On July 1, Rivera bartender Julian Cox, one of the kings of the DTLA cocktail scene, shared his skills with Westsiders at BREADBAR Century City. He and fiancée Kristina Howald made eight cocktails for Devon Espinoza’s “Hatchi Mix” series. The event also allowed people to preview some of Rivera’s summer cocktails and drinks he’s thinking about for Rivera spin-off R26.

Although Cox dubbed his Hatchi appearance “Tequila in 3 Magical Acts,” he didn’t limit the excitement to agave-based spirits. One of my favorite cocktails of the night – and the first beverage to feature a Dose of Vitamin P – was his Jamon Iberico Old Fashioned. The selection from the Entrée Course consisted of Buffalo Trace bourbon infused with rendered fat from jamon Iberico, the prized Spanish pigs. Cox strained the fat and served the cocktail on the rocks with an aromatic flamed orange peel garnish. The vanilla notes of the bourbon, the premium pork fat and the sweet citrus contributed to a rich but dynamic sip.

Dose of Vitamin P spotlights my favorite pork dish from the previous week.