Luxury has been on Long Beach’s mind quite a bit. It is hard to forget Marlena’s $85 truffle calzone and Olive & Rose’s $100 bagel. (Though Olive & Rose no longer serves their $100 bagel and has entirely shuttered its morning bagel concept.) Fairmont Breakers in Downtown Long Beach is up for the challenge, given that perhaps nothing is more extravagant than serving Louis XIII in a cocktail. That’s exactly what the hotel is offering with one of its various Grand Prix-centric cocktails.
And yes, they obviously have other options that don’t serve rare cognac in Baccarat crystal.
The $500 cocktail is actually warranted in its price—but it isn’t the only one available.
The “Gold Medal” cocktail’s eye-widening price tag won’t shock those in the spirit world. Using Louis XIII as its base—a roughly $5,000 bottle of cognac should you opt for the classic decanter in a home-buy; specialized bottles, like their rare cask release, will fetch upwards of $50,000—this spirit-forward cocktail offers a hefty pour of liquor not widely available, let alone commonly poured. (Fairmont is not the first to serve the prized spirit in a form outside of a neat pour. Disneyland sold a $185 Louis VIII shot in a waffle cup back in 2022, while Disney World sold a $140 cocktail version in 2023. As other spirit professionals have pointed out, those are shockingly low costs for the cognac, particularly in a Disney park, but I digress: It’s still a triple-digit drink. And it long has been.)
Additionally, there are also $50 cocktails: One is a simply stellar martini served with a beautifully saline oyster topped with Tsar Nicoulai caviar from Sky Room, and the other is an Old Fashioned using 18-year-old Glenlivet scotch, available at Alter Ego. (Pointless sidenote to high-end bars: While the world of Scotch and Japanese whiskies and rare bourbons are wonderful, I would love a deeper dive into Irish whiskies. This is especially warranted given the island’s phoenix-like story when it comes to the Irish whisky renaissance.)
Of course, there are solid cocktails that don’t use rare spirits but quality ingredients for a fair price. That definitively includes La Sala’s “Tokyo Drift,” a booze-forward cocktail using Suntory whisky with nice touches of smoke, amaro, and cherry.
What are these Grand Prix-inspired cocktails being served at the Fairmont Breakers?
Some will be only available at La Sala, the hotel’s palm-and-green-themed lobby bar. In contrast, others will be exclusively available at Alter Ego, their ground-level spirit-forward bar, and Sky Room, the hotel’s culinary epicenter. And a few will be offered at multiple locations. Here are the offerings…
The Gold Medal ($500 and served at Alter Ego and the Sky Room; available Grand Prix weekend only): Louis XIII | Orange liqueur | Lemon tincture | Gold leaf
Final Lap ($50; available solely at Sky Room on Grand Prix weekend): Gin or vodka of your choice | Vermouth | Orange bitters | Eastern oyster | Tsar Nicoulai caviar
Victory Old Fashioned ($50; available only at Alter Ego on Grand Prix weekend): Glenlivet 18 | Angostura bitters | White chocolate smple syrup | House-made pistachio and peated whiskey chocolate bark
Tokyo Drift (available at La Sala now and through Grand Prix weekend): Suntory whiskey | Luxardo | Amaro Montenegro | Cherry bitters
Ocean Boulevard (available at La Sala now and through Grand Prix weekend): Gin | Blue curaçao | Coconut | Orange juice | Pineapple | Lime
Red Lightning (available at La Sala now and through Grand Prix weekend): Aperol | Blood orange | House-made limocello | Lime
The Fairmont Breakers is located at 210 E. Ocean Blvd.
