Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/39104
WHAT’S SHAKING Got Buffalo Milk? TWENTY-TWO MILES SOUTHWEST OF LOS ANGELES, CATALINA ISLAND IS AN IDYLLIC NATURAL OUTCROP AND VACATION SPOT, AND THANKS TO THE PERNOD RICARD PORTFOLIO, QUICKLY BECOMING A COCKTAIL LOVER’S PARADISE story and photos by Jenny Peters T Buffalo Milk cocktails made by Luau Larry’s bartender Omar de la Rosa. he bars of Catalina Island’s main outpost, Avalon, are unique. Where else in the world can you sip on a Buffalo Milk, throw back a Wiki Wacker or suck down a Gummi Bear as the ocean breeze wafts by? “Buffalo Milk cocktails are indigenous to the island, so every restaurant carries a version,” explains Darren Pound, the Vice President of Food and Beverage for the Santa Catalina Island Company’s Resort Services division, which runs both the Avalon Grille and the Descanso Beach Club. Named for the herds of buffalo that roam the island, the blended drink is made with Absolut, Kahlúa, Hiram Walker Crème de Cacao and Crème de Banana and topped off with whipped cream. Luau Larry’s is “the first place people visit and the last one before they run for the ferryboat,” says bartender Omar de la Rosa. The main-drag restaurant and bar’s signature drink is the Severely Wiki Wacker, made with Malibu Black, brandy, pineapple and orange juices and grenadine. The quirky Marlin Club is the oldest “dive” bar Lobster Trap owner Caleb Lins with Malibu Rum brand representa- tive Molly Murphy and Southern Wine & Spirits’ Scott Bloomstrand. 40 / the tasting panel / august 201 1 in Avalon, where underwater murals delight the senses and a ship-shaped bar serves up a signature Pancake Breakfast, combining Jameson and Hiram Walker Butterscotch Schnapps into a shot that will make you believe you just swallowed a real pancake—especially once you chase it with a shot of orange juice. Over at the Lobster Trap, owner/bartender/fish- erman Caleb Lins cooks up Monkey Balls (crusted deep-fried yellowfin tuna and mushroom balls) and serves them with his signature drink, the Gummi Bear, made with Absolut Raspberry and Hiram Walker Peach Schnapps, while at the Locker Room, owner Mark Costello keeps it simple with drinks such as the Black Bomb, made with a shot of Malibu Black dropped into a light beer. From Buffalo Milk to Monkey Balls, Catalina’s cocktail scene is as one-of-a-kind as the island itself.