Serving up jiggers of cheer

Now it’s possible to have spirits with spirit. Bars around the Southland -- hoping to cash in on that holiday feeling -- have been serving up martinis with holiday names. Belly on up and order a Mistletoe, Silent Night, Sex in the Snow, Tannenbaum, Rudolph or Holitini.

“People just eat it up like cake,” says bartender Court Earp of the Chocolate Candy Cane martini at the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills. It’s a virtual dessert in a glass rimmed with white chocolate (colored red for the holidays) and topped with whipped cream.

At Britta’s Cafe in Irvine, there’s a playful S’more martini garnished with a flaming marshmallow. “We know, it’s completely over the top,” says general manager Marcy Miller.

The Silent Night at Lola’s in West Hollywood consists of cinnamon-infused vodka, orange zest and cardamom, according to one of the bartenders, and is garnished with a cinnamon stick and an orange twist. Then there’s the Golden Mistletoe martini -- a concoction of vodka, peach schnapps, amaretto and juices topped off with a sprig of mint.

The Whiskey Bar at the W Hotel spent weeks developing its holiday martini. Management decided on ingredients and color; a mixologist team created martinis for a final tasting. This year’s winner was the Holitini, made with Godiva chocolate liqueur, vodka and mint.

Even new restaurants aren’t immune to the spirit. Sona, recently opened on La Cienega Boulevard, has been serving a refined, creamless eggnog martini made from vodka. It’s infused with cinnamon sticks, vermouth, cloves, nutmeg and orange bitters.

“People go nuts over these drinks,” says Ric Oriol, bar manager at Fenix at the Argyle, which serves a martini of Midori and cranberry juice called the Tannenbaum. “They’re really fun and really festive.”

-- Jessica Strand

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Small bites

Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne of Lucques have finally opened their second restaurant, A.O.C. They’re serving artisanal cheeses, 50 unusual wines by the glass and family-style dishes such as Spanish black rice with squid and saffron aioli or clams and chorizo with garbanzos.

A.O.C., 8022 W. 3rd St., West Hollywood, (323) 653-6359.

Firefly restaurant in Studio City has hired a new chef, Gary T. Menes, whose resume includes Patina, Aubergine, the Ritz-Carlton dining room in San Francisco and the French Laundry in Napa Valley. Among the French-American dishes he’ll be cooking is a crisp fried pike served with pommes Lyonnaise and a shallot wine emulsion.

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Firefly, 11720 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, (818) 762-1833.