Barrel & Ashes Mixes 12 Gin ‘n’ Tonics of Christmas in Studio City

Barrel & Ashes is offering a special holiday cocktail menu through the end of December titled 12 Gin ‘n’ Tonics of Christmas.

“It’s always whiskey season for us, but we thought something different would be fun,” beverage director Blaine Adams says. “Gin’s an all-year spirit, but especially around Christmas time it feels like you’re hanging out with a Christmas tree.” In all, he’s incorporated 12 different gins, six different tonics and 14 different botanicals into gin ‘n’ tonics named for the 12 Days of Christmas, which cost $12 apiece.

Blaine walked me through three gin ‘n’ tonics he deemed particularly notable, describing his approach.

Nine Primates Dancing features Monkey 47 gin, which packs the most botanicals of any gin on the market: 47. He complements with tart green apple slices, thyme sprigs, Aegean tonic and savory bitters. Malic acid from the green apple helps balance out the thyme.

Eleven Pypers Pyping teams citrus-forward Calyx gin from Northern California with fresh-cut blood orange to bring out the citrus in “unexpected ways.” Bittermens burlesque bitters are subtly spicy, and elderflower tonic lends sweetness.

For Twelve Lux-ers Luxing, Blaine triples down on cherry. He showcases Luxardo’s new lighter proofed sour cherry gin with Bittercube cherrybark vanilla bitters and a Luxardo cherry skewer. Aromatic tonic water is sweet with unexpected depth.

It’s often unwise to let cocktails sit, since they’ll become diluted. With these gin ‘n’ tonics, Blaine recommends patience, saying, “As these drinks sit, flavors from the botanicals and things we add open up and develop.”

11801 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, 818-623-8883