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What are some of the resources you use to stay current as far as wine and cocktails go?

I try to work with people who are interested as I am in this industry. I try to share the day after day duties with my bartenders and my people, now at SLS, with wine and cocktails. We always try to make new things. On my end, I keep reading, watching and studying websites and reviews.

What websites and publications?
There is one interesting website in Spain focused on wine. It’s called El Mundo Vino. It belongs to an important paper in Madrid. We have this website that keeps you up to date on major things happening in the world of wine. I have access to Wine Spectator, Robert Parker. I have access to 3-4 different websites that I check out regularly.

Is there a grape or wine varietal that you’ve seen too much or a varietal that you haven’t seen enough of on wine lists?
Grape varieties are well known by almost everybody. That can overwhelm you sometimes. Sometimes you see people just follow trends. In the world of wine, you need to be a little bit out of the box. It’s good to read all these issues, magazines and publications, but if you just follow what you read, you won’t discover anything that makes you happy, which is at the end of that day, what I believe that wine is all about: discovery.

Is there a style of wine that you’ve discovered lately that you plan to feature more?
No. I like wines that are distinguished and set them apart from their competitors as far as regions. I like wines that represent and show the origin of the region. As long as the wine shows what you expected from the origin, and it’s well made and has good acidity and balance, that’s something that I really like and enjoy. If you ask me for Bordeaux or Burgundy, for me it’s more like being a referee that needs to be a bit neutral. I can have my personal taste as far as wines, but not as far as regions or types.

What was your first exposure to cocktails?
In college, it was part of the school in Spain, in Barcelona. I specialized in restaurant in restaurant service. Part of the service was cocktails. I had the chance to have one of the greatest bartenders in Barcelona as a teacher. That was back in 1997, when we had a two-year course on cocktails. That was part of the curriculum of restaurant studies.

What was the school, and who was the bartender?
The bartender was José Maria Gotarda, whose father was a very important bartender in Barcelona, probably one of the two most important bartenders back in the ’50s and ’60s. That’s his son. He’s got one of the nicest places in town. The school was Escola Superior d’Hosteleria de Barcelona. It’s still there. At the time, it was the one and only school providing these courses and subjects.

Is there a particular spirit or liqueur that you’ve started to use more?
If I need to sip it and have time to relax, I would say I like rums, brandies, cognacs and single-malt whiskeys as well.

Do you feature those prominently?
On the patisserie menu, you can find some of them. To be honest, we don’t sell a lot of them here, so I haven’t been able to rotate them or go changing whatever selection I have now, but I think I have a nice selection of after dinner glasses that people can enjoy at SLS.

When you’re not at SLS, what’s another bar or restaurant that you really enjoy experiencing?
I really enjoy Mozza. It’s a great place for me. I love the duck and they have a nice selection of Italian wines, so that’s a place I’ve been going recently. With a less extensive wine list, but a great food offering: Animal has been a recent discovery. I like to cook and I like to drink wine at home and cook according to whatever we open. I try to know a little bit about the restaurants in L.A., but I also enjoy having wine at home with my closest people.

What was the last meal that you cooked at home, and what wine did you have with it?
Yesterday, I opened a bottle of Chenin Blanc. I cooked whitefish ceviche that I made with cilantro, lemon citrus, and it worked really well. The acidity of the dish with the roundness of the wine and the herbal cilantro and herbs, I was pretty impressed…I cook ceviche at least once a week.

What’s a simple cocktail that you’d recommend that somebody make at home, and how should they make it?
I make Pisco Sours. I made them two different ways, with a shaker or with a blender. The Pisco Sour is basically Pisco with lime and lemon, some simple syrup and egg whites. With one you can make four cocktails. Probably the best is to make just two to get the best consistency and texture.