Bar Master Danny Cymbal, 1886 Bar
I recently made the journey to Pasadena, California to spoil myself with craft cocktails from the latest menu at The Raymond Restaurant’s 1886 Bar. Wherever you hail from, these drinks are worth the drive. Check out my review on TheImbiber.net below.
Our slightly overdue review of 1886’s latest cocktail menu
Written by Jessica Borges
It takes a lot to induce an LA beach dweller to venture east of the 405 during rush hour. But I recently took on this challenge, visualizing nightmarish images of horns blaring, timid Priuses merging into traffic while bug-eyed sunglasses-clad youths text behind the wheel instead of inching along the fiery soul sucker that is the freeway. Oh the horror. But the pot of gold at the end of my GPS’s blue line was well worth the trip.
Nestled in the town of Pasadena is The Raymond Restaurant, home to 1886 Bar. From the exterior, it appears you’ve arrived at a friend’s house for a dinner party. Which is fitting, since the Raymond Restaurant was once the caretaker’s cottage of The Raymond Hotel that was built in 1886 and burned down in 1895 only to be rebuilt and then razed to build residential development after the Great Depression. Today, the Raymond Restaurant encapsulates this history by mimicking the cozy ambiance of a home, complete with food and drink that warms the body and soul.
1886 is tucked in the back of the restaurant in a low-ceilinged, dimly lit room filled with textural wall coverings, craftsman chairs and dark wooden tables that vary in height. Soft lighting emanates from behind rows of seductive bottles waiting to be shaken, stirred and poured by the masterminds behind the bar. Danny Cymbal is one of 1886’s liquid artists. Alongside his co-workers and with the guidance and influence of Tello Demarest Liquid Asset’s Consultant, Marcos Tello, a winter cocktail menu was born.
Built around a theme of “beer and smoke” this menu encompasses everything that is cozy, comforting and causes immediate disinterest in ever getting up from your seat. In fact, after a few drinks I began to wonder if this refurbished cottage actually offered guests a place to crash after over-imbibing.
Una Bella Vita 