Meet The Mixologist Behind Your Fave Drinks at This New San Diego Foodie Haven

Mixologist Rob McShea Will be Serving You the Best of New Orleans at Grind & Prosper Hospitality’s Louisiana Purchase

Written By: Emily Burke
Photography Provided By: Huy Hoang Grind & Prosper Hospitality’s Louisiana Purchase

Located in North Park is the Louisiana Purchase, the newest endeavor created by Grind & Prosper Hospitality, the restaurant group behind some of San Diego’s buzziest places to eat and drink. The bar’s creative menu is focused on spirit-forward craft cocktails and designed by local restaurant celebrity Rob McShea. After working at several bars in Pacific Beach while attending San Diego State University, McShea fell in love with the hospitality industry and worked his way up the restaurant hierarchy, eventually becoming the owner and menu designer for several popular restaurants, including the mega-popular Miss B’s Coconut Club in Mission Beach. As the mixologist for the new North Park hotspot, set to open this October, McShea explains how he’s bringing a little piece of the Bayou to San Diego with five of his favorite drinks from the Louisiana Purchase menu.

Grind & Prosper Hospitality’s Louisiana Purchase

The Duck Fat Sazerac

A symbol of all things New Orleans, McShea has reinvented a classic Sazerac by adding pistachio, cherry and cardamom flavors as well as the rich taste of duck fat to strike a perfect balance in his modern interpretation of the Jazz City classic.

Grind & Prosper Hospitality’s Louisiana Purchase

The Pamplemousse Fizz

According to McShea, it is practically impossible to visit New Orleans without trying a Ramos Gin Fizz. Paying homage to the NOLA classic, McShea has created a drink that is as creamy and refreshing as the original, yet offers a modern twist thanks to his use of cinnamon-infused gin, fresh grapefruit, local honey and just a touch of bubbles.

The Voodoo Carre

Inspired by the signature drink of the renowned Carousel Bar in New Orleans, McShea has created a spirit-forward cocktail that is intended to provide both mystery and theatrics. The combination of apricot balsamic, cognac and bourbon is finished with a cherry wood smoke that will leave guests with “a little voodoo,” as McShea puts it.

 

The Hurricane

Bourbon Street is famous for its jazz music, Mardi Gras celebrations and never-ending pours of Hurricanes— syrupy sweet concoctions that are synonymous with questionable decision-making and crippling hangovers. McShea’s take on the party scene favorite is based on the original recipe from the 1940s, which contains rum, citrus and fassionola, a cordial created from pineapples, passionfruit and hibiscus flower. McShea promises that his cleaned up version of the sugary cocktail is more refreshing than painful.

 

The Manhattan

It’s hard to believe that McShea’s Manhattan recipe, which placed 7th in the Woodford Experience, a nationwide contest for the best Manhattan Recipe, can be improved, but McShea said customers can expect a better version of it on the menu! “The Manhattan is a timeless classic, which you can order at any bar in the world, that generally includes the formulate rye and vermouth and aromatic,” McShea says. “The Manhattan has always been [one] of my favorite cocktails to variate.” Made of bourbon, amontillado sherry, fig preserves and black walnut bitters, this timeless classic will be your must-try.

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