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blackliverproject.bsky.social
Black Liver Project
@blackliverproject.bsky.social
270 followers 89 following 220 posts
Not just history of cocktails, but history through cocktails
Podcast: http://monsterinaglass.podomatic.com
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blackliverproject.bsky.social
I remember being surprised Johnson had it first. The recipe seemed so core... like many of Thomas' drinks
October 30, 2025 at 1:49 PM
blackliverproject.bsky.social
I think that's where The Avenue cocktail is from...the episode where we discuss what a passion fruit is
August 18, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Reposted by Black Liver Project
libation-legacy.bsky.social
On March 24, 1949, Ray Hewitt's LA Daily News column, "The Spotlighter" first mentions the Dresden Room serving the Blood and Sand. He claims that the restaurant's owner, Herman Byrens, brought the recipe back from Singapore.

#cheers 🍸
A famed European chef who prepares those especially tempting dishes, a delightful hospitable atmosphere and unbelievable but true...dinners only $1.65 all add up to the DRESDEN ROOM, 1760 N. Vermont. Your host HERMAN BYRENS, brought back from Singapore the recipe for the world's most delicious drink, "Blood and Sand." PHILLIP MOODY, star of radio and television opens at the Dresden Room this week.
August 9, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Reposted by Black Liver Project
libation-legacy.bsky.social
Ferraro kept the Blood & Sand on the menu as the Dresden's signature drink, in fact, it is still on their menu. He hired Ray Buhen, one of Don the Beachcomber's original team, to head his bar. There are claims that Buhen invented a "Blood & Sand" for Tyrone Power, who starred in the 1941 remake.
August 10, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Reposted by Black Liver Project
libation-legacy.bsky.social
Carl Ferraro bought the Dresden in 1954, and changed its name to the Dresden Restaurant. Some interesting details in his obit. Los Angeles Times, February 7, 2005.

Also note that "Anchorman" (2004) also had a scene filmed at the Dresden.
Carl Ferraro, who for more than 50 years owned the Dresden Restaurant in Los Feliz, a neighborhood fixture that has been used as a location for a number of popular Hollywood films, has died. He was 91. Ferrro died Jan. 20 at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. The cause was congestive heart failure, according to his son, James. Ferraro bought the Dresden in 1954 and kept the name, even though it referred to the china dolls that were part of the previous owner's decor. He remodeled it in 1963, adding white Leatherette booths, Venetian chandeliers and a wood-beam ceiling. In recent years the restaurant has earned a reputation as an example of a vintage interior in mint condition. It has been used in the films "What Women Want" (2000), with Mel Gibson, and "The Two Jakes" (1990), with Jack Nicholson. Nothing, however, had more of an impact on Ferraro's business than "Swingers" (1996). In it, two aspiring actors, played by John Favreau and Vince Vaughn, often meet at the Dresdent to commiserate over cocktails.
August 10, 2025 at 6:21 PM