A Guide to the Best of Southern California : OUT & ABOUT : Hot Toddies

Trader Vic’s, the South Seas-goes-Beverly Hills eatery at the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards, has been serving two flaming coffee drinks since it opened 36 years ago. Coffee Diablo ($4.50) is brandy-based, while the Coffee Grog ($4.75) is fueled by 151-proof rum. Both flare quite nicely. After being accessorized with cloves, orange and lemon peels plus a cinnamon stick, the drinks are served in oversize ceramic mugs, in the shape of what some potter must have thought was a Polynesian-type head. Purists might cringe at the idea that neither the cups nor the drinks are truly Polynesian, but after one or two of them, who would care?

Trader Vic’s, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills; (213) 276-6345.