Hatchi Mix debuts at Breadbar Century City

On May 6th, the new monthly Hatchi Mix cocktail series debuted at Breadbar Century City. On the first Thursday evening of each month a guest bartender will present eight cocktails at $8 each and there will be food available both from the Breadbar menu and some special dishes. The first Hatchi Mix was hosted by Devon Espinosa (pictured above), from the Tasting Kitchen, who will be curating future editions by finding other leading bartenders to bring their shakers and recipes to Breadbar for a one night stand.

The premier Hatchi Mix, entitled Vive Le Cocktail, featured classic cocktails such as the Manhattan, Sazerac, Last Word, and Hemingway Daiquiri. Chef Nori Sugie created three dishes to be served with the cocktails. (He was not there so others executed his recipes.)


My drinking companion and I tried four of the cocktails. We began with the Hemingway Daiquiri and the Manhattan. The Hemingway was served in a highball glass rather than the traditional coupe. This drink was not my favorite due to the amount of ice in it and the method of serving it as if the theme of the night was traditional classic cocktails it made no sense to serve this in a different way as it didn't add to the drink. However the Manhattan was tasty and a nice beginning to the evening.


We moved onto the Last Word and the Sazerac (pictured above). They were both better than the first batch of two, perhaps because Devon mixed them. The Last Word, a Chartreuse based cocktail, was especially good and nicely balanced.

Devon did a good job of working the room and managing the bar, but I would have preferred it if he had been behind the bar more of the time. When the drink list is composed of classics, part of what is being showcased is the bartender's drink making skills, as opposed to recipes.

The restaurant and bar area were full while we were there, especially the outdoor seating. Hatchi Mix takes reservations, which are recommended as these special events are each for one evening only.


I sampled two of the three food dishes, the bone marrow and the chicken wings. The bone marrow (above) was successful but it would have been helpful if they had the narrow spoons often provided with marrow bones to get at the marrow deep in the bone. The chicken wings (below) were mushy and unappetizing and are not something I would recommend. Soft texture is not an attractive quality for chicken wings.



The next two Hatchi Mix events will feature bartenders Joel Black from Cana Rum Baron June 3rd and Julian Cox from Rivera on July 1st.

For more information on the Hatchi Series, check out the Breadbar website.
Breadbar is located in the Century City Shopping Center, directly beneath the movie theaters. Phone: (310) 277-3770.