As Imbibe celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, we are looking back at some of the influential recipes that have shaped the last two decades. In the nascent years of the craft cocktail renaissance, New York City held the lion’s share of attention for its bars and the drinks created within. But on the West Coast, a new style was germinating, planted by bartenders like Julian Cox, who helped put LA on the cocktail map. “At the time, the industry was saturated with classic cocktails and speakeasy concepts were ubiquitous,” says Cox. “I wanted to push toward something rooted in Los Angeles, shaped by its landscape, and reflective of its identity.” In 2009, Cox was leading the beverage program at lauded restaurant Rivera, which would soon be the first restaurant in LA to receive a James Beard nomination for Outstanding Bar Program. It was there that he created the Barbacoa, an “unapologetic mezcal drink,” as he describes it, inspired by the city’s culinary scene and California’s abundant produce. “I wanted to showcase how extraordinary our local flavor, ingredients, and spirits truly are—why couldn’t we create our own style using what grows in our backyard?” Cox explains. Built on two full ounces of mezcal at a time when many U.S. drinkers were still unfamiliar with the spirit, the Barbacoa also blazed trails in the culinary cocktail category, combining sweet and spicy peppers with citrus and ginger. Garnished with a piece of beef jerky, the cocktail was like nothing that had come before. “Over the years, many people have told me that they’ve made their own riffs on the drink,” says Cox. “That’s the best compliment. The hope was to honor LA’s own culinary identity and the distinct West Coast cocktail experience.”