New Cocktail List Debuts on May 6 with Thursday Night Resident Bartending Artistry by Alex Straus
Wilshire Restaurant in Santa Monica announces their new cocktail program created by Alex Straus, Los Angeles’ premier cocktail consultant, inspired by the market-based cuisine by Chef Andrew Kirschner. Straus, owner of D&D Cocktails, is partnering with Wilshire in developing a contemporary cocktail culture that emphasizes classic styles, organic ingredients and a modern vision. The cocktail list will debut on Thursday, May 6, 2010 in conjunction with the restaurant’s Cocktail Culture Thursdays, where Straus will be the resident bartender mixing the new drinks.
Straus, who has an enthusiastic following of devotees, was trained in Manhattan by famed mixologist Sasha Petrarske of Milk & Honey and Little Branch. He is responsible for design and implementation of successful cocktail programs in top New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles venues, including Tao Beach, Las Vegas, Beso, in Los Angeles and Suite 700 at the Shangri La Hotel in Santa Monica.
Over eleven imaginative cocktails comprise the seasonally changing list that complements Wilshire’s urban menus. “I see myself fitting in nicely with the ethos that permeates the Wilshire kitchen and will be bringing it to the bar with fresh, innovative cocktails and spirits, many of which are from the same organic and local produce-driven philosophy.” says Straus. General Manager Nick Fielding likes the fit. “We want to have a beverage program that matches the quality of food that Andrew creates. It’s a terrific marriage of talent.”
Tequila Spa with Paqui silver, red grapes, cucumber, lemon & lime; Thai Afternoon with coconut milk & water, Han Soju, thai basil, ginger beer; Sweet n Spicy with Cabana Cachaça, cherry preserve, jalapeño; Pear Passion with Xante, Navan, cardomon, lemon juice; Whisky Summer with Berenheim whisky, apple juice, honey syrup, ginger beer; Big Boy Old Fashioned with Elijah Craig bourbon, orange liquer, Cherry Heering; A Day in the Mountains with Vodka 7000, maple liqeur, tarragon, verbena; and Bee’s Knees with Junipero gin, triple syruple, lemon juice are a few of the new cocktails being introduced by Wilshire.
The cocktail menu, with drinks beginning at $10, is available during dinner and happy hour, Monday through Saturday. Straus will train and oversee the bar staff along with his weekly appearance as resident bartender exclusively on Cocktail Culture Thursdays, from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
As Wilshire’s Executive Chef since 2008, Andrew Kirschner’s contemporary urban cuisine menu is firmly grounded in classic technique. His seasonal menu is defined by simplicity and balance and shows his diversity with market-based ingredients. In addition to Wilshire’s weekly menu, Kirschner also features a selection of wood-grilled prime steaks with a variety of house-made sauces and side dishes.
Wilshire has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, Angeleno, Food & Wine and Bon Appetit and was voted as one of the top 75 restaurants in the city by Los Angeles magazine. Kirschner recently received a nomination as a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation Best Chef Pacific 2010; in 2008, he appeared as guest chef to a sold out dinner at the James Beard House in Greenwich Village. This fall he will be honored as a participant in Outstanding in the Field, a nation-wide roaming culinary dinner series that partners diners to the land and the origins of their food, thereby honoring the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it.
Wilshire’s actively supports local, organic, and sustainable purveyors and utilizes practices that promote energy conservation and a better quality of life for the community, such as the use of recyclable building materials and the use of biodegradable containers. The restaurant was honored with a Grand Prize in the city of Santa Monica’s 2007 Sustainable Quality Awards.
Wilshire Restaurant
2454 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90403
310.586.1707
