In these modern times where flash overpowers wits and alcohol is consumed solely to get drunk and give you the liquid courage to score with a girl who is just as, if not more wasted then you, it is relaxing to have a place where you can take a breath and really enjoy some high quality spirits. When your not drinking with the intent on getting smashed it becomes an entirely different experience; you lose yourself in conversation and the environment you are in, time seems to slow down as the booze slowly creeps it’s way through you instead of knocking you down all at once like Jared Allen delivering a rib crushing smack down. So take a journey to a bar so illusive they had to hide it in the back of another bar, 1930’s speakeasy style!

Owner, Sasha Petraske, and master mixologist, Eric Alperin, of the prestigious cocktail lounge “Milk & Honey” in New York City partnered with LA native Cedd Moses to bring the culture, excitement and steez of New York and London style cocktail lounges out west. With a design and style drawn from the prohibition era The Varnish brings some edge and fun back to drinking – because lets face it, it’s always more fun when it feels like your breaking the law (remember high school?) Located in the very back of Cole’s Red Car Bar, once you push open the antiqued wooden door with a sketch of a martini glass you feel as if you have discovered Atlantis, if Atlantis was filled with strong well crafted cocktails.

The bartender, Eric Alperin, has constructed and continually updates a short list of top notch cocktails. Some are popular drinks with exotic twists like Hot Buttered Rum and El Presidente while others are radical blends of his own invention like the Cablegram (Rye Gin, Ginger, Lime and Seltzer); but all of them deliver a killer taste and will provide you with a very serious buzz! The Varnish has a unique style of making cocktails that starts with hand smashing large blocks of ice into 3-4 medium size cubes that float in your glass like icebergs, this is so they melt slower and don’t dilute your drink. They then proceed to precisely measure the booze in old school jiggers before they kick off their signature style of martini shaking that makes Coyote Ugly seem like a soda fountain at McDonald’s. The menu is always changing with the seasons and sometimes by the night, but I have found signature cocktails like the Talent Scout, made with Bourbon, Curacao, Bitters and lemon peel to be a bar favorite as well as the Remember The Maine which has Rye Gin, Vermouth, Hearing and Absinthe; a modern east coast take on a classic dirty martini. If you find the menu to be too overwhelming try the Bartenders Choice and trust the genius behind the bar to whip up something amazing, you can even point him in your direction by specifying if you like em sweet, savory, or walking the fine line in between.

If you’re looking for a bumping bar to pound shots and pick up on some strange this is not the place for you. The Varnish takes their time to prepare drinks and has a laid back cultured atmosphere to match. With Jazz piano Monday and Tuesday nights this is a place for you to unwind in a cool classy vibe and enjoy cocktails the way they should be.

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