Listening to Barsmith Tricia Alley Carr talk about the history of cocktails offers an intoxicating glimpse into something that is often taken for granted. The “liquid kitchen,” as she calls it, has finally begun to evolve in the culinary sense, meaning the public is looking for careful preparation and quality ingredients.
Carr is the head of the cocktail program at Shutters on the Beach Resort in Santa Monica, Calif.
Beverage trends have changed significantly over the last five years, as both wine and craft beer have seen their time in the spotlight. Now, it’s time for handcrafted cocktails to shine, according to Carr. She will happily create educational, hands-on beverage programs for meeting groups visitng the property.
Shutters has high culinary standards for all its restaurants, and according to General Manager Gregory Day, 70 percent of the dining guests come from outside the hotel. He traces the history of the cocktail program to a few years back when they did away with pre-bought drink mixes and began making magaritas and bloody marys from scratch. Then Carr joined the team, training bartenders and curating an ever-changing menu of creative drinks.
Styled after posh Parisian lounges, Shutters hosts a “Boite” in the lobby area every Wednesday evening, welcoming guests with a DJ and craft cocktails.
With approximately 7,000 square feet of function space, Shutters is best-suited for smaller, high-end groups looking for a luxury experience.
“Our ideal location, near the Santa Monica Farmers Market, which is one of the oldest markets in the country, allows Shutters to create a sense of place through the F&B program and really elevate the local experience,” Day says.
