Thanks to the continued success of the original Mercado restaurant in Santa Monica, owner Jesse Gomez decided to open up a sibling Mercado location on 3rd St near Fairfax. And boy, are we glad he did.
I stopped in the other day to try their much anticipated holiday drinks and stayed for a little happy hour – of course. Inside Mercado, you’ll see a white brick interior that mimics the style of his other location but displays some new additions like an open kitchen and open ceiling (when the weather is permitting). It was freezing the evening I came in, but I have a feeling that the open ceiling idea will definitely pay off during their Saturday and Sunday brunch when the sunny LA sky returns.
Head mixologist Cesar Arenas, formerly of Las Perlas in Downtown, is in charge of the creativity behind the Mercado bar and it showed with one of the first drinks I tried. At first I was a little taken aback…my cocktail was green, not a light shade of green, but really green. After my first sip, I said aloud, “This will be my favorite drink of the night.” Bold I know, but when you combine pistachio ice cream, tequila, mint, agave and chocolate and make it taste great, then you are making all of the right moves. This drink has yet to be named, so if you go into Mercado and fall in love with it then maybe Cesar will take some of your suggestions...
Another cocktail standout for me was the Ginger Cookie: tequila reposado, muddled pineapple, ginger syrup, lime and ginger beer. If you are not a ginger fan, then I don’t recommend ordering this drink – it’s for serious ginger lovers.
The Ginger Cookie
For the holiday season, Cesar also concocted some more traditional Christmas cocktails such as Mexican Coffee and Holiday Eggnog, both of which are topped with freshly grated bittersweet chocolate. Mezcal fans, you also have a drink with your name on it: The Mezcal Manhattan. The Manhattan was well balanced with a hint of Crème de Cacao and left a slightly smoky finish from the Mezcal.
Mezcal Manhattan
Spiked Egg Nog
The Very Berry
And if the drinks at the new Mercado aren’t enough to put you in the holiday spirit, then order them from the first 2 seats at the bar and look to your left. The vista of sparkling lights from the nearby Grove and the Mezcal-infused cherries from the bar will surely add a tingle to your jingle.
