1886 Bar Celebrates Five Years with New Fall and Winter Cocktail List

It has been said that “history repeats itself,” and nowhere does this notion exist more than within a hidden craft cocktail bar tucked away in a historic craftsman cottage in the heart of Pasadena. When 1886 Bar was first launched in the back room of The Raymond Restaurant in 2010, the intent was to be at the forefront of the Southern California craft cocktail movement. Since its incarnation, some of the most celebrated bartenders have put their stamp (and signature recipes) on what has become one of California’s most buzzed about drinking destinations. Now, on the brink of their 5 Year Anniversary, 1886 Bar is being catapulted into another level with the celebration of their new Fall & Winter Cocktail Menu that will once again redefine, reimagine and reinvigorate the way we see craft cocktails as we currently know them!

“After 5 years, we are proud to say we have created over 300 published cocktails. Not to mention the countless recipes that remain off-list, as well as our Dealers Choice cocktails, that have turned into regularly requested libations,” says Head Barman Peter Lloyd Jones. “Because there is so much rich history within these walls, and so much written about historic Raymond Hotel, we wanted to do a literary based menu. Each cocktail tells a story and relates to literature in some way.”

1886 Bar’s Fall & Winter Cocktail Menu kicks off with Maggie The Cat, a cocktail created by Bartenders Casey Levental and Ned Kirby. Inspired by the character Margaret in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams, this creation packs a punch combining gin, house-made Curaçao, Becherovka, Amaro Nonino, grapefruit, orange and lemon juices with a cherry dropped into the center. And just like Maggie the Cat, each sip has a different and unexpected layer of character.

Next, Bartender Adam Vaughn and The Raymond’s Pastry Chef, Eliot Pardo have partnered up to create Kafka On The Shore. Crafted with Japanese pear infused Tito’s vodka, almond avocado milk, lime, simple syrup and egg white with a GIN-gerbread cookie garnish, this creamy cocktail inspired by The Wind Up Bird Chronicle will have you turn on, tune in, and drop out! And just like the Murakami masterpiece, “true enlightenment comes only to those who finish it.”

“The Kafka on the Shore is one the more interesting cocktails on our menu,” says Jones. “It requires an Avocado Almond Milk which Vaughn slaved away on in order to allow it to be palatable enough to drink, and was a collaboration with our new Pastry Chef Eliot Pardo.”

The literary fun does not stop there, as the Robinson Crusoe (another Vaughn cocktail) is a combination of the Zombie and IPA beer; two unlikely components that parallel the novel’s premise of a defiant British man’s seafaring relationship with the Caribbean. Archer IPA, El Dorado 12-year aged rum, Hamilton 151 Overproof Demerara rum, lime juice, pineapple juice, grenadine, lime syrup and Angostura bitters come together to become the ideal drink for anyone stranded on a deserted Caribbean island who has nothing but beer, rum and a lot of time on their hands. Levental and Pardo join forces once again, creating the El Padrino. This Mexican variation of the classic Godfather is the perfect digestif cocktail with Dulce Vida Añejo tequila, Velvet Falernum, Nux Alpina walnut liqueur and mole bitters that is served with a side of bacon-candied walnuts.

Jesus Gomez makes an appearance with several cocktails on 1886 Bar’s Fall & Winter Cocktail Menu: Life in the Woods is a complex interplay between French rum and Kentucky Bourbon with the seasonal scent of sitting fireside combining Elijah Craig, Clement V.S.O.P., Bowmore 15, Averna, tobacco bitters and vanilla syrup, reminding you that truth can be found in literature and equally in nature. The La Divina Comedia, drawing its name from Beyond the Gates of Hell, is a nine ingredient variation of an Old Fashioned with Angostura and orange bitters, brown sugar cube, Nocino, Elijah Craig 12, Balvenie 12, Black Hamilton rum, 151 Hamilton rum and a flamed orange disc. In this boozy spinoff that invokes lust with the flamed orange oils and a black Jamaican rum, you will be suspended in a state of perfect balance between the peat and oak notes of Kentucky and Scottish whiskeys before being led through the Paradise that is the sweet sip and perfect texture of vanilla and green walnuts. Now that is quite the journey!

Some of the world’s greatest mysteries remain unsolved with no single theory prevailing, and Gomez’s Otorten encapsulates a host of classified threats combining Rittenhouse 100-Proof Rye, with the strength of a Yeti, Bowmore 15, with the gravitational pull of a fleet of UFOs and Laphroaig 10, with enough firepower to warm you in an Avalanche. All the paranormal powers of Russia’s most ominous mountain in one Old Fashioned. Case closed.

Treacherous as the Underworld, Gomez and Vaughn’s Hades proves to be an unforgiving spicy cocktail that will mellow even the fieriest of three headed beasts, mixing up triple chili infused Mezcal, spiced rum, lime, agave, mango and a chili salted rim. From the heat of the Underworld to the depths of Winterfell, the 1886 Bar Fall & Winter Cocktail Menu gets even “cooler” with Winter Is Coming (created by Mikey Angeles & Vaughn); a sensational seasonal sipper with muddled blueberries, lemon, passion fruit, Velvet Falernum, Diplomatico, Smith & Cross, Martinique Blue and “Rosemary Weirwoods Forest.”

No literary menu would be complete without including F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and here Levental shines with the I’m Doing Well Thanks For Asking. It is in this cocktail that Richter’s Bourbon, Smith & Cross rum, Maraschino liqueur and Carpano Antica vermouth come together as an ode to Mr. Gatsby, with a spin on the Manhattan, a drink associated with the upper crust, combining spirits and liqueurs associated with both ends of the social spectrum.

Nothing wrong with a little “duel” now and then, which is why the Hamilton Duel emerges with El Dorado 12-year Rum, Glen Garioch 12 year, Highland Scotch Whiskey, Linie Aquavit, Amaro Montenegro and cynar. One thing is for certain while sipping down this cocktail, your fate will be similar to Alexander Burr…you will just “die” over it!

Finishing out the cocktail list is yet, another collaboration; this time, from Marcos Tello and Gomez. Tello, of Tello-Demarest Liquid Assets, played a large role in the creation of 1886 Bar as the opening Cocktail Consultancy. The Danza de los Tejorones/1886 Salidito is a supple sipper with Pasilla chile infused El Silencio Mezcal combined with clover honey, fresh lime juice and Pasilla Chile Spiced Blend that is shaken frothy and served iced cold, from Oaxaca, with love.

“Not every story has to be written,” says Tello. “Different towns from Oaxaca still represent stories through “Danzas,” most of these towns still practice this “Mixteco” language. All stories have different Danzas, which is why we wanted to introduce this cocktail.”

For those familiar with 1886 Bar, it just would not be an anniversary without a celebration. And for this, 1886 Bar certainly delivers. From Tuesday, November 17th, 2015 through Saturday, November 21st, 2015, 1886 Bar will be serving up liquid specials for only $5.00 that include the Don Carlo Old Fashioned with whiskey, scotch, Cio Ciaro, Angostura bitters, orange bitters with an orange peel, Maui Brewery Bikini Lager and Perrin Cotes Du Rhone & Rouge. If that is not enough, they will also be welcoming the return of several of 1886 Bar’s finest original bartenders with their most reputable signature cocktails that have left a mark over the last five years.

Closing out the celebration will be a very special evening on Saturday, November 21st, 2015 from 7:00 pm to closing. Two of 1886 Bar’s originals, Garrett McKechnie and Laura Lindsay, will be behind the stick, along with two additional satellite bars run by current 1886 Bar bartenders. In addition to the magic that will be the reminiscing of great bar staff both past and present, Executive Chef Tim Guiltinan has also prepared $8.00 Bar Bite Specials that will include Chicken & Serrano Ham Croquettes with harissa yogurt, Roasted Octopus with Korean-style sauce, Shrimp Toast Mini Sandwiches, Kentucky Fried Quail with wasabi honey and Prince Edward Island Mussels with Angry Lady Sauce.

1886 Bar Anniversary – Original Guest Bartender Schedule:

Tuesday, November 17th, 2015: Bartender Brady Weiss serving the Lebowski Achiever with vodka, crème de cacao, stout and cream.

Wednesday, November 18th, 2015: Bartender Greg Gertmenian serving the Rye Reverse with rye, dry vermouth, Maraschino liqueur, housemade curacao, orange bitters, angostura bitters with orange and lemon peel.

Friday, November 20th, 2015: Consultant and Bartender Marcos Tello serving the Saladito and Medicina Latina made with mezcal, housemade honey syrup, fresh lime juice topped with chile salt.

Saturday, November 21st, 2015: Bartenders Garrett McKechnie and Laura Lindsay serving the California Buck with tequila, fresh strawberries, fresh lime juice, housemade Demerara syrup, fresh ginger and soda.

Although not every story has to be written, 1886 Bar’s story is most certainly one to be told, as it continues to unfold in an always unexpectedly surprising way. “1886 Bar has a strong rooted tradition in quality product and hospitality,” says Lloyd-Jones. “It is exciting to hear feedback that we are keeping the spirit alive and well. The bartenders before us laid the foundation, and we are carrying their legend on. I believe each year we continue our story through our mentality of always striving for a better guest experience, and, of course, improving the notion of what a cocktail should be.”

1886 Bar is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Thursday from 5:00 pm to Midnight and Friday and Saturday from 5:00 pm to 2:00 am. For more information, visit www.TheRaymond.com or call The Raymond 1886 directly at (626) 441-3136.

The Raymond 1886, 1250 South Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena, (626) 441-3136 or visit www.TheRaymond.com.