Hollywood’s newest hotspot The Powder Room just opened last month and already it is getting buzz for a boozy milkshake called The Velvet Goldmine with a price tag of $500.
Huh? What? What the hell could be in a $500 milkshake? Brace yourself:
Custom made dark chocolate ganache, Bacardi Reserva Limitada (previously only available in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and Aruba), D’USSE VSOP Cognac, tailor made organic honey, English lavender split black bean Tahitian vanilla ice cream and Ghirardelli chocolate caramel fudge, topped with fresh whipped cream and edible twenty-three carat gold flakes. All of this is presented in a Waterford crystal goblet.
You want more? Fine. Here’s more:
Accompanying the Velvet Goldmine is a selection of premium truffles on a sterling silver “Truffle Tree.”
Still not satisfied? Alright, how about this? Wait for it…here it comes…
This booze-shake is topped – yeah, TOPPED – with a Swarovski Nirvana Montana crystal ring you can take home.
Boom.
We spoke with The Powder Room’s managing partner John Arakaki about the craziness of this luxurious concoction of booze, dairy and bling.
How did you come up with the $500 milkshake?
John Arakaki: It came to me in a dream in the form of a chicken, kind of like Donnie Darko – the chicken made me do it! We were thrilled that award-winning mixologist Adrian Biggs came on board and collaborated with our in-house manager Iain Walling, helping to realize the chicken’s dream. I figured we are in the middle of Hollywood so why not go over the top.
Why did you use those specific ingredients in the Velvet Goldmine?
Adrian worked on a few incarnations of the shake, and we wanted to instill a “wow” factor reaction after one sip. Every reaction has been, “I have never had anything that tasted like this.” I am thrilled, cause that’s what we were going for.
What if you just can’t swing a $500 milkshake?
We have other priced options in the $12-$13 range such as the Caribbean Queen – Mt Gay Dark Rum and Mt Gay Light Rum blended with caramelized bananas, vanilla coconut milk, pineapple juice and vanilla ice cream and the Adam’s Apple – Jack Daniels blended with fresh apples caramelized with cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne pepper and vanilla ice cream.
We (like to) use interesting combinations such as the Steel Magnolia – Zing Red Velvet Vodka blended with red velvet cake, vodka soaked cherries, cream cheese frosting, crushed salted pretzels and vanilla ice cream topped with cream cheese whipped cream. It’s such a great combo, and ironically not super sweet. It’s all about the preparation and ingredient combination with just the right amount of alcohol to produce a winner.
Why do you feel that booze and milkshakes pair so well together?
My brother in law took me to Michael Symon’s BSpot Restaurant in my hometown of Cleveland. He had an amazing Apple Pie Bacon shake that blew me away. I wanted to take that inspiration and take my own version of spiking such a great shake with alcohol that blended well.
I have had spiked shakes at other locations and they were nice, but I wanted to take it to another level where it’s not simple blending ice cream and a Twinkie with some booze. I want every guest to taste every single fresh ingredient in each shake that they discuss it right away. We have achieved that desired result and trust me; it was months of trial and error before achieving success.
Has anyone actually bought a Velvet Goldmine yet?
Yes, the response has been amazing and a pleasant surprise to us. We hope to do something fun for a special occasion such as a wedding proposal and switch the ring out for that magic moment.
