Bubbly, with light appetizers: All' Angelo introduces its new Spriz Bar

Cocktails, amici? Melrose Italian resto All' Angelo says it's time for a spriz -- an aperitivo to kick off the evening -- at its new first-come, first-served Spriz Bar. 

Spriz -- the traditional northern Italian aperitif -- is made with Prosecco or white wine, soda water and bitters. Owner Stefano Ongaro's signature spriz classico is Foss Marai Prosecco and San Pellegrino Sanbitter (with hints of citrus). On the Spriz Bar menu are more than 10 selections of bubbly (Prosecco and Champagne), available by the glass, bottle or half-bottle -- Louis Roederer, Perrier-Jouët, Taittinger, Carpenè Malvolti, etc. -- and a selection of bellinis made with fresh mango, strawberry, blueberry and peach purées.  And appetizers? Affetati misti (a selection of salumi), fritto misto, chicken liver pâté, sea urchin....   

If only it were spriz time all the time.

All' Angelo, 7166 Melrose Ave., Los Anglees, (323) 933-9540.

-- Betty Hallock

Photo of Prosecco by Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times

$9.58 cocktails at Comme Ça

The sign near the front door at Comme Ça reads, "Ask about 9:58." So I did: "What's 9:58?" It turns out it's the magic moment when a cocktail menu of drinks priced at $9.58 goes into effect. Comme Ça cocktails for less than $10? I'm in.

On the 9:58 drinks menu: Manhattan, Sazerac, Negroni, Fitzroy, the Gilded Rose, the Last Word, White Russian, Sloe Gin Fizz and the Metropole. Here's the description of the Sazerac: "rye, a white sugar cube soaked in Peychaud's bitters built in an absinthe rinsed glass, garnished with a lemon peel." Who doesn't love rye with a sugar cube soaked in Peychaud's bitters built in an absinthe-rinsed glass?

Comme Ça, 8479 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 782-1178.

— Betty Hallock

Photo of Comme Ça's 9:58 menu by Betty Hallock.

Mojito crisis averted: the original daiquiri

It happened to me, and it very well could happen to you. Call it a mojito crisis. It's a balmy summer evening, and you're all set to make mojitos for everyone. Rum? Check. Limes? Check. Sugar? Check. Mint? Where's the mint???! 

No mint, no mojitos! No matter. Do as Ernest Hemingway would do (or as his favorite bartender at Havana's El Floridita would do) -- and make daiquiris. Not the cloyingly sweet, slushy blended drink, but the original daiquiri -- simple, beautiful, refreshing and requiring just rum, limes and sugar. The following is a recipe from a favorite cocktail book, "The Tropical Bar Book" by Charles Schumann (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1989). 

The Last Word

  Bar Keeper in Silver Lake announced its latest Bar Keeper Mixology Friday (Feb. 1., 7:30-10:30 p.m.). And they're featuring a cocktail called the Vieux Mot -- the recipe is from PDT in New York, which I included in a cocktail story in November. It's my favorite cocktail -- a classic-cocktail adaptation by PDT bar manager Don Lee (although we cut back on the simple syrup, to 0.25 ounce; see the recipe after the jump). I love the color, and the pretty grapefruit peel and passion fruit aromas that come through from the St-Germain liqueur. 

It was Robert Cooper, the creator of St-Germain, who told me that the Vieux Mot is actually a variation of a classic cocktail, the Last Word. But I like the Vieux Mot ("Old Word") even better.

We ran another recipe from PDT, the Martinez (recipe after the jump). That one was fantastic too -- gin with a good dose of Carpano Antica Formula vermouth. That stuff is amazing!! It's a sweet red vermouth that's great on its own as an aperitif.

One recipe we didn't publish with the print story was La Rosita (but see the recipe after the jump) -- it's an intriguing mix of tequila, vermouth and bitters. Another to add to your repertoire.

Bar Keeper, 3910 W. Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake, (323) 669-1675.

-- Betty Hallock

Photo by Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times

Martini, hold the twist

As everybody knows, an old-school Martini is just gin (or vodka) and dry vermouth, garnished with either an olive or a twist of lemon. Now there's a more emphatic way to apply the lemon.

Fee Brothers, which has put out a line of rather mild-mannered bitters in recent years (including a mint bitters and a peach bitters with scarcely any bitterness to them), recently introduced a lemon bitters that is anything but mild-mannered. It's a mixture of lemon oils and lemon grass with a distinct bitter edge and a glowing lemon fragrance. Add a drop or two to a Martini and you have a Lemon Martini -- cheerful, but not that far from thoughtfulness.

So far we haven't been able to find Fee Brothers Lemon Bitters at any stores but Surfas, but that should change. This is great stuff.

We are definitely living in a bitters renaissance. Last year the Stirrings company of Fall River, Mass., better known for its drink mixes, announced a blood orange bitters. It's finally become widely available, and it does have a marvelous nose of orange and sweet spices. It's scarcely bitter at all (and apparently contains no alcohol because you have to refrigerate it), but just a few drops will add wonderful poetry and complexity to many a cocktail. 

Fee Brothers Lemon Bitters, $4.75 for a 4-ounce bottle at Surfas Restaurant and Supply, 8824 National Blvd., Culver City, (310) 559-4770.

Stirrings' Blood Orange Bitters, available at Hi-Time Wine Cellars, 250 Ogle St., Costa Mesa, (800) 331-3005; Wine and Liquor Depot, 16938 Saticoy St., Van Nuys, (888) 622-1414; Wine House, 2311 Cotner Ave., West L.A., (800) 626-9463; Surfas; Beverages and More stores and Sur La Table stores. About $4.50 for a 12-ounce bottle.

-- Charles Perry

Photo by Charles Perry