Ying Chang and Robert Adamson, the couple behind the James Beard-nominated tiki bar Strong Water in Anaheim, are opening a new cocktail bar down the street called Double Luck at 175 W. Broadway. Scheduled to open this fall in a 2,000-square-foot space that seats 50, Double Luck will serve food, along with an extensive amaro collection. Construction on the project begins in June.

“We’re touting living room hospitality, we want people to feel comfortable coming in,” says Chang. “We’re often consumed with work and home life, but this is your third place to go and hang out. Not feel like you’re at a dive bar but not at the Aviary,” referring to the high-end experiential cocktail bar in Chicago from The Alinea Group.

Chang and Adamson will continue splitting duties at Double Luck as they do at Strong Water, with Chang handling day-to-day operations, training staff, and stocking the bar’s rare bottles, while Adamson researches cocktail history and tinkers with recipes.

While Strong Water is a highly immersive tiki bar, Double Luck will be thematically agnostic save for the 10-to-12-seat bar within the bar focused on Italian aperitivos and digestivos. Adamson commissioned an artist to paint portraits of his favorite distilling icons (like Gaspare Campari who created the popular Italian amaro) wearing boutonnieres that feature the different herbs and spices that comprise each spirit. He envisions patrons diving deeper into the history and culture of amari using QR codes while sipping drinks at Double Luck.

Chang and Adamson have a history of bringing cocktail culture to Orange County and hope to continue their success at Double Luck. The couple previously owned the Blind Rabbit speakeasy at Anaheim Packing House, which ushered in modern cocktail culture when it opened in 2014. In 2018, Cocktail Kingdom selected the Blind Rabbit as one of 80 bars in the world to host an exclusive month-long pop-up. Earlier this year, Strong Water brought home two regional awards from Tales of the Cocktail: 2024 Best U.S. Bar Team (U.S. West) and Best U.S. Restaurant Bar (U.S. West). The James Beard Awards will be announced next month.

“Honestly, we’re just so humbled and honored to be on this list,” says Chang.

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