Jessica Ford

Johnny Rude Boy

​If you are looking for a place to take a date and maybe get some action, Mesa is your best bet. The menu is mostly small plates made for sharing, the specialty drink are unique and flavorful, the lighting is dim, and the roof rolls back at night (weather permitting, of course). If you can't get lucky here, you probably can't get lucky anywhere.

Mesa has an extensive wine list, but the main attraction is the specialty cocktails. Johnny Rude Boy, our Drink of the Week, is a pina colada-esque cocktail served on the rocks. One ingredient in particular may intimidate some--Bison Grass vodka--but don't worry, it does not taste a thing like grass.

Jessica Ford

Morning After

​Hurricanes in Huntington Beach attracts quite possibly the most eclectic group of people in Orange County with a mix of twenty-, thirty-, even forty-somethings crowding the bar and light-up dance floor.

Following the organic trend, Hurricanes carries Filip vodka, which is 100 percent USDA-certified organic, made from organic winter wheat imported from Northern Italy. It's the featured ingredient in the Morning After, our Drink of the Week, which combines Filip with pomegranate liqueur, lime and cranberry juice. Filip is a pure vodka that goes down smooth; it's distilled five times and goes through three filtrations. The cranberry juice makes this a sweeter cocktail without overpowering the pomegranate and vodka flavors. Bartender Mike makes this drink strong enough to get your money's worth for $9 a cocktail. The best part: Filip vodka has fewer calories than most other vodkas, and there are no added sugars or preservatives.

Jessica Ford

Will Templin pouring a red blend at Total Wine in Tustin.

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Total Wine in the Tustin Marketplace has a roped-off tasting bar for those of drinking age, and a small box ready for those 10-cent deposits. After dropping in my dime, I began tasting a Sobon rose, Stony Bay pinot noir, Courtney Benham petite sirah, and Finca Flichman Expresiones Reserve malbec/cabernet sauvigion blend. My favorite of the bunch had to be the Courtney Benham petite sirah, with grapes sourced from Paso Robles. This 2007 dark red is smooth, with deep plum and blackberry flavors.

Elderflower Pear Rickey

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After looking over the lengthy specialty cocktails list, it was time to get an expert opinion. David, Matador's trusty bartender/mixologist, gave an honest and much-appreciated rundown of the list. He suggested the Elderflower Pear Rickey--a shaken mix of Absolut pear vodka, St. Germain, and freshly squeezed lime juice. St. Germain is a tasty French liqueur made from elderflower blossoms. The cocktail tastes just like a pear without having an overwhelming alcohol flavor. This was just the beginning of an extensive sampling of Matador's drinks and appetizers.