The bar program received a nice write up at the end of June. Read it here. When you’re doing stuff out of a tiny bar in sleepy Santa Monica, it’s tough to tell whether or not you’re doing a good job. We think we are, our fantastic regulars think we are, but in the grand scheme of the L.A. drinking scene we don’t make much of a splash at all. I mean, I get it, we’re not an actual “bar” but I think we do some really cool shit, and put out some great drinks, especially with the limited amount of space and the fact we have zero fancy contraptions.

I’m speaking of the c-vap distiller, the centrifuge, canning machines, excellent freezer capacity, a Kold Draft machine, a pebble icer, nice glassware (as well as places to put it) and the force carbonation system. The latter would be more manageable financially, maybe cost $200 or so, but the others cost some serious dough. The other thing is that even if we did produce the coin for this stuff, we lack the space to put any of it anywhere. The bar is literally crammed to the gills with jars, glasses, and bottles already. We do it old school.

It’s frustrating but enlightening in its own way. For one, it means we can still kick some ass without all that fancy bullshit. Those things are nice (a pebble icer would be heaven, are you reading this B.J.?) but not necessary for great cocktail construction. I mean, think of the great ones, the Negroni, the Americano, the Old Fashioned, Daiquiri, and so on and so forth. None of those cocktails require anything except a jigger. And two? It makes me wonder if you really need all that fancy shit at all. As long as you have a place and the jars to ferment some stuff, have plenty of chinois caps available, a Vitamix, an immersion circulator, an induction burner, a Champion juicer, a Sunkist juicer, and have the farmer’s market down the street, you might be okay. Yeah. So what if I can’t serve a carbonated watermelon juice blah blah blah.

Listen, I don’t want this post to veer toward complaining, which is where it’s going a little bit. I think instead of letting it slide that way I should be grateful for a few things, well, two people, Angel and Denise. These two kids are my greatest admirers. They somehow think I’m some sort of cocktail guru when in actuality I’m just throwing shit at the wall most of the time. They work their asses off and they’re very involved with the tasting of drinks. I know I can be frustrating to work with. Half the time I’m so spaced out and forgetful and they have to remind me of items and prep we need during the week. For instance, we would have run out of sparkling water if Angel hadn’t told me yesterday we were almost out. I didn’t even remember to check t nor did I even notice our inventory was super low. In terms of cocktail development, if they don’t like something, I don’t put it on the menu. Their opinions matter to me, they’ve got great palates. Without them, the program would be nothing.

We received kind words written about the bar program back in January of 2023 as well. Read that one here. Also Resy. I guess they really like us. We happen to be the common denominator in both articles which is also nice. In both lists, Rustic Canyon is the only one mentioned among the others. I don’t think I said that correctly at all. Do you know what I mean? I should have said, we’re the only place mentioned in both lists. I like that. At any rate, accolades are good because they make you feel good about what you’re doing and eliminate some of the self doubt. They bring some attention, which is always good for business. Some kid from Manhattan beach came in last night and told us “I heard this place has legendary cocktails.” I asked, “Where did you hear that?” The reply, “Everyone knows.”