Business & Tech
1886 Bar Launches Summer Cocktails, Serves One of LA’s ‘Best’
Pasadena's Raymond restaurant bar is diving into summer with tiki-inspired drinks and a Sex on the Beach popsicle, while one of its classic libations has been named one of the best in Los Angeles.
Craft cocktail haven 1886 bar at The Raymond (1250 South Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena) is now mixing its summer cocktail list with concoctions that may inspire visions of chilling in a beachside hammock.
But the bar in a historic building that was once the caretaker’s cottage for the grandiose Raymond Hotel is also getting attention for one of its mainstays this week as LAist named its honey nut old fashioned one of the best cocktails in Los Angeles Wednesday.
“The Old Fashioned is my go-to, benchmark drink to test a bartender's wherewithall behind the stick, but I love the little twist Marcos Tello an his crew put on this version,” Krista Simmons writes. “They fat-wash Buffalo Trace bourbon with peanuts, then add honey syrup, Angostura bitters, orange and ice. It really plays on my high school memories of eating a fat bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios before heading out to morning swim practice.”
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Boozy Honey Nut Cheerios. The phrase, “Breakfast of Champions” comes to mind.
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And just in time for yet another heat wave this week, 1886 has unveiled its summer cocktail menu of drinks in four playful categories. Read the descriptions by 1886 and share in the comments which of these summery sips strike your fancy.
THEIR TIKI....
Pays homage to our tiki forefathers with some historic recipes, made perfectly.
Zombie
Our classic Zombie recipe with a blend of spiced and age rums, fresh citrus, and house-made fruit syrups, originally created by the father of tiki restaurants, Don the Beachcomber.
Strawberry Colada on Fire
A tribute to the recently closed L.A. tiki landmark, Bahooka. We recreated this delicious memory using house-made strawberry and pineapple reductions, coconut cream, lime juice, and Nicaraguan white rum over crushed ice. Served with whole strawberry, set ablaze.
Scorpion Bowl
Originally created at Trader Vic's in Oakland, this cocktail is served punch-style in a scorpion bowl with a flaming center. Aged Rum, Pisco, lemon and orange juices, and organ. (Serves 4)
OUR TIKI....
Features some twists on classic tiki recipes that play with textures and flavors to create surprising yet pleasantly familiar go-to's.
Deconstructed Piña ColadaCreated by Greg Gertmenian
All the elements of Piña Colada, rearranged molecularly as an ice cream sundae. Spiked Lime Sorbet, White Rum Pineapple Foam, Barbados Rum Coconut Foam, Oatmeal Crumbles, and a mist of bitters, served in a classic ice cream sundae glass, with a spoon.
Shooting Star
Created by Brady Weise
A nod to a traditional Tiki format with a modern twist, this cocktail uses saffron-infused gin and cranberry-infused St. Germain to highlight the diversity that's possible in the Tiki category.
The Jamaican Farewell
Created by Adam McLean
Adam's debut drink at 1886 celebrates the ostentatious flavors of the category by drawing from his exotic Chinese-Jamaican roots. Goslings Black Seal, Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum, yuzu juices, coconut, and mango shrub combine to capture the complex spice and sweetness of a traditional Jamaican rum cake.
A Tale of Two Raymond’s
Created by Jesus Gomez
Without Walter Raymond, there would be no 1886 and without Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, there would be no tiki cocktail. Jesus honors both of our stately forefathers with his inaugural libation, featuring a blend of aged rums and cognac, pineapple, lime, house-made grenadine, and Licor 43.
DIRTY PRETTY THINGS....
Will employ molecular technique to deconstruct and re-imagine some deliciously low-brow favorites.
Created by Gillian Georges
It is entirely possible that no two restaurants in world have ever made their Sex on the Beach the same way. So why not put a truly memorable spin on it? This frozen popsicle uses white rum with fresh pineapple juice, and chunks of fresh cranberry suspended in the top of the bar.
Mojito Jello Shot
Created by Gillian Georges
A classic cocktail that began in the fields of Cuba over a century ago has since been popularized in clubs and high-volume bars across America. We're taking the debauchery one step further and making it a Jello shot with Flor de Cana.
Pickle-Back Sphere
Created by Gillian Georges
Using molecular technique, we've encapsulated Langer's Deli pickle-brine in a thin layer of it's own essence, creating a perfect sphere, and are serving this with a shot of Powers Irish whiskey. Take the shot, hold the sphere on your teeth, and bite down when you're ready for your Pickle-back.
Sangrita Sphere
Created by Gillian Georges
A 1920's traditional Mexican recipe is recreated here, using spherification to encapsulate fresh orange, lime, red chili powder and tomato. The sangrita sphere is served with a shot of silver tequila and designed to bring out the spice and citrus flavors of the agave.
Sake Bomb
Created by Peter Lloyd Jones
A modern take on the raucous tradition. Plum-infused Yamazaki 12 year is delivered in a shot glass made of ice and dropped into Japanese lager. Kanpai!
Cherry Bomb
Created by Brady Weise
Resurrecting a long forgotten dive bar classic, this drink uses Anthem cherry cider, rum, and acid phosphate as a base, and is topped off with Cacao Nib infused Becherovka.
ELIXIRS....
Presents some silky, stirred originals.
Red Belly BlackCreated by Peter Lloyd Jones
A mezcal tequila Old Fashioned, this cocktail offers a "smack," utilizing 3 different ingredients with the same flavor component: grapefruit bitters, grapefruit-infused syrup and grapefruit peel. Named after one of the most poisonous snakes in Australia.
Cut and Run
Created by Adam McClean & Greg Gertmenian
A rum manhattan that blends three aged white rums and adds dry vermouth and Benedictine for a crisp,refreshing bite with hints of navy funk. In situations which called for immediate departure, sailors in the 1700s would sever the anchor line ("cut") and sail quickly downwind ("run") rather than wait for the anchor to be drawn up. If you're the type with a thirst for adventure, do not wait to "cut and run."
Ciudad de Oro
Created by Brady Weise
Inspired by Matt Biancaniello of Cliffs Edge, this drink includes coffee-infused El Dorado 12-year rum, Cynar, and absinthe. Sure to light up warm summer evenings, this cocktail will conjure dreams of the Lost City of Gold.
What do you think of 1886’s summer cocktail menu? Have you tried their honey nut old fashioned? Share in the comments.
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