For Immediate Release:
 
Relive Your Arcade Days with 1886 Bar’s Spring Cocktail Menu!

(Los Angeles, CA), April 22nd, 2014: It’s a time-honored tradition that many of us recall from childhood: taking a pocketful of quarters to the local arcade and bellying up to your favorite video game for hours in pursuit of a three-initial induction on the “High Score” page. Those days may be long gone, and arcades might be a thing of the past… but nothing says you can’t celebrate the spoils of your youth in a more adult way. Such is the vision behind 1886 Bar’s spring cocktail list, a collection of a dozen drinks inspired by classic video games!
 
“This is a brand new idea for us – and we really wanted to come up with something old-school and visually pleasing,” says 1886’s head barman Brady Weise. “Everyone knows Mario and Luigi – they’re part of pop culture. I remember when I was a kid and my neighbor got a Nintendo. I was so excited, I ran over there every day and watched them play Super Mario Brothers. So we thought it’d be cool to have a tie in that everyone knows visually, and also have a childlike play on something that’s an adult thing. It’s part of the continuing evolution of what we do at 1886 – it’s insane, but fun.”

No cheat codes are necessary to enjoy this fine selection of handcrafted drinks. This season, 1886’s liquid offerings are being presented in three distinct categories: Shaken, With Citrus; Stirred, Aromatic; and Tall, Refreshing.

The first five sips are found under Shaken, With Citrus – and they’re bound to have you longing for the glow of a game screen on your face. Starting things off is Bowser’s Brew, a combination of honey, lemon and bourbon – served in a Maplewood-smoked jar – that you shake vigorously for eight seconds. Next is the mouthwatering Punsch-Out!, with fresh squeezed lemon and lime juices, Kronan's Swedish Punsch and house-made chamomile-infused rye. Of course, no homage to classic video games would be complete without Princess Toadstool – and her honor is memorialized with the Princess Toadstool's Tonic, a malt cocktail combining pisco, Aperol, Doppelbock and lemon to create a delicate, pink lace around the glass in which it's served. Then there’s the Angel of Darkness – a combination of rye, sherry, lime, pineapple and maple syrup. And lastly, the DK Daiquiri will make you want to smash some barrels, it’s so tasty. What’s inside? Banana-infused Selva Rey white rum, fresh lime, and a touch of natural sugar. Yum!
 
Moving on to the next level, it’s time for Stirred, Aromatic – and it starts with the drink Weise says was the most difficult to create. “La Calavera was the most challenging because it involves three different types of spirits, and we were trying to evoke a similarity to a cocktail that was already extremely popular,” Weise says. “We all had a hand in putting that one to the board, and trying to balance the mescal, tequila and rum was an intense process. There was a lot of work put behind it to create the effect we wanted to create.”
 
That effect was a spin-off of the ever-popular Sazerac using reposado mezcal, reposado tequila, and aged Venezuelan rum with Creole and cardamom bitters. But after that, it’s back to Mario’s world for Yoshi's Island, a Manhattan/Martini style cocktail using Meyer lemon and rosemary-infused Benedictine, dry vermouth, house-blended orange bitters, and Fifty Pound gin, finished with a rosemary island. Next is one of Weise’s personal favorites, and one he created himself – the Rush'n Attack, featuring house-made, locally produced olive oil vodka, a tomato-water ice cube, and a secret blend of spices. But dark liquor drinkers – and sweet-tooth enthusiasts – will want to save room for the Scotch Scout, a spin on a Manhattan using Shortbread cookie-infused 12-year scotch, Carpano Antica and a few drops of Benedictine.