Pasadena: Return to 1886 Bar

August 23, 2011

Bourbon Peach Smash

About a month and half ago I tried out 1886 Bar for the first time. I didn’t have any food and wanted to return check out the bar menu. Since I love the Raymond’s food, I thought I’d enjoy the bar menu as well.

crispy Szechuan fish

chicken and serrano ham croquettes

My friend had been there before for food so she ordered the chicken and serrano ham croquettes right away. I thought the crispy Szechuan fish sounded great. They were fried well and really lovely plating (a bunch on one end and one fish stick on the other).

Yellow Jacket

We started off with the Bourbon Peach Smash and Yellow Jacket. Previously on my trip, I didn’t try any of the cocktails from the list. Just as well as this is a brand new cocktail list that just launched a few weeks ago.

Bourbon Smash – bourbon, peach, mint, lemon

Yellow Jacket -aged rums, Orgeat, Yellow Chartreuse, lime

I adored these though I liked the Bourbon Smash better of the two.

poppadums

We still felt a bit nibbly so we had the poppadums.

twice-cooked squid

And the twice-cooked squid. Since I was with a friend who calls me Baby Squid, I guess it’s only natural I order dishes with squid in it. I loved the big cubes of squid!

cherry daiquiri

We decided to share what I thought would be my final cocktail, the Cherry Daiquiri (white rum, lime, sugar, cherries). I really enjoyed this fresh spin on a daiquiri. Loved that it was garnished with a Ranier cherry.

soft chocolate fudge

We ordered the soft chocolate fudge for dessert. It’s the first time I’ve seen basil cakes outside of Drago Centro! How cool! I also thought the plating was fantastic. You could hardly go wrong with the chocolate (though I’d probably take out the coconut since I’m not a fan of it– but I ate around it).

unnamed Garrett cocktail

We were getting ready to leave when head bartender Garrett McKechnie walked in. Don’t forget to vote for him as one of LA’s Best Bartenders!

I thought I should do something “light.” What I ended up with is more typical of my standard drinks- brown, bitter and stirred! Garrett’s been working with Nonino and that added a pleasant depth to this Manhattan like cocktail.

I can’t wait to try more cocktails and dessert at 1886! The Thai Iced Tea sounded interesting with Thai tea infused cachaca, Demera and hand-whipped cream.

1886 Bar at the Raymond

1250 South Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105 – 626-441-3136