(I know this place has been mentioned before, but I thought to provide a stronger "plug" for just how great it is.)

Wine and Liquor Depot
http://www.wineandliquordepot.com/
16938 Saticoy St.
Van Nuys CA, 91406
Telephone Numbers
Toll-Free: 888-622-1414
Local: 818-996-1414
Fax: 818-996-3161
Store Hours:
Monday - Saturday: 10AM - 6 PM
Sunday: Noon - 5 PM

Well, this is a GREAT specialty liquor store with not only a great selection of high-end/quality stuff, but also the best damned prices for it as well. It BLOWS AWAY Vendome's prices, and betters Bevmo's for most things too.

Beachbum Berry's $100 Mai Tai cost me:

$22.59 ....... Appleton Extra
$21.99 ....... Rhum St James Hors D'Ages (not a typo! It's cheaper than the Appleton!)
$21.99 ....... Marie Brizard Orange Curacao
$04.99 ....... Trader Vic's Orgeat
$04.99 ....... Trader Vic's Rock Candy Syrup
$00.69 ....... One bunch of mint (purchased from 99 Ranch Market on Sepulveda@Victory)
$00.99 ....... One pound of limes (purchased at 99 Ranch)

$78.23 Sub-total
$06.45 8.25% Sales Tax

$84.68 GRAND TOTAL, or
$ 3.32/Mai Tai

Curiously, Beachbum Berry's listed price for Marie Brizard beats Wine & Liquor Depot's.

I had a VERY hard time finding Marie Brizard Orange Curacao, actually. Vendome carries most of the Marie Brizard line, but not Orange Curacao (at least the Studio City location doesn't).

For those who prefer a more modestly priced but still high quality Mai Tai, the biggest delta comes from using Bols or DeKuyper Orange Curacao ($6-8 at Trader Joe's), followed by downgrading the Extra to VX ($17 at TJ's), and then using Cruzan for the St. James ($12-15 at Bevmo/TJs).

I notice some Trader Joe's (Studio City at least), stocks Appleton VX for $16.99 (better than Bevmo's and W&L Depot's price), and I've also seen 1.75L Cruzan for about $19.

One last thing, for things like fresh limes or mint, GO ETHNIC! Vietnamese/Asian places use alot of fresh herbs and ingredients in their cuisine, and their grocery stores stock it both very fresh and high quality and at very low prices.

Happy Hunting!
=Kukoae=