A new distillery makes vodka from California dates in a former mortuary in Hollywood

Hollywood’s first legal distillery is now open, serving California-minded flavors — and history — in a former mortuary. At Hollywood Distillery, the owners are sourcing grains from Southern California farmers and using Coachella Valley dates to sweeten and ferment their award-winning vodka.

“You can taste that it’s not your typical vodka that you’re getting from any of the other brands around the world,” co-owner Jeff Zarrinnam said. “It’s very unique and unusual.”

The copper of their stills can be seen from Santa Monica Boulevard, with large windows that look in on the distillery across from Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The space itself was originally a Pierce Brothers Mortuary, but now is home to spirits of another nature.

Hollywood Distillery’s gin, the Nopalera, derives its name from L.A.’s early topography of cactus fields and prickly pears; the latter is used in the distilled spirit, as are native herbs and spices like sage. Their Zanja-Madre rye and bourbon were named for one of the first aqueducts to power Los Angeles. Lebanon-born co-founder Ferris Wehbe wondered whether vodka could be made using dates, another regional inspiration and an ingredient intrinsic to his upbringing.

“In Lebanon in late September and October, it’s time to celebrate,” he said. “They distill ouzo [arak] over there, and it’s about bonding, it’s about music, and different villages distill different things.”

Wehbe, who owned Hollywood speakeasy Next Door Lounge, asked a distiller if they could make vodka with dates in a nod to the fermented date palm sap often found in arak. What became Hollywood Distillery’s first product, called Oasis Vodka, won double gold medals in a 2019 competition. The owners knew they were onto something.

The project began much earlier, when Gov. Jerry Brown signed the Craft Distillers Act of 2015 into law, which allows local distilleries to sell a limited number of bottles of its spirits onsite and offer distilled spirits straight and in cocktails. Seeing this as a now-viable business model, longtime friends Wehbe and Jeff Zarrinnam determined to build their own distillery.

Through a separate business venture, Zarrinam met Larry Neuberg, who owned the building where Hollywood Distillery now resides. The trio — who call themselves “the partners in hooch” — come from a range of backgrounds including hotel operations, importing and exporting, and children’s education.

“We all have other things that we do, so we sort of nicknamed it a passion project,” Neuberg said. “Boy, did we not know what we were getting into.”

After a decade of planning, research and an extensive buildout involving custom equipment, Hollywood Distillery is now open. The roughly 5,500-square-foot operation offers tasting flights, cocktails, a “private-barrel club,” food pop-ups and experiential programming such as murder mystery nights. The owners plan to eventually expand their offerings with rum and an agave-based spirit, plus future collaborations with local businesses — including the cemetery. Hollywood Distillery’s taproom is open Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

5975 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, hollywooddistillery.com

Spanish restaurant Casa Leo in Los Feliz serves wine, tapas and cocas, or Iberian flatbreads, topped with the likes of lardons, queso, caramelized onions, passion fruit, corn and more.

(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)

Casa Leo

A longtime alumnus of José Andrés recently debuted Casa Leo in Los Feliz after years cooking at the Spanish chef’s restaurants in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., including Minibar, the Bazaar, Café Atlántico and Zaytinya.

Rabo de toro, or slow-cooked oxtails with potato chips, at Casa Leo.

(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)

At his new Spanish restaurant, chef-owner Joshua Whigham serves a range of tapas and other classics, including gambas al ajillo, seasonal gazpacho, boquerones with potato chips, and pan con manchego. But his signature item, the labor-of-love cocas, took years of study and work to perfect.

Casa Leo’s take on the Catalan flatbread comes topped with local and L.A.-inspired ingredients as well as Iberian accoutrements, for combinations like summer corn with katsuobushi, mint and Fresno chiles; lardons with caramelized onions and fresh passion fruit; and tuna conserva with Manzanilla olives and tomatoes.

At brunch, find the full cocas menu as well as a bagel-and-lox variety, plus pastries, Spanish tortillas and more. Casa Leo is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., on Friday from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

4500-C Los Feliz Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 284-8990, casaleola.com

Mírate named one of the world’s best bars

One of L.A.’s favorite bars for agave-based spirits is newly named one of the world’s best destinations for cocktails. Mírate, in Los Feliz, recently placed in the latest World’s 50 Best list of the top 100 bars.

The atrium dining room of Mírate, an agave-focused cocktail bar and restaurant.

(Joel Barhamand / For The Times)

The bar highlights specialty spirits, wine and beer sourced entirely from Mexico, and debuted in late 2022. It’s the 7,500-square-foot sibling to Sherman Oaks’ Daisy Margarita Bar and has one of the best restaurant patios in L.A.

“Ancestral, artisan distillates sourced in-person from its bar team lie at the heart of its cocktails,” reads the guide.

No Los Angeles bars were named in the World’s 50 Best Bars top 50 list this year.

The same publication also recently released a guide to the top 50 bars in North America. Mírate placed 12th on that list, while Historic Filipinotown bar Thunderbolt landed at 24. On the list of the top 100 bars in North America, West Hollywood’s Bar Next Door placed 100th.

In September, the same publication released its inaugural list of the top 50 restaurants in North America, with three in the L.A. area: Kato, Providence and Holbox.

Mírate is open Sunday to Thursday from 5 to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight.

1712 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 649-7937, mirate.la