Seven Grand Cocktail Bar | Los Angeles, CA

Seven Grand never should have been a cocktail bar.

With its encyclopedic collection of whiskeys from the world over, the Downtown bar would seem to be a destination for those seeking ancient single-malt Scotches or smooth-sipping bourbons. And yet L.A.'s cocktail revival was partly born here in 2008.

But the bar is getting back to basics now with its new focus on Boilermakers, the time-honored combination of a shot of whiskey chased with a beer.

As nothing more than a splash of water or an ice cube should sully most of the whiskeys on Seven Grand's shelves, the Boilermakers bring back the spirit of this single-minded bar.

The card you'll find on the bar is less a menu than a list of recommendations. It pairs lemon-sweet Bernheim Wheat Whiskey ($11) with a can of intensely malty Old Chubb Scotch Ale ($7), or vanilla-heavy Knob Creek Single Barrel ($11) with the tropical Maui Coconut Porter ($10). These linear, like-with-like combinations encouraged us to sip rather than shoot, highlighting our appreciation of each Boilermaker's delicious, boozy logic.

It seems like the cocktail backlash has begun.

Seven Grand, 515 W. 7th St., Downtown; 213-614-0737 or sevengrand.la