Sinning in LA

There are nights in your life when the unexpected turns really liven things up. A recent Sinning in LA meeting to discuss stories for the coming months became an amplified experience, thanks to a seemingly harmless green bottle of excitement known as AGWA de Bolivia.

Made with wild Bolivian coca leaves that are hand-picked in the Andes and then shipped to Amsterdam under armed guards, this powerful concoction can be the lifeblood beneath any sinful evening. Or daytime, for that matter, because guess what? We’re right in the middle of Bolivian summer. And you can always drink during the summer, no matter what the hour is.

You know what else is interesting about Bolivia? They have a Navy. They’re a landlocked country, but they still have some sort of Naval requirement. Wild, those Bolivians. I’m guessing that out on leave from the Bolivian Navy, many of them have tried this delicious coca leaf liqueur (the only one in the world, in fact).

The signature drink is the Bolivian Kiss, which replicates the South American practice of chewing the coca leaf. By biting a wedge of lime, drinking the chilled AGWA shot and activating the alkaloids, you can create an oxygen buzz. Of course, this being a last minute decision for us, we substituted a lemon. Does it work? Apparently so.

Chuck Giometti, from AGWA, told us that “You may have to search for Agwa as not all LA establishments are willing to just take on a coca Leaf Liqueur in the ol’ Back Bar Repertoire.”

“Certain liquor stores,” said Giometti,  “may have it depending on the vision of the buyer to take a chance on edgy products.”

We’ll take a chance on pretty much anything around here, and some even enjoy things green and celebrated in Amsterdam besides things that come in bottles like AGWA.

“High-elevation-grown coca leaves of Bolivia,” said Giometti when asked what the drink contains. “Also, guarana, Yerbe Mate, Chinese green tea , lavender, African mint and many more herbs and spices make up AGWA de Bolivia.”

“A few rebellious bars in the LA area have taken to walking the thin line by serving the Bolivian Kiss. As with any garage band, it takes a while to get famous, so kudos to the few who give a new act a shot.”

Giometti also provided us with a list of where to find this Bolivian wonder. Stay tuned, because you never know which articles we’ll be writing under the influence of AGWA de Bolivia.

HOLLYWOOD

The Velvet Margarita on Cahuenga. Go and ask any of the late night bartenders about the barley legal liquor and a shot of AGWA will appear.
 
Wheel into The Happy Ending, on Sunset where the young college goers can fulfill the rite of passage spinning a drink wheel. If they’re lucky, they’ll be downing the Coca Leaf Nighttime Tonic
 
The Whiskey A-Go-Go is a fitting venue for a night of Rock and Roll and a Bolivian Kiss – Bite a lime wedge and shoot AGWA—Wanna do a lime?  
 
Rainbow Bar and Grill, where generations have rocked outside and drank inside. The infamous “2 pm nightly end of the Rainbow” is a great place to down an AGWA. Coca is finally behind the bar.
 
Barney’s Beanery, where the likes of Morrison, Hendrix, and Joplin spent many nights topping off their outside curricular with the new spirits of the 1960’s. Barney’s features their own Coca Leaf specialty Drink Menu celebrating AGWA Coca Leaf Liqueur.
 
Sunset Plaza Liquor 7365 W Sunset Blvd may be the place for you to go to do a take out on AGWA. Say you saw this article and you will get 10% off your store tab.
 
Cop an AGWA buzz at Boardners on Cherokee and Hollywood Blvd, where you can sit on a stool where Hollywood crews have been drinking unusual booze for years.

 
DOWNTOWN

Wielands Brewery is a great place that has pioneered edgy spirits . Weilands has been one of the first spots to delve into the coca leaf liqueur.   Meet, greet and do some limes with all your LA downtown work buddies.
 
 
PASADENA

Freddie’s 35er has played host to many a Rose Bowl parties is celebrating a botanical of a new variety. The 35er has always experimented with new spirits and the latest test with an AGWA coca leaf shot holds true, giving a reason to visit this Pasadena landmark.

 
HERMOSA BEACH
Have a few AGWAs and  light up your life at the World Famous Lighthouse Café on Pier Ave in Hermosa beach where the crash of the cymbals and the crash of the waves are the perfect place to not crash because you are dancing you ass off shooting AGWA.  
 

Video by Smash LeFunk.