Jonathan Gold Unveils List of LA’s 55 Essential Cocktails

Aside from that Pulitzer Prize of his, LA Weekly‘s Jonathan Gold is probably best know for his annual list of “99 Essential Restaurants.” It’s a bible of sorts for LA foodies. One that’s followed like holy writ by some, debated by others, mapped, spreadsheeted and probably paper mached by at least a few folks out there.

Well, now Gold has come up with a list of “55 Essential Cocktails.” Why 55?

“Because I drive. Because I have a human liver. Because however much you may adore the saketini at that little place in Torrance, it is only essential if you happen to be eating a sliver of yellowtail sashimi there at the time.”

Included on the list: obvious choices, like pretty much anything the Varnish can come up with. More unexpected: the Yee Mee Loo at Good Luck Bar in Los Feliz–a modern day take on the now extinct “chemically refreshed toilet tank” Chinatown drink “Tidy Bowl.”

Mmmm, toilet bowl.

Not on the list is Bigfoot Lodge’s “Flaming Marshmellow.” Which this Fishie has definitely found essential on more than one occasion when on a date with a girl with a sweet tooth.

Previously on Fishbowl LA: Jonathan Gold: The Spreadsheet

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