The team behind Broken Spirits—led by owners Isaias Hernández and Josh Bentrem—want to reintroduce the space to Long Beach. A more steady and focused kitchen. A newly minted cocktail menu. And what better way to do so than act as the kick-off party space for Long Beach Last Call 2026?
The 10-day celebration—featuring special menus, events, classes, and more—of Long Beach’s bar and cocktail culture will have its kick-off at Broken Spirits on Sunday, Mar. 1 from noon to 4PM. Those who RSVP with a free ticket? They’ll score a punchcard that allows them to taste, for free, each of the spirits made in-house at Broken: rum, whiskey, vodka, and gin.
“The loss of Juan [my brother] really put our scope back into focus,” Isaias said. “He was all about barbecue—and we know we need to return to those roots. Double down on Californian, seasonal barbecue. Yes, distilling is an important part of the equation, but we know we need to make our kitchen more consistent and focused. So we’re returning to seasonal barbecue—and this kick-off event for Last Call is a great way to reintroduce ourselves to the community.”
How Broken Spirits is using its own broken heart to reintroduce itself
The Broken Spirits family suffered a huge loss with Isaias’s brother, Juan, who died earlier this year. Helping found the Smoke & Fire brand that put the crew on the SoCal food map, leading to the creation of Villains Brewing, Craft, and most recently, Broken Spirits, Juan was an essential cog in the space’s identity.
“Juan was more than a business partner,” Josh said. “He was a brother, a true friend, and the driving force who believed deeply in this vision before it ever came to life. He was the one who pushed, encouraged, and helped turn Smoke and Fire from an idea into reality. His passion, loyalty, and unwavering belief in what we were building became the foundation of everything we stand for today.”
Moving forward: Collaborations, community, consistency.
Broken Spirits has already laid the groundwork for what they want to do. They subtly re-branded last year, properly placing “barbecue” in its formal name while introducing wildly affordable barbecue. They opted to go fully Halal with their meat offerings, playing off of the increasing Muslim community presence given the popularity of Ammatoli.
These steps prove that they are about community—but they want more.
“We are completely open to collaborations and events,” Isaias said. “We’re officially on board to be a part of KASSO in DTLB [the inaugural stateside event of the popular Japanese skate competition]… We are here. We’re more focused on Long Beach than we’ve ever been. And our door is open.”
Broken Spirits is located at 300 The Promenade N. The kick-off party for Long Beach Last Call 2026 will take place at the space on Sunday, Mar. 1 from noon to 4PM. To RSVP for a free ticket—required to score your free tastings at Broken Spirits—click here.
