Greetings,

Thanks to all who came out for the Wild Geese Tasting on the 20th. Big Love to Silameth and the 7G Bar Staff for making it all happen.

This Monday, March 12th, the Seven Grand Bartenders will be presenting the new Spring Menu Cocktails, in the Jackalope Room at 7pm SHARP! Come taste and give feedback!

Our staff is the prime reason for our success. True hospitality comes from real human caring, and our folks bring it, night after night. Get to know our staff, and we will treat you like family.

RSVP for the Spring Menu Tasting on the link below. We look forward to seeing you!

Register Now!

If you’re not a member, no worries, first one is on us.

Come explore the wonderful world of whiskey.

Pedro, currently sipping Ron Zacapa, WTF Katz?!? (Delicious, don’t be upset.)

Pedro Shanahan
Spirit Guide, Co -Curator,
Seven Grand Whiskey Society
For more info on the Seven Grand Whiskey Society:

Hey All,

In our on-going effort to expand our wonderful wall of whiskies, we’ve recently added more shelves. Latest count: 376! 152 from North America, 135 from Scotland, 35 from Ireland, and 12 from the rest of the world.

Some of the latest addditions:

Angel’s Envy, Lincoln Henderson’s latest offering, a unique Kentucky Straight finished in Port Casks. Parker Beam has also been experimenting with different barrel finishes, releasing Parker’s Heritage 10 year Barrel Finished- in Limosin Oak Cognac Casks. Damn good bourbon. We bought Single Barrels of Bernheim and Knob Creek, the only place you can taste this whiskey is in our bar. Our Bernheim Single Barrel is honey-dusted oak under sweet and easy wheat, our Know Creek Barrel is hot with Cherry and Cocoa. Hirsch Small Batch made it’s way in as well.

Lark, an amazing Australian whisky, is the first one to come to America that I know of. The Cask Strength blew my mind with subtle Tasmanian mineral salts coming through the oily malt. We have 3 of their expressions. All great.

From Scotland: Sheep Dip is back, after being unavailable for months, Linkwood 15 year, a great Speyside Single Malt finally came in, Coal Ila released an unpeated 12 year, revealing the peppery malt that is the heart of that famously smoky whisky. Tamdhu 30 year joined the ranks of some of the oldest whiskies that we carry, this distillery is now closed, so when the precious liquid is gone, it’s gone forever. This week the Seven Grand Whiskey Society had Brand Ambassador Mitch Bechard in to kick off the extremely limited edition of Glenfiddich’s Cask Of Dreams. Leather and cinnamon, big red fruit.

In the world of Blends, both Crown Royal Black and Johnnie Walker Double Black are new bottlings showing more bourbon character than ever before.

From Japan came a delicious new offering: Hukushu 12 year. Intricate, with Stone Fruit and citrus lifting through the hay and faint smoke.

Come down and try some of these new favorites soon, we can build a tasting flight for you. If you come in Monday-Wednesday before 8pm, when it’s not too busy, we can guide you through the exploration. Or you can book a private tasting by contacting our Events Coordinator: Stephen@213downtown.la

Also, we’ve been running a great Winter Drink Menu (try the 7th St. Toddy, if you’re feeling the chill) and the 7G staff contributed their personal favorite Boilermaker Shot & Beer pairings.

We hope to see you soon,

Pedro Shanahan, Spirit Guide, Seven Grand

This coming Tuesday, 2/7, we have Maurice Chevalier IV from Anchor Distilling coming in to teach and taste us on an “All-Cambeltown” flight. We will be learning about Springbank 12year Cask Strength, Springbank 15year, Longrow CV, Hazelburn 8year, and Kilkerran “Work In Progress” Vol. 3. And if I know Maurice, there may be some other surprises in his bag. Don’t miss it, this will be an awesome tasting! We’ve never done an all-Campbeltown flight, so we’re very excited to be hosting.

7p.m. SHARP, in the Jackalope Room. Late-comers will not be seated but can hang at the bar and meet Maurice after the tasting and education.

Please RSVP through the link below.

Register Here!

If you’re new to the list, hit the links below for more information on how to join the Seven Grand Whiskey Society.

***Moving forward, we will only be doing VIP memberships,(120$ per year,) which allows you to bring a guest to any event. First one is on me, so come check it out!

http://213nightlife.com/?p=2390

By Jessica Gelt
Los Angeles Times

Celebrate the birthday of Scotland’s favorite son on Wednesday, also known as Burns Day, after the 18th century Romantic poet Robert Burns. Known for his lilting lyricism, storied love affairs and fondness for haggis, Burns also enjoyed a good glass of Scotch. To pay tribute, downtown whisky bar Seven Grand is offering that day a special concoction called the Bobby Burns. A perfectly metered mix of Scotch, sweet vermouth and Benedictine, this cocktail will have you singing “Auld Lang Syne” in no time.

The Bobby Burns at Seven Grand
1.5 ounces Glenrothes Select Reserve
0.5 ounce Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
0.5 ounce Benedictine

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until cold. Strain and serve in a coupe glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon.

Seven Grand, 515 W. 7th St., L.A. (213) 614-0737; http://www.213nightlife.com/sevengrand

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-night-cocktail20-20120120,0,7580356.story

Best Undercover Tiki Bar – 2011
Caña
714 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA
213-745-7090

Caña doesn’t sport moai, tappan cloth or any of the decorative signifiers that scream “tiki fetish,” but bar manager Allan Katz makes a convincing case that tiki drinks are the missing evolutionary link between America’s golden cocktail era and its swinging cocktail revival. The drinks are precise, nuanced and clever, full of creative riffs on classic recipes. The sharp Tennessee Isle, a rum-based twist on the Sazerac, is made with coconut bitters and overripe mango–infused absinthe. The Misti Dawn Swizzle, a dolled-up gin swizzle, plays passion-fruit and lime juice against each other in perfect tart-sweet balance. With its cheeky drink descriptions,
Caña’s cocktail menu, organized by increasing potency into three sections (Daggers, Pistols and Cannons), makes for some of the city’s best bar literature. At the boozy end of that menu, you’ll find the Twenty-Eight Days Later. Inspired by Don the Beachcomber’s original Zombie, it contains mescal, Tuaca and no less than three kinds of rum swimming in pineapple, pomegranate and passion-fruit juices. It’s classic yet thoroughly modern and, like the rage-filled zombies of the Danny Boyle film for which it was named, it hits hard. 714 W. Olympic Blvd., dwntwn. (213) 817-5321, canarumbar.com.

—Elina Shatkin

http://www.laweekly.com/bestof/2011/award/best-undercover-tiki-bar-1509820/

Best Cocktails to Set Your Mouth on Fire – 2011
Las Perlas
107 E 6th St
Los Angeles, CA
213-988-8355

If there were a sixth taste, one that came after the elusive umami, it might be named Yrastorza after Las Perlas’ manager. Inspired by both his taste for tequila and his Filipino roots, Raul Yrastorza’s cocktails are characterized by ingredients like fresh curry leaves, cumin, mole, smoky chipotle and jalapeño juice. The result of his flavor play is a surprising amount of heat in Las Perlas’ tequila drinks, mellowed by sweet agave syrup and accompanied by the bite of the Mexican spirit; the bar excels at this combination of sweet and spicy. Both the chile-laced Juquila and the bar’s signature Spicy Margarita accomplish a fiery taste that regulars return to. Las Perlas’ tequila- and mezcal-influenced menu changes from week to week, but the peppery cocktails are as consistent as a tequila-infused room spin. Expect your taste buds to be doing the mariachi. 107 E. Sixth St., dwntwn. (213) 988-8355, 213nightlife.com/lasperlas.

—Sophia Kercher

http://www.laweekly.com/bestof/2011/award/best-cocktails-to-set-your-mouth-on-fire-1509600/

Best Man Cave Downtown – 2011
Seven Grand
515 W 7th St
Los Angeles, CA
213-614-0737

Before spirit-themed bars were all the rage, there was Seven Grand. It may not be the biggest or sexiest bar downtown, but it’s the best goddamn place to do the following things, at your leisure, in your own time: Sip a real Old-Fashioned (no cherries whatsoever in sight); puff a cigar, which can be purchased from the bartender and smoked on the patio; and play the part of pool shark. All without having to explain yourself to anybody. Why? It might be the animal trophies mounted on the walls that help make Seven Grand the ultimate mantuary (these include a boar and a bunch of jackalopes). It might even be the small décor details in this dimly lit joint, like the hunting-scene wallpaper in the corridor. But it’s most likely the massive whiskey list, which would excite even the most dyed-in-the-wool dude (or lady) to try ordering something other than a Black Label on the rocks. The fact that the bartenders can chat for hours about the selections doesn’t hurt, either. 515 W. Seventh St., 2nd floor, dwntwn. (213) 614-0736, 213nightlife.com/sevengrand.

—Romina Rosenow

http://www.laweekly.com/bestof/2011/award/best-man-cave-downtown-1509784/

Best Bloody Mary – 2011
Cole’s
118 E 6th St
Los Angeles, CA
213-622-4090

A good Bloody Mary will cure your Sunday hangover, send a shock of vitamin C to your system and offer a glimpse into your future as a virile, vegetable-eating individual. Or at least the splash of vodka will make you feel like the latter. Cole’s makes its day-altering Bloody Marys in-house. Created by Cole’s bar manager, the Southern-raised Brent Falco, the brunch cocktail mix is made of pickle juice from Cole’s infamous atomic pickles, horseradish, meat rub from the kitchen and blended tomatoes, along with a handful of other spices. The Bloody Mary mix marinates for 24 hours and is made fresh every week. The resulting Bloody Mary is a savory blend, thick and rich with a kick of spice, served with a stalk of celery and Cole’s signature pickle. The brunch cocktail is particularly coveted among regulars, perhaps because it is only available on weekends until 6 p.m. After finishing three rounds, Bloody Mary drinkers have been known to leave the bar with the strength of Popeye — or at least that’s how they remember it. 118 E. Sixth St., dwntwn. (213) 622-4090, 213nightlife.com/colesfrenchdip.

—Sophia Kercher

http://www.laweekly.com/bestof/2011/award/best-bloody-mary-1509519/

Hey folks! Just wanted you to know about a couple of the new whiskies on the wall. I’m really loving both of them.

Angel’s Envy is a Kentucky Bourbon that is finished in Port Casks, giving it beautiful dried fruit notes on the finish, and a sweet nose. The mash bill is 72% Corn, 18% Rye, and 10% Malted Barley. Check out the website if you want to, and definitely give it a taste.

http://www.angelsenvy.com/whiskey/

Lark is our first Aussie whiskey, 100% Tasmanian Malted Barley. The water source is from beneath an old growth forest, a unique ecosystem of mosses and trees that you can taste. The Cask Strength and the Distiller’s Edition are awesome.

http://www.larkdistillery.com.au/

-Pedro Shanahan
Spirit Guide, Seven Grand Whiskey Bar
Co-Curator, Whiskey Society