Old Blue Eyes is the most expensive cocktail at Mediterranean restaurant/lounge NeoMeze in Pasadena. A $21 concoction standing apart from a list of $12 drinks, this one is made of 2 parts Bombay Sapphire Gin and 1 part Johnnie Walker Blue Label and it is some potent stuff.

In fact you really wouldn't need a second drink if you order one of these. Rather just nurse it all night and you're good.

The thing is that it tastes mostly of gin, obviously, with just a hint of Johnnie Walker. Not a problem if you're a gin lover but if you're a whiskey fiend like me and never tasted the Blue Label, a whiskey not for beginners, before you might be a little sad.

And I wonder why they used more gin than whiskey in this cocktail considering Frank Sinatra, whom this drink was named after, was a whiskey drinker. Jack, to be exact.

In any case, Old Blue Eyes was some strong and smooth stuff..hey! like Frankie's voice. But if you can't get your head around spending $21 on a drink (believe me, I understand), you might want to opt for NeoMeze's Smokey cocktail instead. It's $12 but it uses Hendrick's Gin and Laphroig Single Malt Scotch which makes it very smoky indeed but it delivers the same punch without hurting your wallet as much.

For those who really want to feel like they're spending an evening with Ol' Blue Eyes, Wednesday nights are Rat Pack night. Starting at 9pm the lounge features Max Vontaine, a singer who performs Sinatra songs and apparently croons like the man himself. Swank!

NeoMeze
20 E Colorado Boulevard
Ste 102
Pasadena, California 91105
(626) 793-3010

Photo by Caroline on Crack via Flickr