31TEN Lounge circular emblem in muted gold and dark charcoal 31TEN Lounge

Pairing bar nuts with your drink order

Bar nuts earn their place at the bar by doing more than filling a pause between orders. Their salt, roast, sweetness and crunch can make a drink taste more complete, whether it is a spirit-forward cocktail, chilled sparkling wine or a low-alcohol mocktail. The useful approach is to start with the nuts, then choose a glass that echoes rather than overwhelms them.

At 31TEN Lounge on Main Street in Santa Monica, that approach suits a setting built around craft cocktails, a food menu, lounge seating and seated service. Order the bar nuts as an aperitif, let the server describe the mix and seasoning, and choose a pairing that fits the evening. The same habit works for a quick happy-hour visit or a longer catch-up with friends.

Read the nut before choosing the glass

Start by identifying what is actually in the bowl. Almonds, cashews, pistachios, macadamias and peanuts each carry a different flavour, while added rosemary, chilli, sugar or spice can shift the pairing entirely. Rather than searching for one universal match, compare the dominant seasoning with the drink’s main notes.

Bar nut profile Drink direction Why it works
Salt-roasted almonds Old Fashioned or Manhattan Roast and caramel complement oak, cherry and spice.
Herby pistachios Gin and tonic Green notes mirror the nut’s herbal character.
Buttery macadamias Daiquiri or Paloma Rich texture softens sharp citrus without losing freshness.
Smoked almonds Mezcal spritz Smoke and char reinforce the spirit’s earthy depth.
Sweet candied walnuts Spiced rum highball Cinnamon and vanilla balance sweetness and spice.

Seasoning changes the result, so ask whether the mix is salted, smoked or sweet before making your final choice. The same balancing act applies to savoury bar food: the rich filling described in slow-cooked pulled pork benefits from sharp pickle, lime or crunch just as a heavy cocktail benefits from citrus. Tell your server about nut allergies before ordering, since recipes and cross-contact risks can change.

Let the drink echo the nut

Once the profile is clear, let the drink echo it. Salt-roasted nuts suit an Old Fashioned because caramel, oak and pepper absorb the roast. Pistachios bring a green, savoury note that works with a crisp gin and tonic, while smoky almonds can meet a mezcal spritz at its herbal best. For a lighter option, sparkling wine cuts through oily macadamias; if you usually order a pot of lager, a pale lager handles salted peanuts neatly too.

Not every guest wants alcohol, but that should not mean an arbitrary soda. The bartender-style method in shake mocktails uses texture, temperature and restrained sweetness to create a drink with real structure. Ask whether the nut mix can pair with a tomato, grapefruit or citrus-forward zero-proof serve rather than reaching for a token juice.

Stronger does not automatically mean better. If the nuts are heavily salted, a bright acidic drink will reset the palate; if they are lightly roasted, a wine or lower-ABV cocktail may preserve their delicacy. You can also order two drinks for the group and compare them with the same handful of nuts, which reveals differences more easily than trying to build one complicated order.

Turn the snacks into a shared table

Turn the order into a progression rather than treating the bowl as an extra. Begin with the nuts alongside a first drink, then move to a shared plate from the food menu. The value of small, contrasting portions is clear in shareable tapas ideas, where each bite adds a different flavour and texture. That same logic lets one table sample more without committing to a large main course each.

The pub-nosh habit familiar around Bondi or Fitzroy translates neatly here: nachos or another shareable plate can follow the opening handful and soak up a rich cocktail. Put the freshest, crispest items first, save heavier fried food for later, and order another drink when the food needs it rather than simply because the night is young.

For a mixed group, place one bowl in the middle, but ask for separate plates where allergies or preferences differ. At 31TEN, table service makes this easy to coordinate, and hosts can advise on timing. Special events also suit a shared pairing format, especially when several guests want to try the same cocktail with different snacks.

Plan the pairing and the visit

31TEN Lounge opens Thursday through Saturday from 6 PM to 2 AM, with happy hour from 6 PM to 8 PM. Arriving near 6 PM gives you the widest mix of drinks and bar nuts while the room is lively but not yet at its late-night peak. If you want a quieter conversation, a later booking will usually be more relaxed.

Reservations are worth making for weekends, a larger group or any request involving VIP table options. Check the available online slots and confirm the booking details before leaving home. If you are coordinating from Sydney or Melbourne, use Pacific Time on the confirmation rather than assuming your phone has shifted with the venue; the date can otherwise seem a day away.

A reliable approach for the next visit is simple:

Special events can change the room’s rhythm, so mention a celebration when reserving rather than assuming every night feels the same. The late opening also makes 31TEN useful after dinner, although a first round at 6 PM suits Australian holiday makers who prefer an early start and an unhurried finish.

Bring Australian bar instincts to Santa Monica

Aussies often call a shared drink a round and a savoury snack a pub nosh, and those instincts translate well to the ordering style at 31TEN. A round can be built around one flavour profile, much as a group might order a pot and wine at a neighbourhood pub. For spirits, compare what is available before committing to a cocktail, since a familiar Australian bottle-shop selection will not necessarily match the Californian list.

The bill is in US dollars, and BYO policies differ between Australian states, so a bottle bought at home cannot simply travel onto the premises. Bring the relaxed pub-nosh approach instead of assumptions about self-supplied alcohol. Reserve 31TEN Lounge for Thursday, Friday or Saturday, arrive by 6 PM to catch happy hour, and ask your server to build the bar-nut pairing around your group.