The Drinks: Handcrafted cocktails and tableside cocktail service
The Location: Hollywood
The Vibes: Upscale, intimate, cozy, trendy
Good for: When you want top notch cocktails in a classy lounge setting
With-Whom-To-Go: Ideal for small and large groups
When-to-Go: Wednesdays through Saturdays, 9 p.m. – 2 a.m.
The $ Factor: $$; Handcrafted cocktails are $17; tableside cocktail service starts at $300
The 4-1-1: Opens for the first time on Saturday, October 5, 2013
I’ll Be Back…: For the Kaffir Melon Cooler, made with gin, kaffir lime, and watermelon, pomegranate and lime juices
Earlier this week, I was invited to a private preview of Warwick, the newest lounge on Sunset Blvd., in the heart of Hollywood.
With great interest, I entered a nondescript, grey building lit by a few overhead lights and marked by a massive door. Outside revealed nothing of what was beyond, which is an enticingly sexy interior that feels like “old boys’ club” meets upscale, urban loft.
And it’s all so breathtaking.
Vintage meticulously blends with modern. You see it in the paintings by Renoir, Picasso and Rembrandt—right alongside the enlarged black-and-white photos of nude models. You feel it in the comfortably worn oversized leather couches you sink into, and their adjacent sleek black tables. You sense it underneath the faint glow of soft lighting and ceiling-to-floor walls of exposed bricks…in the toasty fireplaces, and the floors made from reclaimed wood from Frank Sinatra’s home.
Warwick pours out the same amount of sophistication and class that it did in its décor as it does into its biggest selling point: its cocktail program. Instead of the typical, standard bottle service options of alcohol and a few uninterestingly bland mixers, Warwick pays homage to the handcrafted cocktail phenomenon that’s swept over L.A. these past few years through its tableside cocktail service. Move over vodka and cranberry; make room for Manhattans, mojitos and margaritas—and even Moscow Mules and Blackberry Bucks—which can be delivered to your table all night long.
Now if you really just want your drinks straight up, no frills involved, Warwick can do that as well. There’s the option to order bottles and mixers, but don’t expect just any kind of mixers. The focus is on fresh, premium ingredients, so think freshly squeezed pineapple and orange juices, bottled Mexican Cokes and ginger ale, and seasonal items from Farmer’s markets.
And the best part is, if you don’t finish your bottle for the night, they will save it for your next visit.
There are also several bars to grab handcrafted cocktails at, on
the first and second floors. Of course, I tried many, many cocktails throughout the night, including the Peach Cobbler (pictured to the right), the Coco Pina Fresca and the Kaffir Melon Cooler. I fell in love with Kaffir Melon Cooler, an exciting fusion of sweet and salty.
Now, you may be thinking what I was originally thinking; all this sounds great and amazing, but how hard is it going to be to get in this place???
Fantastic question.
Fortunately as a few of my contacts explained to me, the goal is to make all guests feel as though they’re VIPs (yeah!). So if you make reservations, you should definitely be good to get in; and if you don’t have reservations, you should still be able to easily get in, so long as the lounge hasn’t reached capacity.
Already, there’s been quite a few private events, but Warwick is still young and brand new. It’ll be interesting to see how it grows and matures within the upcoming weeks and months, and years.
So for now, the next time you’re in the mood to sip premium, high quality beverages while you’re hitting up the nightlife scene, I highly recommend Warwick. Get your drink and party on.
See you there soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment