Stay Gold, Ponyboy

Name: Copa d'Oro
Coordinates: 217 Broadway Ave. Santa Monica 90401
Neighborhood: Santa Monica, brah!
Happiest Hours: All night Mondays, 6-8 Tuesdays-Fridays




I don't usually go in for fads.

I got my first Nintendo in 1997. I bought the first Interpol album last week. And I plan on getting one of those fixed-gear bikes the kids are riding sometime during Obama's second term.

There is, however, one current trend that I've been on the cutting edge of from Day One, and that is for the renewed appreciation for classic, well-mixed cocktails that hearken back to halcyon days of yore.

I offer the following as proof -- as my wife, my gastroenterologist, and my sponsor can all attest, I've been sucking back Manhattans for years now, I have a Moscow Mule instead of my morning OJ, and to me, coffee isn't real unless it's "Irish-ed up." Look, I don't need to defend myself to you.

But I'm just saying that this recent interest in cocktail culture is one trend I can get behind. After all, we covered Cole's in this blog already, and I do believe it got a pretty solid review. Much like, I'm comfortable in saying, the review that Copa d'Oro is going to get in 3...2...1.

I heard through the grapevine that Santa Monica's Copa d'Oro was, just this week, getting a new bartender who had a reputation as being quite the cocktailsmith. He had set up the bar at Comme Ca, a place well-known for its handcrafted drinks and attention to the kind of details that all of us fin de siecle fetishists go wild for. His name is Joel, and I knew he was my kind of barman when, after being asked if he preferred the title "mixologist" or "bartender," he replied, "I don't care what you call me as long as you don't call me late to cocktail hour."

Sigh.

The Vitals: Copa d'Oro is a small, dark place just off the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Don't let the adjacent horribleness sway you, though -- this place has EVERYTHING going for it. Great drinks -- the Gold Rush, the Moscow Mule, the Aviation, and Tommy's Margarita were all standouts. Great prices -- the Happy Hour (6-8pm Tuesday-Friday, ALL NIGHT Monday) gives $5 signature drinks and great paninis between $4-$6. And, just in general, this place has the best bartenders...uh, mixologists, that I've come across in LA. These guys know their stuff, and they share it proudly with the patrons. Fresh ingredients, gleaming barware, and obscure but delicious liquors are all on clear display, but the most obvious display is the talent and passion of the guys in the vests.

Oh, by the way...

HappyHourLA is hosting its first ever HappyHour! On Friday, June 26th (that's in two days), we're gathering at Citizen Smith in Hollywood to celebrate...well, Happy Hour. Don't you understand by now that the only reason you need is Happy Hour? Click on the invitation-looking-graphic to your right for more info...