Long Beach cocktails and spirit choices—and its mocktail or coffee counterparts—have never been stronger, with bar managers and tenders creating a new era of hospitality and drinkability. Here are some of the shining examples that proved 2024 to be our city’s best mixed yet.
And yes, some places will feature multiple drinks—because yes, they are that good.
“Juice Theory” from Tokyo Noir
1731 E. 4th St. (inside El Barrio)
Juice Theory: Puro Potro Blanco | Umeshu | Watermelon | Amaro-fermented tomato
What kind of cocktail? There is no question that Tokyo Noir—a speakeasy concept from the crew of El Barrio—is one of the most exciting spaces to come out into the Long Beach cocktail scene. Tucked into a space where one enters through the alleyway that sits just west of the restaurant’s main, 4th Street-facing entrance. And this concoction, where tart’n’salty meet umami’n’sweet is pretty much par example of why barman Kevin Lee is one of the most exciting talents to come into city. No questions asked: a definitive Long Beach cocktail of 2024.
“Merlin’s Beard” from Baby Gee Bar
1227 E. 4th St.
Merlin’s Beard: Tequila | Mezcal | Cucumber | Shisho | Cinnamon | Lime | Salted watermelon foam
What kind of cocktail? Baby Gee Bar has released their summer cocktail menu and it is happily one of their fruitiest, one of their most savory, and one of their most complex. Co-owner and concoction chief Gianna Johns has never been one to shy from layers. And Merlin’s Beard—a picture of tequila, mezcal, and magic—is a perfect example of that. In the world of playfulness, Gianna’s take on reconstructing a watermelon for her Merlin’s Beard creation is wildly witty: Layering a pool of tequila-and-mezcal-meets-cucumber before dolloping a foam roof of salted watermelon foam and topping it with black sesame seeds, this drink rides a coaster from watermelon Jolly Rancher to margarita on steroids. Gianna calls it the most difficult drink she’s created—and that makes sense with its beautifully constructed complexity.
“Pegu Club” from Marlena
5854 E. Naples Plaza
Pegu Club: No. 3 Gin | Curacao | Lemon Juice | Sugar | Aromatic & Orange Bitters | Orange Zest
What kind of cocktail? Head barman David Castillo has quite the Long Beach pedigree, working everywhere from The Ordinarie to Michael’s on Naples. But with Marlena, his return to form, so to speak, has him homed in on classic cocktails and bringing to light drinks that are damn good for a reason. His Pegu Club, classically and traditionally prepared, is a master example of refinement and refreshment. An ode to the mighty orange, this citrus bomb is as dangerously downable as it is beautifully drinkable. One of the most masterfully classic takes for a Long Beach cocktail of 2024.
“The Take Off” from Michael’s on Naples
5620 E. 2nd St.
The Take Off: Old Forester 100 Proof | Lucano Aniversario | Aperol | Supasawa | CO2
What kind of cocktail? Michael’s on Naples has been known for many things, be it their long-held steel grip on regional Italian cuisine or their dive into creating a sustainable market or… But their cocktail program, headed by master mixologist Jocelyn Jolley, is certainly an underrated gem that deserves constant praise (and yet receives so little). Her “Take Off” is an example of just that, where funk’n’sweetness are melded with a beautiful mouth feel thanks to the layers the drink: Old Forester 100 high proof whiskey. Lucano Aniversario amaro—an amaro that honors the traditional Lucano by amping up the bitter and herbaceous qualities. Aperol. Supasawa sour mixer. And good ol’ CO2. The result is a cocktail-on-tap that is boldly layered and hosts a distinctly what-am-I-tasting? quality that keeps you keep sipping. A quietly quirky Long Beach cocktail of 2024.
“The Promande Manhattan” from The Ordinarie
210 The Promenade N.
The Promenade Manhattan: Rye Whiskey | Luxardo Maraschino | Amaro Cio Ciaro | Cardamom | Citrus Zest
What kind of cocktail? The Ordinarie has always had one of the city’s best bar programs, being host to some of Long Beach finest to flex their talent, from David Castillo (now at Marlena), Jesse Rodriguez, Colby Sue (now at 320 Main in Seal Beach), and Kayla Bohner, currently behind the bar. They were one of the first places to catalogue their drinks, where recipes were backlogged and each creator was given a credit along with the year they created it, allowing The Ordinarie to produce a Long Beach-centric cocktail database. Colby’s Promenade Manhattan? A masterful case of how to take a classic and slightly alter it with bombs of cardamom and amaro.
“Pandan at the Disco” from Panxa Cocina
3937 E. Broadway
Pandan at the Disco: Uruapan Blanco | Bandoeng 22 Pandan Liquor| Lime | Coconut | Pineapple | Toasted coconut
What kind of cocktail? Panxa bar manager Bryce Kaesman could be vying for the city’s most underrated cocktail concocter. With a menu that alters multiple times throughout the year—including a stellar Hatch chile martini that was offered during the space’s annual Hatch chile roast—this cocktail flexes Bryce’s ability to simply be fun’n’delicious. Sweet, creamy, and earthy, this liquid sonnet to one of Southeast Asia’s favorite dessert ingredients is certainly one of the best Long Beach cocktails of 2024.
“Cloud Nine” from The Wicked Wolf
2332 Pacific Ave.
Cloud Nine: Lemongrass-infused gin | Coconut syrup | Lime juice | Serrano chile tincture | Cilantro
What kind of cocktail? An ode to Thailand’s tom kha gai soup and part of the bar’s Summer 2024 menu, this wonderfully savory-with-a-hint-of-sweet is a greatly balanced drink that oozes of something someone loves. And in this case, it is Isaak’s love of said soup. It is a concoction that wouldn’t have been made otherwise. Given that, explore your food outside, well, your food; incorporate it into your passion, dammit—and you’ll end up with one of the finest Long Beach cocktails of 2024.
“Clarified Top Floor Mai Tai” from Halo
210 E. Ocean Blvd. (inside the Fairmont Breakers)
Clarified Top Floor Mai Tai: Bacardi Ocho Rum | Plantation Pineapple Rum | Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum | Grand Marnier | Lime | Mango | Pineapple
What kind of cocktail? Slabs of marble and onyx. Tiling that simultaneously acts as an ode to art deco while being utterly contemporary. Light fixtures that hold captivation worthy enough of its own essay. Make no mistake, Long Beach: We are now home to not just one of the most beautiful hotels in the region but the entirety of the West Coast thanks to the Fairmont Breakers. And its cocktails reflect that—including this beautifully bright, crazily citrusy, tuned-in take on a mai tai.
Coffee Negroni from Our Spot Coffee
6460 Pacific Coast Hwy #125 (inside Noble Rotisserie)
Coffee negroni: Sous-vide Ethiopian coffee | Ritual Zero Proof Gin and Apertif | Zero proof vermouth | Lemon peel
What kind of cocktail—well, drink? Ah, our first coffee entry on the list. Our Spot Coffee isn’t a full-on brick-and-mortar—at least not yet. But at its current residency inside Noble Rotisserie over at the 2nd & PCH retail complex, husband-and-wife team Chris and Ali McColl are churning up the most innovative, outright challenging coffee concoctions since Bobby Hernandez was churning out dry-hopped iced coffee Recreational Coffee. Their coffee negroni, a beautiful layering of tart, bitter, and earthy, is a magical morning for those lucky enough to have it. One of the best Long Beach cocktails of 2024? In its own right, very much so.
“Bunny in the Bank” from The Attic
3441 E. Broadway
Bunny in the Bank: Mezcal | Carrot syrup | Lemon | “Hearty pinch of salt” | Parsley | Thyme
What kind of cocktail? Head barman Nathaniel Ochoa is a part of The Attic’s hospitality wonder, creating a revolving door of cocktails that embraces both the classic and contemporary. Can you get a nearly perfectly made dry martini? Yes, yes you can—and the olive are as quality as the drink. Can you also get the a choice of one of many Bloody Marys that made the space, well, that Instagrammable, hype food beast back in the day? Yes, yes, you can—just expect a little more taste with all the grandeur. But his Bunny in the Bank, a wonderfully earthy, kerotine-centric concoction, is reflective of Nate’s creativity-on-a-whim.
“Rum Reaper” from The Stache Bar
941 E. 4th St.
Rum Reaper: Rum | Pandan leaf syrup | Coconut water | Lime | Toasted Coconut
What kind of cocktail? The Stache Bar’s return to form—focusing more on cocktail menus, reverting back to its roots as both a bar to get a PBR and a bar to get an old fashioned—is one of my favorite stories of the year. Our second pandan cocktail on the list, from head bar manager Priscilla In, is everything you want in a pandan cocktail: Coconut. Rum. Island vibes. And that wonderful bit of earthiness. Looking forward to Stache flexin’ its creative muscles in 2025—and using this as an example of one of the best Long Beach cocktails of 2024.
“Green Eggs & Ham” from Port City Tavern
4306 E. Anaheim St.
Green Eggs & Ham: Mezcal | Cactus | Pineapple shrub | Lime | Absinthe rinse
What kind of cocktail? Port City Tavern has always been on the leading edge of cocktail menus: Consistently rotating through holiday and special menus—including this stellar drink from a literary-centric menu where employees were asked to develop cocktails based on their favorite books—lead barman Bradley Eston has been constantly cheering on his employees and himself to dream up more and more boozey wonders. This one? Greenthumb perfection as one of the finest amongst Long Beach cocktails of 2024.
“San Andreas” from Selva
4137 E. Anaheim St.
San Andres: Rum | Agricole | Banana | Guanabana
What kind of cocktail? The intent of Selva always been simple: Reflect the food of Colombia while also distinctly being the food of Chef Carlos Jurado himself—both welcomed and distinctly unique in the food scene of Long Beach, where Mexican food has long dominated the Latino food market and Salvadorian, Guatemalan, Honduran, and other Latino foods have not received the accolades of its Mexican sibling. And in this sense, Jurado knew that cocktails—which are distinctly culinary yet never receive that very spotlight—were essential in creating his space. This is where mixologist Mike Borowski comes in. Continually creating drinks that pair well with Chef Carlos’s food, Mike has managed to create this liquid poem to the banana.
“Arachnophobia” from The Social List
2105 E. 4th St.
Arachnophobia: Rum | Applejack brand | Aperol | Cucumber
What kind of cocktail? Former beverage director Erik Rios-Wentzky was a master at creating some of the most innovative cocktail lists on the fly—and in 2024, he did not disappoint: His clever Halloween menu had many, many gems—but Arachnophobia was a downright marvelous little drining mystery. A mischievous concoction that tastes like watermelon without one drop of anything watermelon, it is one of the most creative Long Beach cocktails of 2024.
“La Flaca” from Telefèric
6420 Pacific Coast Hwy #160
La Flaca: Mezcal Unión | Patrón Silver | Chile verde liquor | Prickly pear | Agave | Lime
What kind of cocktail? Telefèric, which has its roots in San Cugat, just slightly northwest of Barcelona, opened in 1992. It pioneered what would become the Basque and Catalonia region’s staple: pintxos and tapas. The restaurant’s quick growth in patrons made the children of its owners, brother-and-sister team Xavier and Maria Padrosa, open shop in bustling Barcelona to equal acclaim. The best way to go? Aim for the tapas, stay for the drinks, including the beautifully presented La Flaca.
“Beachwood Zombie” from Beachwood Distilling
3630 Atlantic Ave.
Beachwood Zombie: Beachwood Black Rum | Hamilton Navy Strength Rum | Lemon Hart 151 | Lime | Grapefruit | Beachwood Ceylon cinnamon | Falernum | Fassionola | Beachwood passionfruit | Beachwood Aromatic Bitters | Beachwood Absinthe
What kind of cocktail? Beachwood Distilling is attempting to do something no one else is: Create every single aspect of what is put into their cocktails. From fernet and Campari to bitters and spirits, they eventually want to reach a point where literally every ingredient you’re drinking was created by them. It is an ambitious but beautifully respectable endeavor that only lifts our cocktail scene.
Single malt whiskey from Broken Spirits Distillery
300 The Promenade N.
Single Malt Whiskey: Nothing more | Nothing less
What kind of cocktail—er, spirit? While we lament the leaving of master distiller Max Stecca, what we can uplift is that some of his creations have been left behind in bottles that are purchaseable from Broken Spirits—like this stellar single malt whiskey.
“La Noche Negra” from El Barrio Cantina
1731 E. 4th St.
La Noche Negra: Tequila Ocho | Crème de Mûre | Lime | Agave | Charcoal | Chamoy
What kind of cocktail? El Barrio has always had a strong presence in the cocktail game (which has only been strengthened by the addition of Tokyo Noir in the back). But for consistently stellar tequila and mezcal cocktails? Look no further than the chill, 4th Street-facing bar inside El Barrio.
“Sonoratown Horchata Latte” from Recreational Coffee
237 Long Beach Blvd.
Sonoratown Horchata Latte: Horchata syrup from Sonoratown horchata | Espresso | Whole milk
What kind of cocktail—er, drink? Ah, our second coffee drink on the list. Two DTLB powerhouses—the long-loved Recreational Coffee and the winning-the-hearts-of-all Sonoratown—have partnered up on unquestionably one of the best drinks of the season: a horchata latte. Co-owner Daniel Ferradas noted they had created syrup from the taqueria’s popular house-made horchata. It is then blended with espresso and milk for a not-too-sweet, happily balanced, plenty of rice’n’cinnamon concoction worthy of your buck.
“Mariachi Beach” from Lola’s Mexican Cuisine
2030 E. 4th Str. | 4140 Atlantic Ave.
Mariachi Beach: Mezcal | Pasilla | Passionfruit | Hibiscus
What kind of cocktail? Long, long, long before mezcal became the new tequila (and before tequila became the new whiskey), Lola’s was introducing people to then-basically-unknown bottles of Del Maguey—and not just the “Vida” bottles but their Tobalá and Chichicapa versions. Come full circle today. Owners Luis Navarro and Brenda Riviera host mezcal dinners from some of the most obscure mezcalerías and offer incredible concoctions.
“Bye Bye Ladies” from The Bamboo Club
3522 E. Anaheim St.
Bye Bye Ladies: Pineapple | Coconut cream | Lemon | Tito’s Vodka | Trader Vic’s Macadamia Nut Liqueur
What kind of cocktail? The Bamboo Club is unquestionably the epicenter of Long Beach’s love of tiki bars and drinks. It took over what used to be the dilapidated, full-of-regrets space that was The Liquid Lounge. It was then that former owner Brett Gallo and current owner Jim Ritson—joined by bar masters Brian Noonan and Dustin Rodriguez, along with a then fairly unknown Chef Melissa Ortiz—truly had what could be considered a Long Beach dream team. And to this day, Dustin heads the city’s best tiki program.
“La Condesa” from Viaje
5224 E. 2nd St.
La Condesa: Condesa prickly pear-orange blossom gin | Apple | Celery | Lemon | Sage syrup | Aquafaba | Floral bitters
What kind of cocktail? Viaje in Belmont Shore serves as one of the most underrated spaces when it comes to the growing cocktail game—and this cocktail, from former head bartender Tiquio
“Tranquilo Mijo” from Panxa Cocina
3937 E. Broadway
Tranquilo Mijo: Producer Ensamble | Cynar | Pineapple | Lime | Agave | Sage | Palo Santo
What kind of cocktail? The second entry from Panxa bar manager Bryce Kaesman, this cocktail flexes Bryce’s ability to play with harsh characters like bitter and smoke without the drink being bitter- and smoke-forward. Earthy, citrusy, and somehow creamy, Tranquilo Milo is a brilliant sipper.
“Baby Gee Appletini” from Baby Gee Bar
1227 E. 4th St.
Baby Gee Appletini: Tequila | Mezcal | Apple | Smoked sunchoke | Shisho | Sake | Poblano
What kind of cocktail? The second feature from Baby Gee Bar, this cocktail proves one thing: Gianna Johns has a wild sense of humor and can take something as tacky as the 90s-obsessed Appletini and create something utterly gorgeous. And, simply put, one of the best Long Beach cocktails of 2024.
“Drunken Tiger” from Tokyo Noir
1731 E. 4th St. (inside El Barrio)
Drunken Tiger: Toki Whisky | Umeshu | Japanese cucumber | Amaro | Korean red pepper | Rhubarb
What kind of cocktail? The second entry from Tokyo Noir’s Kevin Lee, this beautifully savory-meets-umami concoction is beautifully layered and further cements the space as one of the most shining examples of the cocktail scene.
