Click here to read Part I which recounts my experience at the LA Whisky Extravaganza along with the back story about how this little trip to the West Coast came to fruition.
And now for Part II…
Photo courtesy of Seven Grand.
So where did we leave off? Oh yes! Whisky Guy Rob, the West Coast Office (WCO), and I were leaving the LA Athletic Club and walking over to Seven Grand, which is located right around the corner. To be more specific, it’s located on the second floor of 515 West 7th Street, above a Mexican Restaurant called Mas Malo.
Go through the glass double doors, turn right, walk up the stairs, and there you’ll find a little slice of drinking heaven. As we wandered past the pool tables and seating on our right, we were greeted on the left by a magnificent booze and beer lined bar that runs along the length of the room. To say that the beverage selection was overwhelming would be a gross understatement!
As we made our way to the back of the bar, we were greeted by Shawn (she helped organize Rob and WCO’s tasting at Tom Bergin’s last year), a friend of Rob and the WCO, who was already perusing the extensive drinks menu. Did I want a beer, a whisky, or perhaps a cocktail? I had no clue where to start! Thankfully, Rob took the lead on the drinks and ordered up a round of Maker’s Mark Old Fashioneds for the four of us. This freed us up to spend more time talking and drinking, and less time being indecisive.
While we were working our way through our first round of drinks, there was a Tower of Power style band setting up alongside us. The band was really good, with a fantastic horns section, but since they were right next to us, the volume made it virtually impossible to carry on a conversation (my hearing under these circumstances ain’t what it used to be!). By the time the second or third song started, yet another LA Whiskyphile joined our merry little band of drinkers. Bino is his name, and in addition to being a member of various national and local whisky clubs, he is also a member of Bar Jackalope, a “members only” lounge that is tucked in the back of Seven Grand. After some brief introductions, Bino led us back to Bar Jackalope where we could still hear the music through the walls, but at a much more conversation friendly volume.
Bar Jackalope is a cozy little spot where members can relax and enjoy some fabulous whisky with up to four friends. Bino was gracious enough to share two whisky selections from his “whisky locker” (you can store a few bottles at the bar for occasions such as this). Both were cask strength versions of Four Roses Single Barrel that were bottled exclusively for Seven Grand. We’re big fans of the regular Four Roses Single Barrel and consider it an exceptional value. That being said, the cask strength version takes what is already an excellent Bourbon and turns the volume up to a Spinal Tap 11!
Time spent at Bar Jackalope was a complete 180 from time spent at the Whisky Extravaganza. The hustle and bustle of a crowded whisky event was replaced with a relaxed and groovy few hours of sipping high test Bourbon and delicious cocktails while getting to know some newfound friends. This is G-LO in his happy place. The only improvement would have been spending more time with our whisky savant friend Linh (I first met her at #BloggerFest14) who just happens to work at Bar Jackalope. Thanks to post Whisky Extravaganza overflow, Seven Grand was packed, so poor Linh (you MUST check out her Instagram feed!) was too busy working and couldn’t join us for a drink.
At around 1AM, we decided to call it a night, but before hopping into an Uber for the ride back to the WCO’s hacienda, we opted to partake of some delicious LA street food and ordered some beef tongue and chicken tacos, aka post drinking Mexican Comfort Food. I can’t think of a more fitting way to end an evening of booze infused fun.
Day 2
In bed by 2:30AM and up by 6AM. 3.5 hours sleep is normal right? I could blame the WCO’s noisy icemaker for my lack of sleep, but where’s the fun in that? I’ll just chalk it up to being excited about spending an entire day sampling a wide variety of food and drink with friends. Once the WCO got the kids off to school (much like Limpd, the WCO is a father of three), we headed out to the Redondo Beach Cafe for breakfast with his friend Lee, the other half of the South Bay Whisky Tribe.
To be continued…
