Custom Cocktails for the Latest Buzz

Regulars at the bar at Crustacean in Beverly Hills expect--and get--more than just the standard cocktails. The pan-Asian restaurant at 464 N. Bedford Drive infuses its vodka drinks with everything from lemon grass to banana, and has a line of sake-based martinis. But what lures some customers is the promise of a custom cocktail, one created and named for them by bartender Di Barker.

Barker, who has been at Crustacean nearly two years and has tended bar for more than a decade, loves to concoct new cocktails on the spur of the moment.

Many of her creations are inspired by foods, like Key lime pie or rocky road ice cream. One customer loved See’s Candies’ Scotchmallo, so Barker set about re-creating its flavors, using dark creme de cocoa, Godiva chocolate liqueur, Stolichnaya vanilla-flavored vodka (she relies heavily on the flavored Stolis), butterscotch shots and cream, topping it with whipped cream and naming it the Scotchmallo Fellow.

A high-energy woman with a shock of short gray hair, Barker seemingly remembers all of her creations, and has about 40 favorites she’d like to publish in a recipe book. Can a movie deal be far behind?