mussels | a cozy boat

We were thrilled to host The Whaling Club in February with House Spirits Distillery! Dan has been a longtime fan of their Aviation Gin, and we were excited when our friend, Brooke, approached us with the possibility of partnering for a very special Whaling Club event. We were also honoring the departure of our dear friends, Chef Frank Anderson and Chef Rebecca Ambrosi, who are moving to Maine. Frank has been a part of The Whaling Club almost since the beginning, serving up oysters, mussels, Cuban sandwiches, crostinis, and last month he and Rebecca pulled out all the stops with an epic raw bar. Oysters, mussels, Peruvian scallops, shrimp, uni shooters, and lobster tacos! Dan started the night off with a refreshing cocktail named the Prop Plane, featuring Aviation Gin, and pomelo (a pink citrus that is a sweeter grapefruit varietal). Dan followed that with a Pineapple Daiquiri #2 featuring House Spirits Rum. And we finished the night with the Hart of Portland, featuring Westward Whiskey, super bright blood oranges, and spicy ginger. Brooke was also tasting guests on a variety of House Spirits, including their coffee liqueur which seems to me like the perfect night cap. A very special thank you to Brooke and House Spirits Distillery, Chef Frank, Chef Rebecca, and all our guests who joined us! It was an unforgettable night!See more pictures on instagram: @thewhalingclub | @acozyboat| @b_arthur

Since April is the beginning of Spring, Dan chose cocktails that highlighted floral and fresh notes for The Whaling Club this month. The Croquet Cup was the perfect easy drinking cocktail to start the night with mint, cucumber, and Pimm’s No. 1. Plus, it’s gorgeous to look at. The Royal Daiquiri featured creme de violette, which is floral in taste and color. And the grapefruit and Peychaud’s bitters in an otherwise classic gin rickey added just the right about of bitterness and rounded out the drink. It was my favorite blush color and looked beautiful over Dan’s hand cut ice spears.Chef Frank Anderson killed it again by shucking oysters, and brought it to the next level with chilled mussels, aioli, and breadcrumbs. Addictive! I love how Frank prepped three mussels (and oysters) for us to cheers to before everyone arrived (he also saved me a few oysters for the end–what a guy). Such a fun a night! We loved having a bunch of new guests, and celebrating the simple but perfect things we love about The Whaling Club. How awesome is that whale? We found it at New Stone Age and knew we had it to have it for the bar! It lives on our mantel in between. And did you catch us on Eater LA? So cool! Special thanks to Kat Odell for that! To join our mailing list and receive invites for future events, email reservations@thewhalingclub.com.