Warwick

A velvet rope, bouncer and bottle service aren't typically associated with specialty cocktails, but somehow this sexy new Hollywood lounge from nightlife guru Jeffrey Best and two Roger Room alums, Jason Bran and Damian Windsor, has struck a balance between lavish ambience and carefully crafted libations. Gaze upon floor-to-ceiling nude art (including a full-frontal of the model from the "Blurred Lines" music video) as you recline in a tufted leather couch and sip on Coco Pina Frescas ($17)—a rum and organic pineapple juice concoction topped with dairy-free coconut foam. Guests looking to splurge can reserve an elevated section for tableside cocktails, which include a personal mixologist, as well as the ingredients for some ultra-premium beverages. Did we mention the bourbon service comes with a custom ice sphere-maker? Bet you won't find that at your average Hollywood club.  

Vitals

Good for: Nursing a few boozy bourbon-heavy Blackberry Bucks while making eyes at your future one-night-stand from across the bar. An exquisite two-story chamber illuminated only by fireplace light and a few twinkling chandeliers, Warwick is the quintessential destination for a red-hot rendezvous. Just don't expect it to come cheap—$34 for a drink for you and your date. There's no happy hour, no club promoters ... Just good old-fashioned, high-priced fun.  

The scene: Look for Hollywood types in designer suits and tight black dresses all queued up, and a bouncer and a red rope in front of the old Club Lingerie space on Sunset Boulevard. You'd probably miss the unassuming black facade, because like all good nightclubs, the bells and whistles are reserved for what lay beyond those lofty doors. Set up like an opulent living room with plenty of sectioned-off seating on the sides and reserved couches in the middle, Warwick is as exclusive as it gets.

The playlist: It's not a Hollywood lounge without a proper DJ, but with no dance floor in sight, you'll likely find yourself jamming subtly in your seat to dance music.

The bartender says: Cocktails are a science here. Beverage consultants Bran and Windsor even dedicated a space next door (affectionately referred to as the "Warwick Workshop") to not only juice and press fresh fruits and vegetables like carrots, pineapple and honeydew for their farm-to-table cocktails, but also to invent seasonal recipes—the latest being the brandy-based Warwick Hot Cider ($17) made with apple, cranberry and pomegranate juices.

Drink this: It's a strong, eye-pleasing cocktail menu, beginning with the Blackberry Buck ($17), a Maker's Mark bourbon-based concoction blended with Warwick's in-house blackberry ginger beer, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. But a trip to Warwick isn't complete without Bran and Windsor's take on a Pimm's Cup, the aptly named Warwick Cup ($17) made with vodka, soda, strawberries, fresh lemon and pineapple juices. And the drinks are just as gorgeous as the setting, like the emerald green Coco Pina Fresca ($17) crowned with a layer of coconut foam and sprinkled with lime zest.