This week’s LA Times food section turns Japanese and runs a roundup of some of the best Japanese craft beers, namely those of the criminally under-consumed Hitachino brand.
Virtually all of Hitachino’s beers are great (even the ginger beer), but the red rice beer–brewed from the same smooth stuff as sake–is particularly good. Hitachino’s beers should [...]

Drink a few of these before heading over to Alex’s tonight!
The Corpse Reviver:
Corpse Reviver #2
3/4 ounce gin
3/4 ounce lemon juice
3/4 ounce Cointreau
3/4 ounce Lillet blanc
a dash of Pernod, or other pastis
Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a well-chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a homemade booze-soaked cherry … preferrably one of the creepy, pale-colored [...]

Seven days is a long, long time
By Patrick Dooley and J.J. Fiddler
MONDAY
The only thing worse than Monday morning is Monday afternoon. You’re already eager for the weekend—five impossibly long days away—so why not extend the weekend you just had? Frisco’s World Famous Carhop and Bar offers “Hoppy Hour” for those in need of a second [...]

Long Beach’s best and brightest drinkslingers take us for a test toast

PHOTO by LEE MEREDITH
We stole the idea for our first-ever Drinks Issue from a guy who doesn’t drink, and—as can be expected when your sole task for the week is to write about booze, beer, and bartenders—things quickly became a lot foggy from there. [...]