Inside: Seven Grand

Calling all stag hags!

By Alexandra Le Tellier, Metromix

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Located in the spot that originally housed Brock’s Jewelry—known in the ‘20s as the Tiffany & Co. of the west—Seven Grand not only pays homage to whiskey culture, it also re-imagines it with urban wit and whimsy.

The theme hits you over the head as you climb up the dark staircase where mini metal stag heads stare down at you from every direction. It’s at once kitschy and creepy. Then, waiting for you at the top, is a diorama of hunting scene in all its ironic hipster glory. Once inside the bar, there are jackalopes mounted to the wall, stag head sconces and red-and-cream vintage wallpaper depicting hunting scenes.

Combine that with plaid-print carpets and it might look like a Disneyland attraction if it weren’t packed with an indie-lectual bunch of downtown dwellers playing pool, tapping their toes to the classic rock soundtrack, or smoking on the patio. (The bar sells bourbon-dipped cigars from the nearby Second Street Cigars shop.)

But let’s get to the main attraction: the whiskey. The bar serves more than 200 kinds of the amber stuff, from bourbon to scotch to Japanese whiskey, and the bottles are beautifully displayed on antique dark wood shelves. The vest-clad (and handsome, we might add) bartenders know how to make the classics too; they even have the skills to whip up a Hot Toddy.

There’s also a huge selection of beer for whiskey-phobes, and it’s served from a Nitrogenator NX, a high-tech system that regulates temperature, nitrogen and oxygen for the perfect pour. Not into whiskey or beer? Order the Hemingway daiquiri made with rum and grapefruit juice—it’s quite possibly one of the best drinks ever.

There’s no cover at the door, nor is there a dress code. Just the way we like our downtown bars.

Drinks: Seven Grand specializes in classic whiskey cocktails like sazeracs and even bourbon crustas. At about $10 a pop, they're not cheap but they are strong.

Crowd: The place packs up with Downtown loft dwellers, many of whom look like they spend their free time reading philosophy and art history books.

Décor: The kitschy-cool bar is decked out with taxidermy and plaid prints.

Click here for Seven Grand's address, phone number and website.

Alexandra Le Tellier is Bars & Clubs editor for Metromix Los Angeles.