12 Nov Bar Mattachine – Downtown LA’s First Craft Cocktail Gay Bar
What was once the largest concentration of historic theaters and movie palaces on one street in the nation in the 1920s and 1930s, Broadway in downtown Los Angeles had been a street of disrepair for many years. But now The city of Los Angeles is in the process of revitalizing Broadway and new restaurants and retail stores are starting to open. One of the bars that has opened in the area is Bar Mattachine.
Bar Mattachine, part of a small but growing group of downtown gay bars, isn’t just a part of the revitalization of Broadway, but it is also the first gay craft cocktail bar in the area. Bar Mattachine honors and pays tribute to the 1950s Mattachine Society. Created by Harry Hay and a group of Los Angeles male friends, Mattachine Society was one of the earliest gay rights organizations in the United States, built to protect and improve the rights of gay men.
Bar Mattachine is a two story lounge owned by Vianey Vee Delgadillo and Jigger Mercado (Bar 107, The Down and Out, The Little Easy) and Garret McKetchnie (formerly head barman at 1886, Cole’s). The cocktail menu includes seventeen cocktails, including nine signature cocktails, six classic cocktails and two frozen drinks.
The Hartwood (El Silencio Espadin mezcal, Demerara sugar, pineapple juice, fresh lime and Angostura bitters)
The Harry Hay (Rittenhouse 100 proof rye, Dolan Rouge, Benedictine, Amargo-Vallet Bark of Angostura and Maraschino liqueur)
Strawberry Banke Fizz (Hendrix gin, homemade strawberry honey syrup, fresh lemon juice, Curacao and egg whites topped with bubbly soda water)
Pershing Square Fix (vodka, crushed raspberries, fresh lemon juice and homemade curacao)
The frozen drinks come from the in-house slushie machines located upstairs in the bar. Rethink all preconceived notions you may have about slushies. When made with fresh ingredients, they are quite tasty and not overly sweet.
Bitter Queen (Reyka vodka, honey syrup, mint, lime juice and angostura bitters)
Rudy’s Downfall (Flor de Cana 4 yr. and 7 yr. rums, fresh pineapple juice, lime juice and honey syrup)
Bar Mattachine is a gay bar but like the motto of the Mattachine Sociey says, “you are welcome to join us or do whatever you would like,” and everyone is welcome!
Bar Mattachine
221 West 7th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014
T: 213.278.0471