Culver City is suddenly cool. Once just for surround-sound movies or the mall -- or merely something you drove through en route from Beverly Hills to Venice to avoid the freeway -- it now has some of the most exciting new bars, restaurants, and art galleries in Los Angeles. Enter Akasha. Six months ago, the restaurant was opened by chef Akasha Richmond, a woman with a lot experience cooking for fancy vegans and vegetarians and committed to featuring local and organic produce. The menu offers some of the most interesting and well-prepared food of any new place I've been in the months since I moved to LA. But since this is a mixology report, let's down to the libations.

In a word: Spectacular! Go now before it becomes impossible book a table. (It's already not easy). Here's why: The same rules apply to the food and the drinks. The cocktails are innovative, delicious, and actually good for you. It just feels virtuous to drink things that you're supposed to consume, like pomegranate juice and acai, an anti-oxidant rich berry from the Amazon. I tried a bunch of cocktails and didn't find any to be cloying. They may have been a bit light on the booze, but that is a healthier way of drinking. It was the first time I'd seen Veev on a cocktail menu -- it's a 60-proof white spirit that contains acai and other antioxidant-containing fruits such as acerola cherry and prickly pear. Maybe resident mixologist Lisa Beaumont can do for Veev what Paris Hilton did for Red Bull.

My favorite of Beaumont's creations was the Rainforest. A summery mix of organic watermelon, lime, mint, agave, vodka, and Veev, it makes for a light cocktail that's surprisingly not too sweet. The mint balances out the watermelon. It doesn't taste like it has a ton of alcohol, but that's the point. The fresh watermelon pulp gives it a bit of meat, and it made me feel a tiny buzz with a bit of energy, as if it had a little caffeine. That may have been the acai (or a placebo effect), but who cares! It was fun, tasted great, and didn't make me want to drink a lot more, like sake does for example. New-age cocktails are next-level mixology, and I say, embrace it. Drink less, and have what you do drink be at least a little good for you.

Akasha Rainforest

• 1.5 oz. Veev • 1.5 oz. organic vodka • 2 oz. fresh, organic watermelon juice • 1 lime wedge • Dash of agave • 6 mint springs

Shake and pour over ice into a tumbler, garnish with a slice of watermelon. $13.