Cocktails, Yes. Craft Spirits, Not So Much.

Much like its island cousins offshore, Southern California has the perfect climate for enjoying cocktails. Wine rules the state further north, and while Napa Valley chardonnay can certainly be found on every menu, there is just something about the SoCal lifestyle that lends itself to the mixologist’s art.

Unfortunately, while a well made drink is easy to come by, finding one made with local, or even craft, spirits is a lot more difficult. A recent foray into LA and the Coachella Valley turned up lots of great places to enjoy a cocktail, but few that catered to craft tendencies.

First stop was the lounge at Melvyn’s, a Palm Springs classic. Once the haunt of such desert legends as Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope, Melvyn’s is still the place to be for anyone wanting the ultimate martini bar experience. Just don’t expect it to include craft spirits.

With the Purple Room closed for renovations, the Amigo Room at the Ace Hotel played pinch hitter. Part of a worldwide collection of reimagined accommodations, the Ace in Palm Springs caters to the hip Coachella and LA Basin crowds that descend on the desert each winter season. In the Amigo is found an amalgamation of dank tavern and 70’s discoteque, but not much in the way of local spirits. A request for something made in California yielded Hanger 1 on one occasion and “how about Texas?” i.e. Tito’s the next, both of which were certainly craft at one point, somewhere in their distant past. Still, plenty of craft beer, the vibe and local musical talent made for a worthwhile stop, especially considering the swim club and late night menu at the salvaged roadside diner next door.

The highlight of the trip, however, was a visit to the Lincoln, a new project along Venice Beach designed by Matt Winter and executed by Cameron Dodge-White. Extremely well done, with attention to every detail, this is a bar that blurs the line between upscale and dive in a way that would seem impossible to do if wasn’t already a reality. Anchored solidly in Dodge-White’s Midwestern roots, the guiding tenet at the Lincoln is a place to go to have a real drink. No food (other than the complimentary hot dogs), no nonsense, just a highly curated selection of beer, wine, and spirits.

But even here the micro-distiller presence was lacking, and local spirits completely non-existent. The question of California spirits was answered by a lengthy dissertation on the inadequacy of native Golden State production. Journeyman Spirits’ Last Feather Rye, a nod to Dodge-White’s home state of Michigan, was the only craft label behind the bar, but a couple fingers of that over ice, along with the sublime atmosphere and exceptional service, helped make this fact much easier to swallow.

That’s not to say that craft is completely unheard of in Southern California, only that it is diluted and therefore slower to get noticed. A small producer is easily lost in the vastness of greater Los Angeles, and getting on the shelf in neighborhood bars challenging at best. The future of craft in SoCal, for the near term, probably looks more like a larger regional producer such as Our / Los Angeles, or in niche bars and restaurants that focus specifically on offering craft.

Which is exactly the recipe for success at Eureka! in Indian Wells. An established SoCal chain that is spreading its reach into other craft conscious locales as Austin, Boise, and Boulder, the spirits menu at Eureka! was a veritable who’s who of craft elite. Offerings included such reputable whiskey producers as Corsair, Westland, and Balcones alongside cocktail friendly spirits like Ascendant Spirits American Star vodka and Anchor Distilling Junipero Gin. Tasty gastropub fare and a trendy yet relaxed ambiance appealed to tourist and desert dwelling local alike.

The exciting thing in all of this is the massive potential for growth. With an ample market and plenty of industrial space just waiting to be repurposed, it’s only a matter of time before craft begins to really take off in Southern California. And with that comes the opportunity to explore a multitude of unique spirits, inspiring locations, and personal expressions. The incomparable essence of craft mixed with that quintessential SoCal style.