You sum up my feelings well on Thunderbolt. Very efficient operation that uses a lot of pre-batching and techniques to make serving drinks quick, but also for higher quality like their use of centrifuges for some types of clarification. Keeps their prices lower too. Not all of them are successful and I feel like some of the key flavors they call out get lost on some drinks. I still think it’s a very good cocktail bar, especially at its price point.
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I’m with you on Bar Benjamin. I do not recommend the food but the drinks banged. Their welcome punch is super high level on its own.
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I like that they have a bunch of madeiras and Basque cider on tap. Truthfully, I haven’t loved the cocktails there. The atmosphere is not at all what I’m looking for, but probably not many people go to a bar with the idea of sipping a cocktail and chatting about the universe with ChatGPT.
they recently hired a new chef who is gonna be doing some very cool stuff on the menu.
Creamco Bar Burger anyone?!
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Went to Thunderbolt recently for the first time in 3 years, and it has surely regressed. No where near the level of the best cocktail bars in other major cities. It’s a shame how weak the cocktail bar scene is in Los Angeles in general - I guess I never realized how sleepy of a city Los Angeles really is. Even on FTC, there is never any discussion here of mixology or bar bites from dive bars… well, unless a truffle caviar wagyu hot dog is involved.
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Have you gone to the bar at Kato?
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I wonder how much is the age of folks on this board. Or the overall trend towards less drinking. Or the difficulty securing a full liquor license here.
I’m probably not representative but almost never order anything beyond martini variations or wine, as most cocktails are orders of magnitude too sweet for me. Cocktails described as balanced I find like candy. The decadence of getting older, but I’m always happier making something from my home bar, though I don’t have a centrifuge or fancy ice etc.
Los Angeles has always been home based and at a remove, but most of the dive bars in my neighborhood are gone. Are young people moving here? The city certainly hasn’t rebounded from covid, strikes, the fires, and ICE raids…
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D.U.I is a problem for many. No DUI risk from truffle caviar wagyu hotdogs.
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No DUI risk from Uber.
In the past year I’ve been to a bunch of LA bars full of young people drinking.
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The bar at Kato is outstanding. Firstborn is making some really good drinks too.
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I think a lot of this is due to the liquor license prices mandating a certain type of bar. Bigger, buzzier, louder. Cocktail bars are at their best when they’re tiny and you can hear yourself talk. I loved a shoebox sized spot called the Hamilton in NYC, and that was because there would be ten or so guests in there most nights, which meant the bartender (usually singular) could take his time on his drinks. Spots like these can’t make enough money to justify the license.
That’s how you get Thunderbolts and Apothekes, and even Capri Clubs. I really liked Bar Flores when they opened and after a year or so that became a full-on dance bar. It’s too loud. I’m not that old, but I’m not going out with the intention of mingling!
Side note: I had two drinks recently at Bar 109 and that’s a great little spot! Wagyu hot dogs, tasty cocktails, exceptional water. A decent little move is pizza at Two Roses and then a meander to Bar 109. Almost makes you feel like we live in a walkable city
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A lot can be said on this topic, but Vandell which recently opened has one of the best programs in the county, imo only behind Kato. Some people talking doesn’t bother me or reduce my enjoyment of well done drinks, though.
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Morihiro on Sunset also has an awesome cocktail program
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https://www.instagram.com/thehansukcho/ spent a lot of time at Kato, so it’s not surprising Morihiro also has good cocktails 
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Lowkey, I think this is why restaurant bars are also appealing in LA. The seat count in the restaurant makes the liquor license more sustainable, and supports having a small intimate bar area. In addition to Kato, Bar 109, and Morihiro, I think Rustic Canyon does this well.
Even in NYC, the new successful cocktail bars are still pretty big (thinking Schmuck, Double Chicken Please, Bar Contra, Sip & Guzzle)
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Going to plug some faves
My top 2:
Rustic Canyon - IMO one of the best cocktail programs in LA - we have been going literally every week since the pandemic
Old Lightning - pricey, pretentious (they make you leave your cellphones with them), but amazing cocktails and lots of super rare spirits
Already mentioned and on our monthly rotation:
Death and Co
Mirate
Kato
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i don’t drink cocktails, but do observe that Kato and Rustic Canyon appear to make well crafted concoctions based on the comments of my companions. But those are not the places you would go hang out after dinner. I think there is a certain lack of convivial spaces with great drinks for after dinner hanging out. Pasjoli 1.0 was great too, not sure now.
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Does Rustic Canyon have a happy hour? Birdie G’s was the best, I was there almost every week.
They do now, per their insta.
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I went last week - it’s from 5-630. there’s 3 or 4 cocktails for $10 each. One was their clarified punch which is always great and changes with what’s at the farmers market.
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