Todd English may be a culinary superstar and one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, but it's his innovative cocktails that have us hooked. Take, for example, the C Clearly martini at
Beso, the new restaurant he co-owns with Eva Longoria Parker and restaurateurs Jonas Lowrance and J.T. Torregiani. You might not think carrot juice would work in a martini, but the flavor comes alive when combined with orange juice, fresh ginger and vodka. "All of our cocktails are made with freshly squeezed juice and exotic fruits," English says, "so the flavors are so much more intense." One sip of the Tequila Spa—made with fresh red grapes, cucumbers, lime juice, simple syrup and Herradura Silver tequila—and you might never settle for a drink that fails to satisfy every one of your taste buds.
English didn't work alone when creating Beso's libations, though. He collaborated with mixologist Alex Straus, a shaggy-haired, sneaker-clad New Yorker who trained under Sasha Petraske, the bar master often credited with reinvigorating NYC's classic-cocktail culture with his bar Milk and Honey.
So what's the secret to creating the perfect drink? For Straus, it's going back in time to the pre-Prohibition era, when more attention was paid to balancing each liquor's flavor profile with sweet and sour ingredients. Balking at what he calls “’80s-style cocktails with syrups,” Straus always starts with a classic recipe and gives it a modern twist, as with the Daiquiri D'Amore, which is sweetened with fresh muddled raspberries. “I'm following in Todd English's philosophy,” he says. “Variety of color, flavor and texture.”
It seems designer Tracie Butler and English also share the same thinking. The glamorous space she created is nothing short of a masterpiece. Just within the juice bar, there's a hand-cut limestone wall, golden pony-hair ottomans, gray oak and black ebony cocktail tables, black crocodile-embossed patent-leather banquettes, and a large white marble bar. And that's not all—there's also a fire pit built into a glass wall that's been etched with romantic poetry. (Look closely for the poem by Longoria's sister, but don't burn yourself.)
Says English, “I wanted the bar at Beso to combine the sexiness of adult lounge entertainment with the healthy, mouthwatering options of a fresh juice bar.” We say: Mission accomplished.
No reservations? No problem: You don’t need to call ahead for a spot at the bar, but it does fill up quickly on weekend nights.
Celebrity spotting: Aside from the obvious Eva sightings, Kim Kardashian, Mario Lopez and America Ferrera have been in.
Personal cocktail service: Want to hire Straus for cocktail consulting? Reach him at
thecocktailconsultant@gmail.com.
Alexandra Le Tellier is Bars & Clubs editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
