Koreatown: Mama Lion Is Now Open

 

Mama Lion, the jazz supper club, is now open in Koreatown. The swanky club is on the corner of Western and 6th Streets, right in the heart of Ktown. Chef Michael Hung heads up the kitchen and the irrepressible Aidan Demarest serves as general manager.

For a while, I was obsessed with Zirbenz, a pine flavored liqueur. It was the beginning of my love of bitter drinks. However this Alpine Lift with gin and Aperol as well as the Zirbenz isn’t as medicinal as you think it would be

Alpine Lift – Rogue Spruce gin, Aperol, Zirbenz, white vermouth

 

I hate carrots but I loved this drink. I liked how flavorful and multi-dimensional it was.

Golden Tonic – Beefeater gin, carrot, housemade tumeric and ginger syrups, lemon, soda

 

 

The Rockefeller was very interesting with the Cab foam.

Rockefeller – Rittenhouse rye, sugar, lemon juice, Cabernet foam

 

 

I also enjoyed the brown, bitter, stirred drink, The Statesman. It’s a triple threat of whiskey, Averna and Aperol with two types of bitters. I would say this is closer to a Manhattan than an Old Fashioned though it’s served with a gleaming cube of ice.

The Statesman – Bulleit bourbon, Averna, Aperol, walnut bitters, Angostura bitters

I also tried the Sun God (not shown) which featured tequila, Ancho Reyes liqueur, tangerine cordial, habanero shrub and cucumber. It’s a little spicy and very refreshing. But for a show, you must get the Blue Hawaiian, a brilliant shaded azure drink. Make sure to catch the little show with the drink- they sprinkle a little cinnamon which sparks up nicely when set aflame.

I’ll be back to check out the food from Chef Michael soon! And of course more drinks.

 

Mama Lion

601 S Western Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90005  — (213) 377-5277

 

© The Minty  2017