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Drink Inc.: Exploring L.A.'s Culinary Scene Through Cocktails
Steve Livigni and Daniel K. Nelson mixing drinks at Pour Vous (Photo courtesy of the Original Hungry Channel on Youtube)
"Every meal that I have, I try to experience every dish as if I could make it into a cocktail," says Daniel K. Nelson, host of the new cocktail-focused web series Drink Inc.. The show follows Nelson (The Writer's room) and Steve Livigini (Pour Vous) -- arguably two of L.A.'s top barmen -- around the city as they seek out culinary inspiration from classic Angeleno establishments like Gualaguetza and Jitlada, building custom cocktails inspired by their cuisine.
For their most recent episode, the guys visit Oaxacan princess Bricia Lopez at her family restaurant, Gualaguetza. The results of their meal with Lopez are two very different cocktails -- one inspired by mole negro and another by horchata -- both with a mezcal base.
The first episode showcased Jazz's infamous flaming-hot Southern Thai cooking, including the dynamite challenge, which the chefs of the restaurant claim can actually claim can actually kill someone. Livigni and Nelson then head off to create two Thai-inspired cocktails, one inspired by tom kha soup, and another heat-driven drink influenced by Jitlada's fiery food.
Livigni and Nelson have four more episodes set to air, which are peppered with one-off cocktail how-to's, like this one on how to make a Negroni. Consider it a liquid lesson on L.A. culture.
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