Santa Monica: Spirited Thursdays Begin at Terrazza September 4
Edie Parker
Terrazza, the restaurant at the Casa del Mar hotel, presents Spirited Thursdays beginning Thursday, September 4. Each Thursday will feature a guest from the spirits, wine or beer industry. Complimentary food is included with the purchase of drinks. I had a chance to check out a sneak preview with Chareau, an aloe vera liqeur. The first Thursday features Ilegal Mezcal followed by Art in the Age, Tequila Ocho and Chareau at the end of the month.
yellowtail and lobster crudo
The September line-up:
- Thursday, September 4 – Ilegal Mezcal
- Thursday, September 11 – Art in the Age
- Thursday, September 18 – Tequila Ocho
- Thursday, September 25 – Chareau
Chris Amirault from Harlowe helped bartend that evening while Chareau’s founder Kurt Charron spoke with the enthusiastic crowd.
Chris introduced us to the Edie Parker, a drink he came up with while playing with Chareau. He described it as a combination of a Last Word and Southside. While I can see where the inspiration comes from, I believe it is uniquely its own.
Edie Parker – Chareau, pisco, Fernet-Branca, lime, mint
sushi
With every drink purchase, a complimentary plate of food would be included. We sampled crispy artichokes (my fave!), sushi, pizza, crostini and crudo. All were solid bites.
Pier Pressure
I also tried the Pier Pressure which was a great drink with food. Chareau has many beautiful botanical elements and works well with seafood. The Tequila Ocho gave the drink a bit of oomph.
Pier Pressure – Chareau, Tequila Ocho, vanilla peach shrub, lemon, soda
Dungeness crab crostini
Besides the crispy artichokes, I also really enjoyed the Dungeness crab crostini. Lots of crab and just the way I like it.
funghi pizza
I gravitated towards the mushroom pizza. There was also sausage and a simple Margharita as well.
Summer in September
I didn’t try all the drinks but couldn’t resist the Summer in September. Since September is my birthday month and summer is my favorite season, it was only natural that I favored this drink. I would call this rum and Chareau drink a neo-tiki drink. Especially since it was garnished with a pineapple leaf. It’s more sophisticated though with cherrywood-smoked pineapple. Get to Terrazza lounge early to enjoy the sun setting over the ocean.
Summer in September – Chareau, Bacardi 8 rum, cherrywood-smoked pineapple, honey, lemon, Angostura bitters
1910 Ocean Way, Santa Monica, CA 90405 — (310) 430-7144© The Minty 2014