For the serious booze shopper in Southern California, it really would be hard to beat the overall selection and expertise of Hi Time in Costa Mesa. There is, however, that pesky problem of being in Costa Mesa. While the thought of having booze shipped from Orange County has crossed my mind, I'm lucky to have Mission Liquor in Pasadena that meets almost all of my liquor needs.
Mission is actually closer to me than my nearest BevMo, and while BevMo has its place, sometimes one looks for a specific bottle that can only be found at a truly boutique liquor store. Mission stocks over 550 agave spirits, including the full complement of Del Maguey single village mezcals, the full line of Arette, Tonala, Partida and my personal favorite, Casa Noble. Mission stocks so much tequila and mezcal that the bottles actually creep over onto the rum side of the aisle.
Whiskeys are well represented here, too, including a few experimental bottles of white dog from Buffalo Trace and all the Hudson Valley bottlings too. My favorite whiskey per unit dollar, Rittenhouse 100, sells for $25 (I should note that I was recently charged $14 for a Rit old fashioned at a local bar. Suffice to say, I will not be ordering that again at that bar).
I am especially interested in vermouths and increasing the overall appreciation of amari in Los Angeles, and Mission does not disappoint in this regard either. A liter of Carpano is $30, all the Dolins are $15, and they also have Cynar, Fernet, Punt E Mes and even packages of Underberg in stock.
One of the ways that Mission is unique among boutique liquor stores is its large selection of raki and other anise spirits. Pasadena and Glendale have an enormous Armenian population, and Mission keeps a dizzying array of arak and ouzo as well as six packs of Armenian beer like Kotayk.
Staying with beer, Mission is no slouch in this regard as well. A nice range of Belgians are available (though the only Trappist beer in stock is Chimay), but where they really shine is in availability of Southern California beers like Firestone from Santa Barbara, Angel City Brewing out of Culver City, and of course San Diego beers like Alesmith and Stone.
A review of their humidor and wine cellar will have to be left as an exercise for the reader. Primarily because the author doesn't know a whole lot on the subject.
It's probably a blessing and a curse that Mission Liquor is so close to my house, and while the store isn't perfect, Mission is sufficiently awesome that I don't have to ship booze from Costa Mesa. Booze from Oregon on the other hand...
Mission Wine & Spirits
1785 E Washington Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91104
626-794-7026
MON-SAT 9AM-8PM