Flora drinks

Michael Bauer, food critic for the SF Chronicle, gave Flora in Oakland three stars this week, and also made special mention of the cocktails. (This rarely happens.)

There's nothing wrong with the wine list at Flora. It's very good, with 82 diverse selections, but on my three visits, I couldn't pass up the cocktails, which made ordering a bottle of wine impossible if I wanted to keep my wits about me.

This restaurant is serious about its spirits, especially when you see the absinthe apparatus on the bar, which is lined with premium pours.

The cocktails are credited with their place of origin in small type below the description. The Corpse Reviver No. 2 made with Lillet Blanc, Cointreau, lemon and absinthe ($9), for example, is from the American Bar in London.

The drink program was developed by Erik Adkins from the Slanted Door, so that's why it's so tasty. When I was there (order the Carter Beats the Devil) Erik wasn't working but the execution was still terrific.

Labels: bars, SanFrancisco