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It's hard to say that it is winter here in Los Angeles. After a few chilly and rainy days, followed by hot sunny days, we are only reminded when we see how cold it is in the rest of the country. But, no matter the temperature, it is winter and with the season comes a new cocktail menu at Big Bar in Los Feliz. Big Bar is a friendly, neighborhood bar and this is reflected in the bar team. A passionate group of bartenders who work together and share ideas, it is through their collaboration that this new seasonal menu has been created. And, the story behind each drink gives reason to the name and choice of ingredients. Aaron Alvarez Aaron Alvarez has been at Big Bar for 8 months and this is the first cocktail list that he has been very involved in creating. So, it was all the more appropriate that we started with the very first drink Aaron ever made at Big Bar. The Redrum (Bacardi 8, Smith and Cross Jamaican rum, cherry, bitters, lime) has a classic daiquiri base and was made to pay homage to The Shining, which was shown at Big Bar's movie night.
When the clock strikes midnight, does the world change? No, not really. Truthfully, it's like any other night at midnight.....it's late. But, on New Year's Eve, we wait all night to shout out "Happy New Year" and then it's all over. So, why not celebrate it over and over again, hour after hour? After all, over a 24 hour period, there is someone celebrating almost every hour somewhere in the world. This is the way to do it! For the last four years, Big Bar in Los Feliz has taken us on a journey around the world as we celebrate New Year's Eve in another city starting at 3pm until midnight. The bar crew at Big Bar become our flight crew as we start in Paris and end in Los Angeles. Big Bar Flight Crew The idea was born four years ago. Bartender Eugene Lee had worked as a DJ at the UCSD campus radio station when he was in college. He came up with the idea to start Mixtape Mixology (which is now on week #196). From Mixtape, the idea for the playlist for each timezone was born. "At 4pm it was Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland ... 6pm Brazil, 9pm New York, Boston and Jamaica.... I spent like 9 hours making the first playlist to go with the countdown," Eugene told me. "I remember making them perfectly sync into a pre-recorded countdown that I recorded with a bunch of friends in the language spoken."
MessHall is the newest incarnation of the original Brown Derby in Los Feliz. Built in 1929, it was originally the home of Willard's Chicken Inn until 1941 when director Cecil B. DeMille bought the restaurant and turned it into the Brown Derby, birthplace of the "Cobb Salad." It was Michael's of Los Feliz from 1960 - 1992 and then became The Derby nightclub, home of swing dancing. After The Derby, the space became Louise's Trattoria and then a Chase Bank and in 2006 the building was declared a Historic Cultural landmark. Today, MessHall Kitchen is a 14,000 square foot space with seating for 175 people and a corrugated metal bar located in the center of the room. The long wooden communal tables and fire pits on the patio will transport you to an upscale version of an army mess hall or camp.
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