There are few phrases that make our ears perk up as much as "free drinks," so when we heard about HOOCH, a new cocktail membership program that launched in LA recently, we were pretty intrigued. The app, which was developed by Aleksey Kernes, Lin Dai and Jared Christopherson, first launched in NYC, but only became available in Los Angeles at the end of January. Expansion to San Francisco and Miami will happen in the spring.
Here's how it works: Users download the app and sign up for one of two subscription plans—$9.99 per month or $99 per year. Once you enter your credit card information, the app will display the closest participating venues that are offering a drink, including a brief description of the bar and the featured cocktails available to redeem. On a recent afternoon, we saw that Golden Gopher was offering the Bee's Knees and an Old Fashioned, while Pour Haus, a nearby wine bar, was offering a glass of their house wine. Some places have more cocktails in their HOOCH arsenal—The Woodman offers four complimentary drinks—and some, like 4100 Bar, promote a local beer as well (like Golden Road 312). Click on the drink and the app will show you exactly what's in it. When you're ready to redeem, all you have to do is head to the bar, show the bartender your HOOCH app and you're good to go. (Make sure to tip that bartender!)
Currently, you can score a free drink at the following LA bars:
Villains Tavern
Tony's Saloon
Little Bear
Pour Haus Wine Bar
Five Star Bar
4100 Bar
Golden Gopher
The Larchmont
Pig'N Whistle
Wilde
Harlowe
Bar Lubitsch
Surly Goat
Rec Room
Open Air Kitchen + Bar
Belmont
Sportmen's Lodge
State Social House
The London
PUMP
The Woodman
Shore Bar
Though the list seems to favor Downtown, the number of participating vendors will grow as the months go on. And when you consider that the average price of a cocktail these days is at least $10, a $9.99 per month fee for up to 31 drinks is a steal—provided you can find the time to go to these bars.
Is this something you'd sign up for? Let us know in the comments below!