Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/21004
PHOTO: ROB BROWN Romance, Hollywood-Style W ONLY IN L.A.: LIFE IMITATES ART—OR IS IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND?— AT ONE OF THE CITY’S HOTTEST COCkTAIL JOINTS alking into Downtown Los Angeles supperclub First & Hope is like slipping back in time to when things were more elegant, sophisticated and, yes, more romantic. The likes of Ella Fitzgerald warble over the sound system, and rich, lush textures and décor complete the scene straight out of the 1940s’ most glamorous nights out. It comes as little surprise to see bartender Naomi Schimek’s bright red lipstick and perfectly-coiffed era-appropriate updo, and when she serves up her cocktail, Trouble in Paradise, it’s like a line out of a movie as she explains, “You can’t have romance without a little bit of bitter.” That’s a lesson wrought of watch- ing classic Hollywood movies, something Schimek has done since she was a little girl—and a pastime that has had an infl uence on every- thing from her bartending style to her philosophy about love. “When I think of romance, I think of all those beautiful classic Hollywood movies,” explains this raven-haired vixen, who recounts the Rita Hayworth classic Gilda as among her favorites. “It’s a beautiful fi lm, and the characters love each other so much that they’re just horrible to each other.” First & Hope’s Naomi Schimek channels a silver screen starlet with the help of her Chambord Flavored Vodka cocktail, Trouble in Paradise. TROUBLE IN PARADISE 1½ oz. Chambord Flavored Vodka ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 1 oz. Rigal 2007 Malbec ¾ oz. Averna bitters ½ oz. hibiscus syrup Stir and serve in a coupe rinsed with green chartreuse. 74 / the tasting panel / december 2010 It is this contrast between love’s sugary sweetness and sometimes- painful reality that Schimek captures in the Malbec- and Chambord Flavored Vodka–based Trouble in Paradise cocktail, which she describes as “a fi lm noir–style candlelit dinner in a glass.” The result, like love itself, is inky and complex; the brooding cocktail evokes bittersweet chocolate and rich plum fruit, heady fl avors to compete with the power of a romance remembered. “I’ve only had one real true romance,” says Schimek with all the dreaminess of a latter-day Vivian Leigh at her most-smitten. “He would always go to the restaurant hours before our reservation and arrange to have fl owers, chocolates and wine on the table before we arrived that evening. My one love. He knows who he is.”