I've always thought of Napa Rose at Disneyland's Grand Californian Hotel as a once-a-year type of spot, a place where I take the chica and her friends and pretend to be Don Bren sans the evil and money. What I usually forget is that their cocktails are not just consistently spectacular, but also surprisingly affordable. In a county where bars won't bat an eye in charging you $15 and up for quality hooch, Napa Rose's offerings are downright prole, with nearly all of the specialty drinks hovering around $10.
For the birthday of Taco Maria chef-owner Carlos Salgado (if you haven't been to his magnificent Costa Mesa restaurant, you deserve deportation), I took him and our respective chicas to Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Lounge. Afterwards, we stumbled to the Napa Rose. And that's where I met the Main Course.
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It was a mix of some of my favorite drinks, liqueurs, and apertifs, served in a beautiful glass befitting of the surroundings: Fernet Branca, Campari, Bulleit Rye, and Velvet Falernum. But the best surprise were mole bitters, a touch that brought all of the flavors–bracing, bitter, savory, spicy sweet–together for the purposes of getting you blotto. It's hearty enough to constitute a meal (hence, the name), but also doesn't go heavy on the palate. Now, if only Napa Rose can improve its bar menu (overpriced, under-seasoned), the Mouse has his second quality craft bar to try and ply Minnie.
