Lightning, Thunderclaps, and Mexican Rum Fuel Sherman Oaks’ New Cocktail Bar

Gilbert Pérez Bar, a new, experiential cocktail destination in Sherman Oaks, opens on Thursday, October 22, directly above its acclaimed sister establishment, Daisy Margarita Bar. In the works since Daisy opened in early 2025, Gilbert Pérez may be from the same team, but it’s a different type of watering hole altogether and something entirely new for Southern California. 

Mad-scientist barman Max Reis brings next-level theatrics to Gilbert Pérez; a strict no-smartphones policy keeps the focus on the spectacle unfolding throughout the bar. Business partner Matt Egan, an accomplished director of photography in film and television, brings his own expertise to making Gilbert Pérez more than a rum-focused cocktail bar: It’s somewhere between a theme park and the Magic Castle, but with Mexican spirits (in multiple senses of the word) and a mythology all its own.

Showcasing over 70 rums from sustainable, small-batch producers across Mexico, the bar takes its name from an old legend Egan came across, concerning Gil Pérez, a soldier magically transported from the Philippines to Mexico City in the 1500s. Table reservations are for 90 minutes, and over the course of a visit, expect to be teleported to another realm. Different themes play out across multiple television screens, with a selection of specially curated music from Highland Park record shop Pasaporte Records, and fresh drink options accompanied by dramatic lighting and occasional mist. 

“We went through a deep dive on these paranormal and portal events,” says Egan. “There’s a lot of supernatural things happening in Mexico. We’re creative people, Max especially. He has a very special brain and a unique gift in how he approaches hospitality. That’s one of the reasons our working relationship works: I let him be him.”

Trusting your barman is key here: Gilbert Pérez is not the place to blithely order a standard cocktail. After ascending the stairs (and encountering Pérez’s ghost), a guest receives a menu from the host containing a map of Mexico outlining key points in the story and seven cocktails (not all of them rum-based). 

Reis’s inventions include the Liquid Limpia, made with hoja santa leaves, Alambique Serrano single Barrel #26 Mirate Selection from Oaxaca, sugar cane, lime, and Licor Limpia’uras aperitif from Jalisco. The Paloma Fizz here is nothing like the cocktail that normally goes by that name. This one combines fresh grapefruit, Primo Aperitivo (Mexico City), Montagave Blanco Las Rocas Tequila (Jalisco), and an in-house soda that tastes like Squirt, with a playfully foamy top that only Reis’s wild experimentation could invent. 

Drinkers can also opt for a daiquiri, ti’ punch, mojito, Old Fashioned, or Negroni with any Mexican rum. Be sure to read the menu description below each cocktail: Each one offers the story of why the drink exists, complete with colorful characters and Mexican locations designed to be part of the journey. Approximately every 45 minutes, the lighting adjusts, a spiced mix of nuts and popcorn arrives at the table, and the three coordinated video screens will present the next “portal” for drinkers. There might be lightning and thunderclaps, drips of water and other sound effects, or narrative voices. A digital split-flap display above the bar mimics an old-school train station board, announcing the new teleportation. A server drops off a postcard menu with a different list of beverages representing the new locale’s flavors, ingredients, and spirits. Reis believes 90 minutes is plenty of time to experience two to three portals — and a responsible period to handle the booze-forward drinks. (Some rums clock in at over 54 percent ABV.)

Gilbert Pérez is not a speakeasy — though to enter, one must be escorted through a thick curtain at the rear of Daisy — and tiki is not quite the right descriptor either. “We don’t want to be compared to a tiki bar, but that’s an inevitability,” says Reis. “We don’t have mai tais here, but we’re using elements of tiki to help people try something they haven’t before. If I were to invite you into a rum bar with a bunch of crazy stuff happening, you’re probably going to want to go there.”

To figure out the visual effects, Reis recruited his friend, the lighting specialist Spike Kienholz of Spike Design, who has toured with recording artists Phoebe Bridgers and LCD Soundsystem. For the bar’s design, Egan brought on Adean Studios, which previously produced the spaces at Daisy Margarita Bar and Mirate. Art depicting imagined historic moments and landscapes appears throughout the room. There are only 24 seats, with no standing room. 

Given all the theatrics, many will hope to capture a video or photo. But the no phones rule is firm, and Reis says staff are trained to spot smart glasses. The team spent months rehearsing each portal transition and cocktail preparation. Reis expects guests to be fully present — no spoilers. 

“We want people’s judgement and narrative to be their own,” he says. “It will take you so many visits to see every possible way this room can go. By the time someone reverse-engineers every portal, we’ll have created a new one. The narrative behind the room is unstable, and I want people to be surprised.”

Gilbert Pérez Bar is open Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. to midnight at 14633 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, CA, 91403. Tables are only available for 90 minutes. Reservations are required and available via Resy.