What to Know
- The Raymond 1886 in Pasadena
- The quaint Craftsman eatery is the former gatehouse of the storied (but long-gone) Raymond Hotel
- Several craft cocktails are on the seasonal menu, including the new Taco Party, a beverage featuring cilantro, jalapeño, and other taco-inspired notes
National Taco Day is just about six months away, and Cinco de Mayo, the springtime's liveliest shell-abration, is still a few weeks out.
Devoted taco-ists know, though, that their favorite foodstuff can always be honored, and you don't even need to wait for the second day of the week — otherwise known as Taco Tuesday — to raise a shell, a soft tortilla, and all of the flavorful fixings that give the icon its unmistakable character.
You can even, on occasion, raise a cocktail that possesses panache, piquancy, and distinctive taco notes.
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Look to The Raymond 1886, which sits just at the South Pasadena-Pasadena border on Fair Oaks Avenue (it is juuuust on the Pasadena side, to the north).
The Craftsman charmer — it served as the gatehouse for the long-gone and forever legendary Raymond Hotel, hence the "1886" in its name — has become synonymous with sophisticated sips, including tony takes on classic cocktails like Manhattans and Old-Fashioneds.
But the creative cocktailians behind the restaurant's quaint bar have become known for audacious experimentation when it comes to the shaker-based arts, giving guests at the restaurant all sorts of offbeat opportunities to quaff quirkier offerings.
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Alien Pool Party made a splash a few years back — the green tequila-centered cocktail features a tiny alien enjoying a spirited soak — but there's a new temptation to taco, er, talk about.
It's the Taco Party, a $19 cocktail that boasts distinctive taco-esque notes if not an actual shell or tortilla, nor shredded cheese, lettuce, crema, or salsa.
This is not a drink that's loaded with a meal-like garnish, but it does boast a charred pineapple and sprig of cilantro.
Taco Party just debuted earlier this spring on the seasonal craft cocktail menu, which also includes a drink called Drama Club — bourbon and apricot play starring roles — and The Stomazzi, a colorful concoction rife with "basil-honeydew magic."
And if you're seeking a sip with Martian moxie, Alien Pool Party is on the Classic Cocktails line-up, along with other favorites like the Woody Woodpecker, a beverage that boasts Vida Mescal as well as cedar wood syrup.
Coinciding with this seasonal menu's debut?
Patio season has arrived on a sweet spring breeze in Southern California, and The Raymond 1886, a greenery-surrounded spot, has three different outdoor spaces to choose from, including a cozier corner that sits just off the atmospheric, and some say haunted, bar.
