January 2025

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Vampire Diaries stars Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley broke the internet with the launch of their Brother’s Bond Bourbon earlier this year. 

The two bonded over their love for bourbon and created a stellar pour with, as they describe it to be, an unforgettable journey. Wesley and Somerhalder had already won the hearts of both adult women and teenage girls when starring in The Vampire Diaries, and have now taken over the tastebuds of whiskey connoisseurs everywhere. 

Today, Brother’s Bond Bourbon is the most followed alcohol-beverage brand on Instagram with 1.76 million followers. 

According to Wesley and Somerhalder, their bond strengthened while enjoying bourbon together, and that’s what brought about the birth of Instagram’s most-followed alcohol brand. 

The duo’s bourbon stems from a whopping 65% corn and 22% rye. This makes the bourbon a high-rye content bourbon, delivering an extra helping of spice notes.

Brother’s Bond Bourbon opens with beautiful aromas of banana bread, ripe tree fruit, walnuts, orange honey, and warm rye spice. On the palate, you can taste toasted cereal grain, honeysuckle, dried fruit, black tree, and peach. 

With a passion for bourbon and the love between the TVD stars, it’s no doubt that the bourbon has become a hit!

Try it in a cocktail:

Bond Fire

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 oz Brother’s Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• 0.25 oz Mezcal
• 4 oz Hot Chocolate
• 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

METHOD
Measure all ingredients into a coffee mug and stir. Garnish with whipped cream and caramel drizzle.

Buy Brother’s Bond Bourbon

Owned by co-founders Yoav Gilat and Dennis Hill, Cannonball Wines was established in 2006, with a vision to produce one of the best Cabernet under $20 for the U.S. market. Merging together their passion for wine, Dennis’ winemaking expertise, grower relationships, and Yoav’s business acumen, natural networking, and vision, Cannonball Wines was born.

It didn’t take long for the Cannonball Cabernet to build a strong reputation across wine drinkers. By 2010 oenophiles and industry experts were asking for more. With demand rising, Dennis and Yoav decided to extend the Cannonball line, by launching a second wine — the Cannonball Chardonnay, followed by a Merlot, and then a Sauvignon Blanc, all boasting the Sonoma County appellation. 

Amongst the hundreds of brands giving California a podium to stand on, Cannonball Wines stands out for constantly creating affordable, yet great quality wines that have caught the eye of both wine lovers and sommeliers nationwide. 

Cannonball Wines Picnic, source: Facebook

Not long after they introduced three additional varietals, the Cannonball team introduced a limited edition collection — Cannonball ELEVEN. The wines part of the ELEVEN range are made by seeking small, meticulously tended vineyards that bear fruit of exceptional character.

Behind-the-scenes: The Cannonball Label 

Most wine bottles have a label that connects the wine to the vineyard or winery that it comes from, but the Cannonball label has been beautifully crafted so we, the drinkers, can relate to it. The word ‘Cannonball’ means jumping into the water with your knees tucked into your chest, just like when we were kids – and that’s exactly what the label represents, the elation of childhood.  

Cannonball Wines Label

The Cannonball icon, as Dennis and Yoav have imagined it to be, is a symbol of one’s inner child; that uninhibited spirit is the soul of Cannonball Wines. The duo’s aim is to make wines that will make you smile and remember not to take life so seriously.

Over the years, Cannonball Wines have received a great number of accolades, from renowned competitions such as Sommeliers Choice Awards, SF Chronicle Wine Competition, Critics’ Challenge, and World Wine Championships, to name a few. 

The 2020 Sommeliers Choice Awards lauded Cannonball Wines, with its ELEVEN Chardonnay being crowned ‘Wine of the Year by Varietal’, and ‘White Wine of the Year By The Glass’. The Cannonball ELEVEN Merlot also took home a gold medal, reigning with 91 points based on its quality, value, and packaging. 

Cannonball ELEVEN Chardonnay

ELEVEN Chardonnay is a 100% Chardonnay, with dominating notes of apple, pear, and melon fruit, with succulent preserved lemon and lime zest back, complimented by honeycomb accents.

The judges at the Sommeliers Choice Awards described this wine to be ‘very elegant on the palate.’ 

ELEVEN Chardonnay was grown in the Sonoma Coast where the cool climate fruit strikes a balance between opulence and elegance. Defined by its proximity to the Pacific coastline and a direct maritime influence, it is characterized by pastoral valleys, rolling hillsides, high rainfall, and adobe to silty sand soils. The growing season is long and natural acidity is abundant. The balance of the blend was aged in stainless steel tanks to retain bright fruit and a vibrant bouquet.

Cannonball ELEVEN Cabernet Sauvignon 

On the nose, the ELEVEN Cabernet Sauvignon opens with boysenberry and black cherry fruit followed by a silky crème de cassis vein accented by hints of licorice, and vanilla spice. Dark cherry flavors continue on the palate; smooth and velvety with tannins becoming more evident on the mid-palate before softening to finish with a flourish of currant-blackberry-fig compote and a lingering savory balsamic complex.

The rich grapes are sourced from a Sonoma Valley vineyard perched on a steep hillside, where intensely rocky soils and elevations of 600 feet and higher coalesce to yield tiny, darkly pigmented berries.

Four other wines from the Cannonball wine list took home silver medals, namely the Cannonball ELEVEN Merlot, Cannonball Merlot, Cannonball Sauvignon Blanc, and the Cannonball ELEVEN Sauvignon Blanc, truly an impressive track record.  

Team Cannonball Founder Yoav Gilat (far right) + Canadian Sales Director, Chantal Landreville (center), source: Facebook

As the Cannonball team continues to create their excellent quality wines, they hope their wines will make you smile like a big kid doing Cannonballs – and don’t forget to share a splash or two with your friends. 

Header Image: Source, Instagram   

Luckily, it’s been more than a decade since LA’s bar culture started to move away from see-and-be-seen bottle service booths, get on the right promoter’s list, or get gatekeepers to pick up hopefuls from the labyrinthine line around the block. The city’s drinking scene is much more egalitarian these days, with beer, wine and cocktail bars that serve as neighborhood gems and out-of-town drinking destinations.

Memorable encounters may take place in establishments specializing in spirits, eclectic wines and experimental cocktail dishes. And yes, rideshare companies like Lyft and Uber have even made it much better to cut loose with an extra glass or two. 

Let’s explore LA’s most important bars, be they historical landmarks that remain iconic or hot new spots that turn heads for all the right reasons. These are the bars that make up LA’s drinking scene.

Lanea

Image Source: Facebook

As Lanea moved in to replace Copa d’Oro’s long-time favorite, the room became unrecognizable: it’s far airier now, with a breezy wraparound bar, a cushioned lounge, and a sea-blue décor combined with wooden tones. 

Lanea translates from Hawaii as “heavenly flower,” which certainly suits the transformed environment. Beverage Director Bethany Ham takes advantage of the nearby farmers market to produce colorful cocktails such as the Jungle Bird Scooter: a turmeric-stained, mezcal-powered reference to Santa Monica’s popular motor scooters. 

Ham also manufactures a legit spicy mezcal margarita with pepper honey and pepper salt. If you’re looking for something more straightforward, just take a look at Lanea ‘s roster of mezcals and tequilas that devour more than 150 bottles deep. Lanea also serves some of the best tacos Santa Monica has ever seen, which come with guac-made corn tortillas, chopped white onions, sliced cucumber and fragrant cilantro dolphin (including flowers). Lamb is a strong taco star, although you might certainly make a case for thin-sliced cecina (pounded beef) and vegetarian squash blossoms, cremini mushrooms and spinach. 

Genever

Image Source: Facebook

A golden door under the glass sign of a cupola leads you into this moody lounge, where you’ll find cozy grey sofas, wavy candlesticks made of recycled glass, and a wall of Lady Genever herself in the back corner. Owners and long-time friends Christine Sumiller, Patricia Perez, and Roselma Samala pay tribute to their Filipino heritage by integrating ingredients such as calamansi, pandan, and datuputi into their gin/genever-forward cocktails, which also feature musical names such as Heard It Through The Grapevine and Jessie’s Girl. 

Themed four-for-gin and genever flights allow drinkers to compare and contrast main spirits, while more direct types may want a “headbutt”: a beer-and-genever-shot combo in the Dutch tradition of kopstootje, the Netherlands being the birthplace of gin precursor genever. Whatever you get, Genever offers complimentary Filipino-style corn nuts tossed with fried garlic. 

Highland Park Brewery

Image Source: Facebook

It took the extension from Highland Park to Chinatown to find a wider audience for this excellent brewery. Now that HPB is unshackled, brewmaster Bob Kunz makes stunning barrel-fermented ales and sours blended with quality California products. The 16 taps rotate here with mostly fold-away ales, peppered with outliers like the shockingly tropical New England-style IPA called Coco Wham or the funky American stout brewed with black garlic that goes to the Black Bulb. 

Sour ales and seasons brewed with seasonal stone fruits such as peaches, nectarines and cherums (a cherry-plum hybrid) even form part of the line-up, and also have half-pours of several beers to make experimenting more appealing. Sitting across from Los Angeles State Historic Park and a short walk from the Gold Line, the airy space features a light-filled patio, a convivial atmosphere, and an evolving menu of local chef Shawn Pham. Highland Park Brewery is your must-visit place if you are a beer drinker.

In Sheep’s Clothing

Image Source: InSheep’sClothing

Some of the same people as No Name and Lupetti’s Pizza. In Sheep’s Clothing is a bar that literally turns the buzzing environment of most drinking establishments on its head. Instead of listing its menu on the website, In Sheep’s Clothing instead runs down the specs of its sound system, which makes sense — despite their curated selection of mezcal and high-end cocktails, this is LA’s best-sounding space. 

Bartenders play their favorite records on the immaculate machine, and the patrons are welcomed with a sign that says, politely, “Please keep your conversations under the music.” Looking for a party? Not your place, man. Would you like to get a little more intimate with a date without having to shout? Bingo. Bingo. 

Broken Shaker

Broken Shaker is a Miami import that won the James Beard and Tales Cocktail awards at its home base, and the LA outpost follows in its big footsteps, with beautiful trees, comfortable seats and a rooftop pool. (OK, the pool is only officially open to hotel guests, but c’mon, we all know that game.) The menu includes Cali-influenced drinks such as Pimm’s shrub/vodka/ginger ale Recusal Cup, and fish tostadas and vegetable egg rolls if you’ve got the munchies.

Header image credit: Broken Shaker at Freehand Los Angeles

During the summer of 2010, deployed in Iraq, the now-retired navy seal Sean Haggerty needed a nice cold pint having returned from a long operation. The ingredients to make one were in his hand the next day, and within a few weeks of that, he had brewed his first beer. While he was making his beer, which he admitted was not his best, he found himself enjoying the process. As soon as he had the first sip, he had found his passion post serving in the defence forces.

He immediately decided to pursue this newfound passion and hit the ground running by securing a great location in Miramar where Protector Brewery resides today. The brewing process underwent alongside the grinding of cement, the painting of the walls and in a matter of a few months and several experimental recipes, Protector Brewery opened its doors and its beer to the community. The summer of 2017 was when the first people wanting a great beer walked through the doors of Protector Brewery and ever since Sean Haggerty and his team have strived to give every visitor a great experience.

Today Protector Brewery’s menu includes seven beers, a tasting room and a host of awards that the brewery has won, three of which came at the 2020 USA Beer Ratings.

Unfiltered Pilsner: Proclaimed by the brewery to be their purest beer, the Unfiltered Pilsner is an organic beer with characteristics of Pilsen malt, floral spice and clean lager yeast. The beer has Perie hops that bring a definitive flavour which we leave for you to discover upon tasting this award-winning Pilsner.

Citra Juicy DIPA: Organic Citra and mosaic hops balanced with Pilsen malts, rolled oats and carapils malt is how they have come to define this juicy brew. While the insane amounts of Citra and Mosaic hops dominate the aroma and the flavour, this beer is as inviting as a cold shower on a hot summer day. You just wish it never ends.

Protector Brewery LLC, Source Instagram

SD Hazy IPA: Deriving inspiration from the people of San Diego, who love their IPA’s the SD Hazy IPA is a beer that delivers big time. Full with aromatic notes of papaya, blueberries, tangerine, lemon and more, this Indian Pale Ale blends hoppy and juicy goodness with a symphony of flavour.

Mosaic Hazy Pale Ale: Mosaic hops that stimulate your senses and tropical blueberry aromas define this fresh and pure beer. A perennial thirst quencher, this can well be your go-to option the next time you want a Protector Brewery beer.

Into The Abyss DDH Triple Hazy IPA: A collaboration between Protector and Mission breweries, this IPA is double hopped and contains flavours of pine with centennial and magnum and hops. A balanced and delicious beer, this one can sneak up on your list of favourite beers.

West Coast Style IPA: If there ever was a name that gave away the characteristics of the beer, this would be the one. A piney bitterness accompanied by high amounts of hops and a lot of flavours, the West Coast Style IPA is a crisp beer with a solid ABV.

Hazy IPA: Premium 2-row barley, white wheat malt and organic carapils malts make up the base of this smooth tasting IPA. Replete with flavour, the Hazy IPA is an explosion of hops and juiciness.

Protector Brewery LLC, Source Facebook

Protector Brewery has always kept the wishes of their patrons and their experience at the forefront. Aside from the desire to produce top-notch craft beer, they believe in providing a great experience to everyone, whether that is you wanting their beers delivered to your doorstep or in your hand at their tasting room. Whether it is a glass of delicious beer, a four-pack, a sixtel or a keg, you have all the options available to choose from. They started delivering five of their core beers in San Diego and parts of LA and if you wish to order them, you can check their retail inquiries.

The Protector Brewery tasting room is also open to the public from Wednesdays to Fridays between 3:30 PM and 8 PM. Visit their tasting room with a few of your friends and you will find yourself cheering and singing as you down a pint or two. As a retired veteran, Sean Haggerty has dwelled on how Protector Brewery can deliver to the people while also creating relationships that benefit the earth. If this is a cause that resonates with you, follow their Facebook and Instagram handles to get a behind the scenes look of the brewery whose idea was conceptualized in Iraq.

If you wish to buy Protector Brewery beers from retailers in LA, you can visit Wholefoods, Bristol Farms, Lazy Acres, Total Wine and More, Sprouts, Grocery Outlet, BevMo, Barons, and many speciality beer stores and markets and get what you want. Or you can order them online from their website.

Header Image: Protector Brewery LLC, Source Facebook

The Michelin Guide has added several Los Angeles-area restaurants to its listings, declaring the “new” spots that are noteworthy after anonymous inspectors from the international publication dined at them within the last year.

These nearby lists of eateries updated by the Michelin Guide gave the foodies new destinations where they can try out delicious food before they come up with the publication of the Bib Gourmands and Stars ranked restaurants. 

The Fleur Room

Image Source- The Fleur Room

The Fleur Room is a reservation-only cocktail bar from the hospitality group behind Tao, Lavo, Beauty & Essex, and the Highlight Room. If you love drama you will get it here as they serve their theatrical cocktails in a tucked-away lounge space beside the Lavo in West Hollywood. 

The cocktail menu was designed by Craig Schoettler and includes ingredients like flowers, tiramisu dust, rose air, cotton candy, and cucumber ice. The provocative atmosphere of the club is complemented by a carefully curated cocktail menu that includes fresh juices, in-house created syrups and infusions, and elements of surprise such as theatrical vapors and dry ice presentations. The Fleur Room is open from Thursday to Saturday.

Address:

9201 Sunset Blvd

West Hollywood, CA 90069

LuLu

Image Source- LuLu

Imagine carrying a silver tray to dine in a museum! Meet  Lulu. Despite being hidden away in a courtyard inside the Hammer Museum, this delightful eatery is anything but ordinary. Lulu rewards visitors who take a lunchtime break from understanding the art under David Tanis’ direction with a little assistance from none other than Alice Waters. The fresh produce that is put on display is more than just a design, it is the hint to the philosophy of this restaurant, where the three-course and à la carte menus change daily.

Cooking heavily depends on the seasons while allowing the ingredients to shine. A  recent meal of Meyer lemon gelato, chicken saltimbocca, and blood orange citrus salad always proves that the hyper-seasonal and local ingredients are outstanding. Don’t forget to try their delicious cocktails like Prairie Gimlet or Ruby Red Paloma from their drinks menu, which also contains other drinks like beer and fruit soda made from seasonal fruits. And if you are a non-alcoholic person you can have coffee with your food. 

Address:

Hammer Museum

10899 Wilshire Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90024

Manzke

Image Source- Manzke

The more informal Bicyclette Bistro of Walter and Margarita Manzke is housed in the same building as their eponymous gourmet dining concept. A ten-course tasting menu with a modernized French approach, Californian influences, and Asian elements will be served here.

There is creativity everywhere. A round of boudin blanc and a plate of Wolfe Ranch quail are paired with a sauce made of aged balsamic vinegar, grated frozen torchon of foie gras, and black truffle jus. Pure luxury is a Dover sole accompanied by a morel mushroom stuffed with porcini filling and sauce vin jaune. They offer beverage pairings that are specially designed for the cuisine and a full wine cellar. You will also get a sommelier on-site to answer all your queries related to the wine and even suggest you a good wine pairing with your food if the suggested one does not suit your palate. You can also try their vintage cocktail program, it is extremely interesting but a bit expensive. 

Address:

9575 W. Pico Blvd.

Los Angeles, 90035, USA

Lumiere

Image Source- Lumiere

Lumière is a casual brasserie-style restaurant with French cuisine that is tucked away inside the Fairmont Century Plaza. The welcoming staff is there to provide advice and discuss their personal favorites, but you’ll want to splurge on a variety of classics like fruits de Mer and steak fries, if only for the mouthwatering fries.

Start your meal by ordering the rich chicken liver mousse with an olive jam or try the five-year-aged Iberico ham, Bayonne Iberico, or Fermin Iberico ham from the charcuterie menu. A tasty onion soubise is served on top of seared sea bass on the plate as the main course. Then, for dessert, crème brûlée is always a winner thanks to its pure vanilla flavor and rich caramelized crust. You will also get an extensive option of cocktails and wine by the glass along with beers. Try refreshing cocktails like F. Scott Spritzgerald, Bad & Bijou, and if you like more traditional drinks go for their C.P. Old Fashioned. 

Address:

2025 Avenue Of The Stars

Los Angeles – 79 – 149 USD

Fia Steak

Image Source- Fia Steak

Fia Steak is one of those eateries that are perfect for stopping by on a typical weeknight. Even if the occasion for dressing up and feeling happy is the end of the week, this no-expense-spared location is ideal. Before you even take a mouthful of the delicious meal from Chef/Partner Brendan Collins, the live fire on the wood-burning grill will create a sensory experience that will have you salivating.

It perfectly captures the traditional masculine steakhouse style, complete with dry-aged steaks on display. The cuisine is a traditional ode to meat with luxurious touches. You can also look for separate sections for caviar and Champagne. The meal begins with seafood-focused appetizers; keep a look out for specialties like the Dungeness crab salad with a seafood panna cotta on top. Naturally, you’re here for the steak, but the indulgence doesn’t stop there. For dessert, choose between a soufflé or a seasonal strawberry trifle with basil ice cream. Have a blast on your weekend as you will get a huge list of drinks menu from where you can choose the choice of your beverages such as cocktails, beers, wine, or other spirits. You will also get half bottles of wine if you are not in the mood to drink too much. Fia Steak is also heaven for cocktail lovers as they can enjoy delicious classic cocktails with a twist like Grapes of Wrath Cocktail, Cucumber Dill Martini, New Fangled Old Fashioned, and many more. 

Address:

2454 Wilshire Blvd.

Santa Monica

Written By Aparna Dutta, Beverage Trade Network

Header Image Source : Fia Steak