Brandon Ristaino | Source | Co-Founder and Beverage Director at Good Lion Hospitality
Brandon Ristaino
Brandon is the Co-Founder and Beverage Director for Santa Barbara-based, award winning hospitality group, Good Lion Hospitality. Alongside his wife, the husband and wife team have bar and restaurant concepts across California's Central Coast in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura. Brandon has helped spearhead the cocktail scene in Los Angeles and has decades of experience working in top bars with a wealth of knowledge having been a pioneer in the LA cocktail scene and created all of cocktails at all of the Good Lion Hospitality venues including The Good Lion, Test Pilot, Shaker Mill, Bank of Italy Cocktail Trust, Strange Beast and the newly opened Petit Soliel in San Luis Obispo, the team's first boutique hotel property.
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Good Lion Hospitality
Co-Founder and Beverage Director
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Celebrating Sober October? These 7 Mocktail Recipes Are So Good, You Won't Miss the Booze
Mixology experts tell us the best non-alcoholic cocktail recipes to try this fall—and there's something for everyone.
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This Limoncello Cocktail Will Transport You Straight To The Amalfi Coast
Craving something sweet and bright? These limoncello cocktail recipes are the perfect answer.
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The Difference Between Light and Dark Rum Isn't What You Think
Though rum is often classified into light and dark categories, the color has little bearing as to the spirit's age, the distilling process, or the taste of final product. What should we be looking at instead?
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Unlocking Orgeat: A Mixologist's Guide to Unique Cocktail Flavors
Brandon explains, “Orgeat is an almond or nut-based syrup with marzipan, floral, and candied nut flavors.” He suggests pairing it with anise or coconut syrup in cocktails like mai tais. To balance its sweetness, Brandon recommends cutting with another syrup, increasing acidity, or adding absinthe or dry amaro. -
Elevate Your Cocktails with Coconut Water: Tips from Good Lion Hospitality
Brandon highlights that coconut water adds flavor while diluting cocktails. Use frozen coconut water cubes or switch water out of spirits for a unique twist. Ideal with rum and Scotch whisky, coconut water enhances classic cocktails. For the best results, opt for organic coconut water brands.
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The classification of rums by color is an antiquated way to look at a category as broad and diverse as r(h)um. We adhere to the program as detailed by Martin Cate (Smuggler's Cove) in categorizing r(h)um by distillate (sugar vs molasses), distillation technique (pot vs column still vs blend), and age. There are some r(h)ums that have a similar appearance that can be interchangeable in a cocktail, but this technique is not advisable due to the potential for error. An example of a catastrophe would be to substitute a 'white rum' like an unaged agricole rhum from Martinique for daiquiri rum like a Plantation 3 Star. These are two very different r(h)ums in flavor and texture, though they look very similar to one another. Color in and of itself is a problematic way to classify r(h)ums as so many flavor profiles and styles of r(h)um exist under what would be a singular color. A clear r(h)um can often indicate that the spirit has not been aged, or has been aged in a relatively short manner. Filtration would also explain a clear r(h)um, but we don't understand why a producer would do such a thing. For us, the more flavor, the better, and filtering our flavors for the sake of a clear appearance seems silly.
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"When the weather starts to cool, we lean into stirred cocktails with aged spirits. One of our go-to's for dinner parties and gatherings with friends are 50/50 Manhattans with a splash of something Autumn-ly interesting. The equal parts vermouth to aged spirits ensures some sessionability, and ramps up the complexity. We enjoy aged rum and scotch as a split base with equal parts Torino style vermouth, though the below template works for a variety of aged spirits. We'll feather in something interesting like an amaro, a fun liqueur, or herbal spirit, and my favorite is a high quality Nocino (aged walnut digestivo) like Il Mallo."
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"Two new gins that have made their way to our back bar are Ki No Tea Green Tea Gin from the Kyoto Distillery and Condesa Gin 'Clasica' from Flor de Luna distillery. Both gins have a unique botanical profile that are representative of their 'terroir', and we have similar uses from both as they are so incredibly expressive. Due to their delicate and complex botanical taste profile, both gins rock in a dry martini or Spanish style Gin Tonic."
