Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/46939
NOSE-ABLES Can't Beat Neat W BAR GURU AIDAN DEMAREST'S NEWSEST VENTURE, NEAT, IS A PERFECT HOME FOR HIGH-END SPIRITS by Rachel Burkons / photos by Maria Schriber alk into a handful of L.A.'s best cocktail bars, and Aidan Demarest's fi ngerprints are all over the menu . . . fi gura- tively speaking, of course. After working as a mixologist, consultant and beverage director at some of the city's best bars and restaurants, Demarest is fi nally striking out on his own with a new venture in Los Angeles's Glendale neighborhood, just north of Downtown. Meet Neat, a spirit-centric bar that's changing the way L.A. drinks, one two-ounce pour at a time. The concept is simple: "I wanted to build a shrine to spirits," explains Demarest, gesturing to the thirty feet of bar that occupy most of the tiny venue's space. "All of the liquor here is served neat. That doesn't mean you can't get a Gin and Tonic, that doesn't mean you can't get a Manhattan, but it does mean your spirit is going to come forward." So for those looking for something more closely resembling a "traditional" cocktail experience, Demarest's solution is a sidecar chaser, made with fresh ingredients that are hand-selected to pair with a patron's favorite call. "This gives people the oppor- tunity to try and fi gure out why they love their favorite spirit. Most people don't even know why they like a certain brand or spirit, and when distillers go through all this trouble to put together a beauti- ful spirit, I'd like to have people know they love it for a particular reason," continues Demarest. When THE TASTING David Ravandi, founder of 123 Certifi ed Organic Tequila, and Aidan Demarest, owner of Neat in Glendale, CA. 52 / the tasting panel / november 201 1 PANEL stopped by, Neat had been open for just three days, but high-end spirits brands were already abuzz with excitement for this kind of deconstructed cocktail concept. We were joined by David Ravandi, founder of 123 Certifi ed Organic Tequila, an awesome agave lineup with three expressions that all got Demarest's Neat treatment: Blanco (Uno), Reposado (Dos) and Añejo (Tres). "I love this tequila," states Demarest matter-of-factly, "and