounce orange juice
- 1 ounce cranberry juice
- Splash of fresh lime juice
- Garnished with strawberry or mango slices
Gust says the this Kentucky Bourbon-based spirit is "surprisingly smooth." This expert contends, "The Hollywood Blizzard will warm and soothe the heart of any man or women who discovers this unique combination, a variation of a popular drink enjoyed in the 1930s." Bottoms up!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 ounces of Wild Turkey
- 1 1/2 ounces of cranberry juice
- Soda water
- Splash of lime juice
- Garnished with orange pieces
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