Next Door Lounge

 
  Big Foot Lodge
 
  The Edison
 
  The Dame Next Door at Next Door Lounge

1886
Liquid Assets partners Marcos Tello and Aidan Demarest make the old new again with a Honey-Nut Old-Fashioned made with clover honey, Angostura bitters, and orange peel- and peanut-infused bourbon at this bar in The Raymond restaurant. 1250 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, 626-441-3136

The Bigfoot Lodge West
Who even needs to delve into cocktails when this two-year-old Westside incarnation of the esteemed Atwater Village hipster hangout boasts a whiskey list of more than 80 selections? When we’re feeling rambunctious, our choice is the Rittenhouse rye, though you’ll usually find us whiling away a nostalgic evening swilling Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve bourbon. 10939 Venice Blvd., LA, 310-287- 2200; bigfootlodge.com

Copa d’Oro
For a talk-inducing tipple, we sip an Orkney’s Nectar with Highland Park 12 Year Old Scotch, Amaro Lucano, apricot brandy, fresh lemon and orange juice, and an absinthe rinse, but when we’re into contemplative tasting (and have a full stomach), we sample the Around the World of Whisk(e)y or the Single Barrel American whiskey flights. 217 Broadway, Santa Monica, 310-576-3030; copadoro.com

The Edison
The Edison’s menu includes an eponymous drink with The Edison’s Personal Selection of Woodford Reserve bourbon, pear liqueur, clover-honey syrup and fresh-squeezed lemon juice; as well as our favorite-named cocktail: the L.A. Confidential, with Woodford Reserve bourbon, St-Germain liqueur, muddled mint and lemon. 108 W. 2nd St., LA, 213-613-0000

Hemingway’s
Even in the heart of Hollywood, we love ordering the literarily titled A Moveable Feast with rye whiskey, sage, berries, honey, lemon and bitters over ice in a highball glass. Ernest himself would have enjoyed downing them in pre-Castro Cuba. 6356 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323-469-0040; hemingwayslounge.com

Next Door Lounge
Award-winning mixologist Joseph Brooke is head barman at this new clandestine Hollywood hot spot, where he shakes up complex concoctions including The Dame Next Door using Canadian Club 12 Year Old, dry vermouth, clove-infused pineapple gomme syrup, pineapple juice and pasteurized egg whites. 1154 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, 323-465-5505; nextdoorhollywood.com

Seven Grand
One of the first whiskey-themed bars in LA (and one that helped revitalize Downtown), Seven Grand features a menu containing hundreds of the world’s best whiskeys, ryes and bourbons from the US, Canada, Scotland and even Japan and India. Pick your poison and take it like the pros: neat with a few drops of water and a glass of ice on the side. 515 W. 7th St., LA, 213-614-0737; 213nightlife.com/sevengrand

Ten Pound
This intimate bar located above Scarpetta at the Montage Beverly Hills comes courtesy of famed Scotch distiller The Macallan and takes fine drinking to new heights—and new price levels. The exclusive tastes offered here include not only drams of rare The Macallan Scotches (including a $64,000 taste of 64 Years Old), but also small-batch bourbons and artisanal cocktails. 225 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills; 310-860-5808

The Thirsty Crow
The signature cocktail at this Eastside bourbon-lover’s paradise with a playful Depression-era aesthetic is The Thirsty Crow, with Jim Beam rye, citrus, bitters and ginger beer—though we also love the wide selection of straight-up whiskeys from around the globe. 2939 W. Sunset Blvd., LA, 323-661-6007; thirstycrowbar.com

To see these recommendations and more of what LA Confidential loves in LA, visit gogobot.com.