Birch was serving good food right out of the gate. That was expected, given Chef Brendan Collins’ skill in the kitchen. Sadly, the bar couldn’t keep pace. I couldn’t even get through one drink, a blood orange Blood and Sand. Of course, part of growing as a restaurant involves plugging holes. Chef Collins quickly upgraded his beverage program by bringing in market-driven bar manager Gabriella Mlynarczyk. She previously worked at restaurants like Eva and ink and made an immediate impact on this Cahuenga Corridor hotspot.

Mlynarczyk clearly has a good handle on building a cocktail program at Birch that complements eclectic food. That’s a skill many talented bartenders never need to grasp. She shops at farmers markets to construct drinks that are visually arresting and flavorful while remaining exceedingly humble. After all, she doesn’t even bother to name drinks. Instead, they appear as numbers.

I was particularly enamored with Cocktail #3, a vivid orange drink blended with Beefeater gin, Aperol, cardamom and carrot with would no doubt draw a hutch of rabbits. The garnish changes depending on what Mlynarczyk finds at the market. In this case, she topped Birch Cocktail #3 with an aromatic combo of fennel and thyme flowers.