How can you say no to a drink and dinner pairing with Veev cocktails at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles? If you’re smart, you don’t. Not only is the Ace Hotel one of the trendiest “new” hotels in DTLA (I use quotations because even though it’s new to the hood, the building was actually built in 1928), but also tucked away inside, it houses a swanky restaurant and bar and a super-hard-to-get-into rooftop deck. The place is always poppin’ and the design here is seriously rockin’.
So, combine that setting with a creative cocktail line-up from Veev by Ace Hotel mixologist Dan Sabo and chances are, you’re going to have a wild night. And speaking of wild, the Veev team and Sabo appropriately set their spirit sights on The Amazon Rainforest.
Sabo’s Amazonian-inspired cocktail list was comprised of fun names like La Canela: The Valley of Cinnamon, El Lobizon: The Amazonian Werewolf, La Lapuna Swizzle: The Sorcerer Tree, Protector of the Amazon, and El Dorado: The Mythical City of Gold.
Our second course consisted of Aged Gouda Gourgeres with salted guava butter and paired with La Canela cocktail (Veev, hibiscus, passion fruit, lemon, honey, all spice), served in a coupe glass with a frothy top layer. The passion fruit aroma from the cocktail got me hungry for the drink and the croissant-like Gourgeres on the plate next to me. Bread and cocktail porn - together and last!
Perfect for a warm summer evening, the Nectarine and Burrata dish with heirloom tomatoes, aji amarillo, mint and crushed corn nuts, was a spot on side-kick to the almost upstaging La Lapuna Swizzle (Veev, lime, mint, aloe, demerara, Peychauds bitters). The Swizzle, a crushed ice favorite in Tiki territories, was all show with its red-orange Peychaud’s floater and triumphant mint garnish.
Lastly, we were presented with the El Dorado (Veev, milk washed apricot cordial, maldon, lavender, rosewater). At first glance, it’s all milk punch, and at first taste it shares similar flavor notes, although the apricot and lavender shine slightly throughout the cocktail enough for a smooth and uniquely delicious finish. The grilled Sonoma Lamb Leg with yogurt, dates, cous cous, mint and charred eggplant, brought the house down. Everyone raved.
It was a sumptuous evening at the Ace Hotel with Veev. I’m inspired to get back to the drawing board with Veev and see what new cocktails I can come up with at home. Look, if I do decide to cheat on vodka, at least it's “all natural.”
Here's a couple of our favorite Love Happy Hour Veev recipes:
