So Dre and I were jonesin’ for cocktails and we didn’t know why, and then we realized it was because we hadn’t visited our fave bartender, Steve, at Ford’s in over a month! Gasp! So last night we were finally able to pay him a visit and were greeted with such enthusiasm that we felt bad we had been away for so long. Thomas, the bar manager, was just as overly friendly, laying a big wet kiss on my lips when we walked in the door — he has a thing for brunettes.
“Thomas has a bunch of new cocktails he’s teaching us!” Steve said with glee. “Oh yeahhhh? Like what?” we asked, intrigued. He proceeded to describe the Burning Man ($10), his favorite drink ev-uh! Not to be confused with Katsuya’s Burning Mandarin. It’s made of Absolut Pepper, a splash of OJ and a dash of tabasco with sugar on the rim. Steve offered this only to Dre at first since she’s the one who loves exotic drinks, while he fixed me up a hazelnut, banana, chocolate, butterscotch concoction, which tasted like you would expect it to. “I want the Burning Man for the next drink,” I told him.
So I hurriedly downed the sweet drink so I could start on the Burning Man. Steve delivered it with his usual reverent flourish. The cocktail was garnished with a slice of orange and a bit of sugar on the glass rim, a nice contrast to the spiciness I was about to experience.
The first sip cleared my sinuses, the next sip cleared my pores. The cocktail was soo spicy that it slightly burned going down my throat, but in a good way. Really. The sugar cut the bite of that spiciness a bit. It was surprisingly yummy and I usually like to reserve my hot spice for food and not refreshments. But here, it worked.
On a random note, Dre told Thomas he should rename the drink the “Burning Manhood.”
It’s not on the menu yet, but apparently it will show up soon with a bunch of other new liquid pleasures. However, you can probably still ask the boys for a taste.
9531 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, California 90230
(310) 202-1470
Cross Street: Washington Boulevard
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-11pm; Sat 5pm-11pm