Bodega Culture

Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, LP O’Brien was raised on Bodega Culture. Her neighborhood bodega was the cornerstone of her community; a place where her family would buy weekly groceries in an otherwise “food desert,” and a place she would go with her friends to get tropical fruit drinks with guava and carnation milk with empanadas and fried plantains.

After being popularized in the mid-twentieth century by Puerto Ricans — who brought Bodegas to the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Harlem — almost every corner of the globe has neighborhood stores that make Bodega Culture nostalgic and relatable to everyone.

One of my proudest moments on Netflix’s Drink Masters was recreating the bodega experience for the judges on episode two. I am extremely proud to honor Bodega Culture and share my personal experiences through cocktails.