I’ve recently been on the hunt for the perfect spicy margarita. Several friends had recommended Milk & Honey, both for its libations and its bartender — Lesley Wood.

Upon request, Wood offered up its signature spicy drink: In the Heat of Passion. It’s made with habanero-infused tequila, fresh passion fruit puree, lime, and sweet and sour. Offering a nice balance of sweet and savory, it has become my favorite new cocktail.

Milk & Honey, 30 W. Anapamu St., is a choice date spot. It’s dark and sexy, with melodic music separating you from the tables nearby. The dark brushed concrete floors look cool, but they don’t provide much sound absorption, so it can get a little loud. However, that’s all the more reason to lean in and focus on your date.

Originally from Montreal, Wood lived a variety of places before hopping a train down the coast to California. After stopping in Santa Barbara, she decided to make it home. During the past 10 years, she has always worked in the service industry, first at Alcazar on the Mesa and now at Milk & Honey — both of which are owned by Al Rojas.

The restaurant offers several seating options: al fresco, which includes a cozy fireplace; booth or tables inside; and the bar, above which loops black-and-white old school cartoons such as Betty Boop and Popeye. If you choose the bar, you’ll also see Wood doing her handiwork in a blur of bottles and light laughter. A quintessential multitasker, she’s constantly making drinks and chatting to either staff or customers.

Wood learned to bartend on the job. She says that, initially, Alcazar had only a few specialty drinks, so she had the chance to perfect them — then start experimenting. Today, she is an official mixologist — making Milk & Honey favorites such as the coconut, mango, passion fruit or ginger mojitos. Wood says both the honey lavender lemon drop and the sangria are customer favorites during the summer months.

In the 3½ years Milk & Honey has been open, it has built a dedicated local customer base. The name comes from a curious, supernatural image evoked every year in the spring by celebrations of the Exodus, which for millennia have alluded to the “land flowing with milk and honey,” that divine destination of a people fleeing slavery: the Promised Land. It also just has a nice ring to it.

In addition to the fantastic cocktails shaken up by Wood, Milk & Honey is known for its divine tapas. My personal favorites are the sautéed brussel spouts and Date With a Pig, which consists of dates wrapped in bacon and drizzled with honey. Wood says the chipotle prawns and ahi tartare are also local favorites.

In her free time, Wood and co-worker Mallory Emrich design delicate, feminine jewelry for women. Using a mix of materials, including beads, jewels, feathers and wrapped sea glass, the duo plan to roll out the line next spring.

Happy hour at Milk & Honey runs weekdays from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

— Noozhawk contributor Jenn Kennedy can be reached at jennkennedy@noozhawk.com. Click here to see more of her work.