Inside The Obscure: Where Spirits, Stories, and Curiosity Collide
In the heart of the LA Arts District, behind a set of mysterious doors, is a place where science meets storytelling and spirits meet imagination. The Obscure is not your average bar—it’s an immersive guided cocktail experience, part tasting room, part classroom, and part world-building experiment brought to life by founder and head distiller Théron Regnier and potions master Hope Ewing.
Each season at The Obscure is a journey through new spirits, cocktails, and the stories that shape them. Guests sit for a guided experience where the drinks are only half the magic—the rest comes from the lore, history, and creative spark behind each pour. As Théron explained, “When you get to spirits, there’s a symbiotic relationship between spirits and cocktails. Of course, you can enjoy spirits neat, but when you hand a bottle to a bartender who knows what to do with it, a whole other level of creation occurs.”
That sense of creation and curiosity is what defines The Obscure. Théron didn’t set out to make a business chasing medals or mass production. Instead, he built a space rooted in community, exploration, and appreciation. “It’s not about how many medals can we get,” he said. “It wasn’t about what was in the glass, it was about the journey that got me excited about what was in the glass.”
The journey began a decade ago when Théron left behind a corporate real estate job to follow his growing obsession with distilling. What started as an after-hours hobby turned into a full-blown career that demanded starting from scratch. “I hung up my tie and said, okay, let’s go full pirate and choose a different life,” he said. That leap eventually led to The Obscure, which officially launched in March 2020 just as the world shut down. Despite the timing, the distillery found its footing through small-batch production and big ideas. “For the first six to eight months, I was still using a six-liter lab still to make all the products,” he shared. “I’d run it all day Monday, all day Tuesday to make enough spirits to get through the weekend.”
The result of that grit is a place that defies convention. The Obscure isn’t just about drinking—it’s about learning, experimenting, and being transported. Each tasting weaves together history, science, and storytelling, from explorations of extinct botanicals to recreations of forgotten liqueurs. “Curiosity unlocks all doors,” Théron said, explaining how inspiration can come from anywhere—an old recipe, a change in the law, or even a supply shortage that sparks a creative workaround. One of their standout creations, the Three Fates Genepi, was born out of not being able to find Chartreuse. “I was like, well, how hard can it be to make it?” he laughed, describing how the project led him down an 1800s recipe rabbit hole and into experiments with butterfly pea flower and California citrus.
Every corner of The Obscure tells a story, from its design to its ethos. Théron describes the space as “American mystic,” blending fantasy and futurism, with touches inspired by Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion and the timeless spirit of New Orleans. “We wanted to evoke the past and the future,” he said. “Something that feels cohesive and greater than the sum of its parts.” That intention is felt in every detail, from the themed cocktails to the ambient lighting and the sense that you’ve stepped into another world entirely.
It’s no surprise that The Obscure draws everyone from cocktail connoisseurs to those who just want to experience something new. “We are tearing down the wall on the cost of entry and the social stigma of ordering the wrong thing,” Théron said. “You don’t have to like everything. It’s more like, did you try it? Because before, you never would have ordered it.”
The Obscure is open year-round with guided tastings running Thursday through Sunday, each offering three unique spirits, three cocktails, and the stories behind them. It’s an experience that’s part education, part inspiration, and entirely unlike anything else in Los Angeles.
To experience it yourself, visit theobscure.com or follow them on Instagram at @theobscurela. Use the code MAKINGWAVES for 15% off any guided tasting, valid through December 31, 2025.
This story was created by Making Waves Project as part of 13 Days of Strange, our series spotlighting the beautifully unusual people and projects shaping culture in ways big and small. By sharing these stories, we aim to honor the creativity, resilience, and vision behind the work and amplify voices that thrive in the strange, the bold, and the unforgettable.
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Photography by Robiee Ziegler
Produced by Katie Caro
Post production by Kelly Budish
