Alter Ego

On our lists of the best cocktail bars and live music venues in Los Angeles.

The lobby level of the Fairmont Breakers on Ocean Boulevard holds this bar, done up in floral wallpaper and quartz-and-crystal fixtures that shift the light as the night goes on. The whiskey-forward cocktail menu includes a rotating 'Forgotten Legends' series, drinks built around historical figures and paired with a Spotify soundtrack, alongside rare and allocated pours. Live jazz runs Thursday through Saturday from 7 p.m., moving through Latin Jazz Fridays and Deep Soul Sundays, with a CSULB alumni jazz series on the third Thursday of the month. The daily happy hour, First Set, discounts select cocktails from 5 to 6 p.m., extended all day on Thursdays.