Diaghilev

Back in the 90s, there was a restaurant on the Sunset Strip called Diaghilev, eponymously named after Sergei Diaghilev, an artist and (in)famous impresario of Russian Ballet at the turn of the 20th century. He was probably most famous for being Vaslav Nijinsky’s patron/lover and a close collaborator of Igor Stravinsky’s.

Diaghilev (the LA restaurant) was elegant beyond elegant, especially for a destitute radiology resident: you felt like you were stepping back in time, perhaps belle epoque, as you were seated into an ornate booth by Dmitri, the most famous maître ‘d in all of LA. Dmitri was notorious for his exceedingly high service standards- he would’ve made a great Vice Chair of Operations- who terrorized soon-to-be movie stars like Sean Penn who worked there as a busboy. He was an elegant and meticulous man- when he would visit your table, while he made polite conversation, he would subtly turn the butter dish so that an untouched butter pad would face you. He was also the pinnacle of charm, who would ostentatiously present my girlfriend (now wife) with a single red rose.

The first thing that would happen after you were seated: a cart with several vodka decanters on ice would be presented. Would you care for an aperitif of chilled vodka? Why, yes, I would, thank you! Although there were several choices, I picked the exotic-sounding “tea flavored.” It was delicious, an epiphany, one that has not been repeated to this day. 

In early 2023, inexplicably and belatedly inspired, I decided to replicate the epiphany by creating my own version of tea-infused vodka. I’ve made over 20 distinct formulations so far (tea blend and infusion dwell time being critical variables, despite what anonymous interweb “experts” would instruct) and feel like I’m still in the “experimental expansion” mode (much to the chagrin of said wife, who is not partial to the mad scientist lab bench appearance of our pantry right now). I’m working on the label design and I’ll share it with you as soon as it becomes real.