Two new bars in Los Angeles begin with a drink the customer has already ordered, and ask to be judged against it. Night on Earth rebuilt the Pornstar Martini and the Zombie. Daisy, a margarita bar in Sherman Oaks, built a frozen margarita from avocado. The rebuilds are not modest, and the starting point is the case for them.
Night on Earth
Night on Earth is at 3256 Cahuenga Boulevard West, in the pass between Hollywood and the Valley. It opened in December 2024 from the team behind Thunderbolt, with a menu of reimagined party drinks, and every drink on it names the original it comes from. The Bad Influencer is a Pornstar Martini that has been clarified and carbonated, and the Reanimator does the same to a Zombie. The Space Crush is a Midori Sour made with real melon, and the Disco Nap an espresso martini built on tequila. The drinks are served very cold from custom refrigeration. When the bar refreshed its list in August 2026 and added half-size serves, the Bad Influencer and the Reanimator stayed.
“Every drink on the Night on Earth list names the original it comes from.”
Daisy
Daisy opened in 2025 at 14633 Ventura Boulevard, from the Mírate team in Los Feliz, with Max Reis as beverage director. The list has three sections: Cantina for the classics, Mercado for fruit and produce, and Salsa Bar for the technical work. The Guacamole Frozen Margarita blends avocado with damiana, lime, blanco tequila and a Clamato that has been clarified in a centrifuge, and Reis has said it is balanced to work as a cocktail, not as food. He has also described a running frustration, as a menu designer, that diners at Mexican restaurants overlooked his signature drinks and ordered a standard margarita. Daisy reads, on that evidence, as the margarita order taken seriously.
What the name gives the reader
A clarified Pornstar Martini or a guacamole margarita is not a drink anyone can compare from memory, and the customer who orders one is trusting the bar. But the name gives a reference. The customer knows roughly what a Zombie is, sees it on the menu beside its rebuilt cousin, and can ask for the original. A wholly new cocktail offers no such handle.
Vandell, at 1966 Hillhurst Avenue in Los Feliz, comes at it differently. It opened in early December 2025 from Park Hospitality, the group behind Donna's in Echo Park, with Shawn Lickliter and Vay Su, both formerly of Republique, running the drinks. Its list includes updated versions of forgotten classics, the gimlet and the Saratoga among them, and its classics are made with vintage spirits, among them a Negroni with vintage Campari. Its signature drinks are built from produce, led by a Smoked Tomato made with mezcal. Vandell fits the argument only in part.
The method asks for equipment. A clarified, carbonated Zombie needs refrigeration built for the purpose, and the Clamato at Daisy goes through a centrifuge before it reaches the glass.
