New Spring Menu at the Roger Room by Way of the Wong

The Roger Room has a new Spring Menu. Since California knows nothing of seasons, winter being just a name we call 3 months out of the year, it is nice to mark the advent of Spring in our calendars with something significant. Some choose Groundhogs; I choose cocktails. Voted Best West Hollywood Bar by LA Weekly, the Roger Room is a little speakeasy that delivers in both ambiance and taste. Owners Jared Meisler and Sean MacPherson (Bar Lubitsch), have created a little haven for a post-show tipple – Largo is next door – as well as a portal into another time, when timeless charm came in a glass.  

You’ll love the entrance through velvet curtains into a throwback 20s saloon with a hint of circus fun, including the occasional plastic monkey to garnish your glass. Their classic menu is not afraid of flavor, with lychee, cynar artichoke liqueur, honeydew, and mezcal, all finding a place on the daily.

Their Spring Menu is no different, playing with smoke, flowers, apricots & fire. I had the opportunity to taste through their seasonal menu, so let me introduce you to all the new offerings for Spring. Here they are listed by style, which is the Roger Room way.

Crushed Ice Cocktails

Lady Boy

House Smoked Plantation Rum, Mango Nectar, Pineapple Juice, Cherry Heering, Hickory
Lady Boy has a surprising creaminess that came from the marriage of smoke and pineapple. This cocktail had the most intrigue of the Spring Offerings.

Ricky Jay

Lavender Infused Tanquery Gin, Crushed Blueberries, Lime Juice, Club Soda
A Bramble with a hint of lavender, Ricky Jay is light, floral, & approachable.

Up Cocktails

On the Make

Bulleit Rye, Apricot Liqueur, Egg White, Peach Bitters
If you like whiskey sours, this riff with apricot will be right up your alley.

Kubla Khan No.2

Old Tom Gin, Calvados, Creme de Menthe, Angostura Bitters
An imagining of Aleister Crowley’s Kubla Khan No.2, whose original ingredients included the equivalent of heroin dissolved in sherry.  So bee-tee-dubbs, this is slightly different.  This was my favorite on the Spring Menu. The cocktail opens with apple on the nose, but not so sweet, with a lovely dry finish.

Rocks Cocktail

The Big Shot

The Big Shot starts with flamed chartreuse

Pierre Ferrand Cognac, Amaro Averna, Rosemary, Flamed Chartreuse
Bold & Aromatic & a little sweet. A great after dinner drink or final sipper for the night.

Tags: Cocktails, way of the wong, cocktail hour, Hollywood, Jenn Wong

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