From the Cocktail Lounges of the Central Coast
From Ventura to Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo, the Central Coast has a knack for cocktails that feel both elevated and effortless—exactly what you want at a wedding. These drinks pull inspiration from the seasonal ingredients in cocktail lounges up and down the Central Coast—bright citrus in winter, cooling cucumber and spice in summer and moody, low-alcohol sippers when the evenings turn crisp.
The recipes here are written two ways: first as a single cocktail you can mix for a quiet tasting, a rehearsal dinner or a small celebration, and then as a large-format version designed for batching ahead of time. The batching notes are intentionally specific—bitters scale differently than spirits and a small percentage of added water helps the cocktail land at the right dilution when it’s poured over ice. In other words: less last-minute work, more consistent pours and a drink that still tastes like it was made to order.
Brandon Ristaino is the co-founder and managing member of Good Lion Hospitality, a Santa Barbara–based hospitality group established in 2014 with his wife, Misty Orman. Known for bringing contemporary, high-end cocktail culture to the Central Coast, they operate popular venues including The Good Lion, Test Pilot, Shaker Mill, Bank of Italy, Strange Beast, Petit Soleil, The Lion’s Tale, Jaguar Moon and Condesa. Good Lion Hospitality also provides craft cocktail catering for events across California.
The Good Lion
1212 State St
Santa Barbara
GoodLionHospitality.com
