Seven Grand Cocktail Bar | Los Angeles, CA

Boilermakers at Seven Grand

Seven Grand never should have been a cocktail bar.

With its encyclopedic collection of whiskeys from the world over, the Downtown bar would seem to be a destination for those seeking ancient single-malt Scotches or smooth-sipping bourbons. And yet L.A.'s cocktail revival was partly born here in 2008.

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But the bar is getting back to basics now with its new focus on Boilermakers, the time-honored combination of a shot of whiskey chased with a beer.

As nothing more than a splash of water or an ice cube should sully most of the whiskeys on Seven Grand's shelves, the Boilermakers bring back the spirit of this single-minded bar.

The card you'll find on the bar is less a menu than a list of recommendations. It pairs lemon-sweet Bernheim Wheat Whiskey ($11) with a can of intensely malty Old Chubb Scotch Ale ($7), or vanilla-heavy Knob Creek Single Barrel ($11) with the tropical Maui Coconut Porter ($10). These linear, like-with-like combinations encouraged us to sip rather than shoot, highlighting our appreciation of each Boilermaker's delicious, boozy logic.

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It seems like the cocktail backlash has begun.

Seven Grand, 515 W. 7th St., Downtown; 213-614-0737 or sevengrand.la

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