The gallery of shakerface

I love the faces people make when they shake cocktails- everyone has their own style. My favorite shakerface of all time is that of Tony Abou-Ganim, who gnashes his teeth and make an orgasmic sound every time he's got a shaker in his hands. He makes it sound like he Just Can't Wait to get that drink in the glass.

Last night I judged a 21 Below vodka competition at Cafe du Nord in San Francisco and recorded the shakerface of the contestants. Here are some of the best- click for larger images:

SF is very GQ

GQ Magazine came out with a list of the 20 Best Cocktails in America in a nice big spread in the magazine. Four of them come from San Francisco bars- Elixir, Range, Beretta (pictured), and the Buena Vista.

Unfortunately, the selections nationally are a bit inconsistent. Some of the picks are based on the bar or drink's history, some on the bar's location, some on the bar's vibe, and some on picking a great drink from a notable bartender like Eben Freeman and Audrey Saunders. Though they may all be good drinks to have in specific bars, I wouldn't say these the 20 best cocktails in America.

I think it would help if one person wrote the story next year for consistency's sake, instead of a lot of different writers. Someone who has been to eight states and nine countries pursuing good drinks in the last year. Someone who speaks with bartenders all over the country for stories. Someone not afraid to drink himself smart. Know anybody like that?

Wait, did I just turn a blog entry congratulating local bars on their placement in GQ into a job application? I guess I should also hope they're looking for a writer who is completely shameless.

Bang a pong

I've lived in San Francisco more than a dozen years and have been to the beach here less times than that. That's why we need beach-themed events to simulate the warm climates of Southern California.

This weekend, the Guardsmen host a fundraising beach party, with the proceeds going to help at-risk youth attend indoor and outdoor educational programs. And as someone who works at home and lives next to a playground, I encourage you to help get kids away from me and into these programs, as their screaming makes it hard to concentrate. You'll not only be helping kids, you'll be helping Camper.

What's in it for you? An open bar, beer pong championships, and a barbecue. More details are here.

Right on time

Last night was the pre-opening event for Clock Bar in San Francisco's Union Square. As if to prove they can do the impossible on opening night, they served all 32 drinks from the menu to anyone who asked. So that statement about them not being ready for a month- consider it rescinded.

In other exciting news, the bar opens at 4PM according to the website, so you can skip out of work early and beat the happy hour crowds.

National shot-and-a-beer week

Tales of the Cocktail begins in New Orleans this Wednesday. It's a terrible week to go cocktailing anywhere else since all the best bartenders will be drinking hard in the Big Easy. Do yourself a favor and don't order anything more complicated than shots and chasers until Wednesday of next week when everyone's hangover wears off.

That said, in San Francisco Jon Gasparini will be holding down the fort at Rye, Jeff Hollinger (who proved his party credentials at last year's Tales) will stay in town working at Absinthe this year, and Marco Dionysos will be here getting Clock Bar up and running. Share a drink and commiserate with these poor fellows keeping SF running while we're running ragged.

Anyone else not going and want to encourage business? Post in the comments.

Turning back time

It's important to have a cheesy clock-related title for all writing about the Clock Bar. DailyCandy chose "Ticking Clock" and Thrillist used "Clocked and Loaded." I fully support this movement.

Anyway, good news on the Clock Bar front. Marcovaldo Dionysis has been named Head Bartender, and they put his name right there front-and-center on the drink menu. Excellent recovery from the earlier snafus.

The menu has two of Marco's famous creations, the Ginger Rogers and the Chartreuse Swizzle, along with some great-sounding new drinks and many classics including the Bramble, Dark n Stormy, Hemingway Daiquiri, Last Word, Mary Pickford, and Pegu. The menu is viewable on the website.

The signature cocktail is now the St. Francis Cocktail- a gin martini made with Junipero. There's a theory that the St. Francis was the first place to use the olive as garnish in a martini, so they did a good job on the historic tie-in.

The drink menu has 32 drinks on it, which is hugely ambitious given the turn-around time since Marco took over. I'm going to a press preview of the spot tonight (it officially opens Tuesday), but I'd recommend waiting a month or so for consumers- with a menu that big, there are bound to be some consistency issues.

Still, now there is a reason to be excited about the Clock Bar opening. I hope it turns out great, but I guess only time will tell.

(How's THAT for cheesy sign-off?)

SF Events

A couple of things from my inbox:

- Magnolia is serving $3 pints all day on Tuesdays, and each Wednesday the brewers will be there to hang out and answer questions from 6-9PM.


- (from the True Sake newsletter): July, 2008 - Yoshi's Oakland Half Price Sake Mondays

Yoshi's Oakland is please to announce, due to popular demand, half price sake Mondays will be extended through the month of July! All bottles of sake, including the elegant Yuki No Bosha Akita "Komachi", will be half price for the entire month. Now is your chance to enjoy a bottle - or two- from our exlusive list.

For a truly memorable experience, come by on Monday, July 21st, when Tamiko Ishidate from Joto Sake will be on hand as the Sake sommelier for the evening to answer all of your questions.

The curious case of the Clock Bar

Clock Bar, the hyped Michael Mina cocktail lounge opening July 15 in San Francisco, is becoming a lesson in OOPS I FORGOT ABOUT THE COCKTAILS.

Early on the project was announced- historic space, famous chef, tasty bar snacks, high-end drinks, yadda, yadda, yadda- and nobody listed as being in charge of the cocktail program.

Curious. The restaurant Gitane won't be open for another two months and they've had a beverage manager and a cocktail consultant on retainer since the beginning of the year. But things were happening on the back end. Several people involved with the project were interviewed for a story in 944 magazine that just came out. The story is marvelous.

In order to create the drink menu, Mina brought in legendary Las Vegas cocktail specialist Noah Ellis to help with the launch.... As the group's beverage director, Ellis promises to ensure quality by creating a menu that features fresh-squeezed juices, house-made tonic and seltzer bottled sodas to complement the high-end alcohol. Additionally each drink will contain jagged wedges of ice, hand-cut from frozen blocks of mineral water...

It sounds okay so far, right? Good, even. And then (cue sound of bomb dropping):

"The lounge's signature drink, the Clock Martini, will include frozen Ketel One Vodka shaken tableside and served with traditional garnishes."

Oooh, Ketel One! Don't hurt your arm reaching so high up on the shelf! And traditional garnishes? Stop spoiling us! It seems they hired a guy to do their cocktail menu and he came up with a signature drink of a standard vodka martini. Refund!

Now, before I read this I'd heard that Marco Dionysos got a job working there. Marco works at Tres Agaves, used to work at Absinthe, and is a huge cocktail nerd who often corrects brand representatives on factual errors about their own products. He's invented at least one cocktail so good it's on drink menus in New York. Oddly enough, Marco told me a while back that he wasn't hired to be in charge but just on staff.

That's curious. Don't they know who they've got? Of course they must- the article points out that they did their research. Just listen to Patric Yumul, VP of Operations for the Mina Group in the 944 Magazine story:

"It's about hitting on all cylinders," he says. "None of the bars I saw were doing it though. Even in ones with great drinks, I didn't want to actually sit down because I was afraid of getting hepatitis."

Curiouser. I wouldn't think that suggesting your competitors' venues teem with disease often spread by fecal-oral contact would be a good way to ingratiate yourself within the local cocktail community. But then again, the hepatitis prevents me from thinking clearly.

Today I received the updated press release for the venue. There's no mention of hand-cut ice or house-made tonic- or Noah Ellis and the signature vodka martini for that matter. And how's this for not-a-raise:

Lead by a veteran hospitality team of GM Matthew Meidinger, reputable San Francisco bartender Marco Dionysos (formerly of Tres Agaves) and seasoned bar team Ray Cortez Brown, Estanislado Orona and Maren West, the opening of CLOCK BAR marks the return of San Francisco tradition to the heart of Union Square.

Well at least Marco is reputable now and singled out- though it doesn't appear he's been given a title/position such as Bar Manager or Head Bartender. Make that happen, Michael Mina people, and we'll have our first clue that you might know what the heck you're doing bragging about your super awesome new cocktail bar.

Anyway, mistakes have been made, but they're fixable. I hope everything turns out delicious and that they bring success and additional great cocktails to San Francisco- they're just going to have to work a bit harder at it.

[10:18 update: spelling of Ketel One corrected.]

Another day, another cocktail contest

If attending cocktail events is considered having a social life, then I'm the party animal of the century. If not, then... let's not consider that alternative since I don't do anything else.


Tonight I helped judge another cocktail contest, this one for Lotus Vodka. This brand is based in San Francisco and has distribution only in Northern California (though they're expanding soon), yet is in 500 venues in the region. 500! I doubt there is any other spirit brand in the nation with that kind of track record, so whatever they're doing, they're doing it right.

This one was done secret ingredient style, a la Top Chef. In the first round all eight contestants had half an hour to make a drink with nectarines. (That's my favorite cocktail fruit that I muddle into drinks at home all the time, FYI. Keep that in mind for the next contest.) Each person had to make one drink to present to us. From those drinks we picked three finalists- Ronaldo Colli from Americano, Josh Harris from Pier 23, and Cody Robertson from Lingba Lounge.

For the second round, the secret ingredient was peppers- a variety of them. The three finalists each made a tall drink on the rocks and an up drink. Ronaldo Colli made two drinks that were very good, whereas the other two contestants each made one drink that was extraordinary and another drink that was... not so good.

The third place winner (Josh Harris) was only two points out of 400 away from our second place winner (Cody Robertson), so it was more of a tie. This means Ronaldo Colli took home yet another trophy from another cocktail contest! Dude wins these things constantly and deservedly. Congratulations to Ronaldo and thanks to all the contestants for filling my social calendar with night after night of delicious drinks.


More pics here.

Don't quit your day job

The title I wanted for this story in July's San Francisco Magazine was "Take a Shift Where You Eat," but I can see why they didn't go with that :)

Don't quit your day job
Thanks to new amateur hours, dilettantes can give their dream careers a trial run.
By Camper English, Photograph by John Curley

Most fantasy careers (astronaut, movie star, Mrs. Clooney) are a bit out of reach for the average desk jockey. But at least there are some new ways to take dream jobs in the service industry for a test spin.

Read the rest of the story, with information about guest bartending at Elixir, the guest sommelier program at Fifth Floor, being the guest chef at Kuleto's, and guest stripping at New Century Theatre here.

EO SF: NO

I emailed with Dushan Zaric, an owner of Employees Only in New York, to ask about the rumor of a San Francisco outpost that's been going around town. The word is:

"We are currently not working on a SF Employees Only although it is in our plans to eventually open up an EO there...a lot of people have been asking but I have no idea how they got this information."

I have to admit that I'm glad to hear it. Though I have no problem with spreading a good thing around, local pride may may cause a little "We don't need New Yorkers to show us how to make drinks!" angst.

That said, the lines between New York drinks and San Francisco drinks are already starting to blur, and I think SF bartenders are practicing more professionalism and consistency, and NY bartenders are increasing the amounts and varieties of fresh juices and herbs in their cocktails. In another year, much of the regionalism may disappear from these two cities. In another year, New York may have a few dedicated tiki bars and and SF may have membership clubs.

I've been thinking about this a lot recently, getting ready for my talk at Tales of the Cocktail on Regional Trends in American Cocktails on Saturday morning. Last year at Tales, it became very clear that there were regional differences in cocktails between the coasts and that each brings something to the game. This year, we're moving beyond just SF and NY as cocktail centers, seeing amazing things in the Pacific Northwest, Southern California, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, and DC. Next year at this time, with the opposing forces of greater awareness of national cocktail culture versus the increasing amount of regional micro-distillers and focus on local ingredients, I'm not sure what will happen.

In the end I'm glad that there there isn't yet a homogenized idea of what good cocktails are, what they taste like, and in what types of bars to get them.

Note for the next heat wave

Cantina has air conditioning.

Unfortunately that was only the first stop on a bar crawl to show my pal Ana from New York around to the new cocktail bars that have opened since she was last here.

After a quick refresher at Cantina we hit Rye, where we sat in the outdoorish smoking patio hoping for a stray breeze, but no such luck was had. A drink was had instead.

Then off we went to Bourbon & Branch where it wasn't as stifling as it can be in there, so I felt lucky. Joel Baker made me a repeat of his Chatreuse/peach/basil/sherry drink from the competition a few days earlier, so I felt luckier- and he even sent someone out to pick up a peach to make the drink. Now that's what I call service!

By this time Ana was tipsy and hungry, so headed to NOPA where she could satisfy her urge to eat and I could satisfy mine to stay tipsy. It was hot, but not insufferably hot in there. Ana had one of their famous pork chops and pronounced it the best she's ever had (yeah for her, too bad for the pig), and I had some vegetable goop. Soon poor Ana, unable to contain her carnivorous voraciousness, had consumed the entire gigantic pork chop and grew uncomfortably full.

Time for an uphill walk in the not-cool night air! Up Divisadero and further up Haight Street we traveled to reach The Alembic. No heat relief was to be found there- it had to be over 90 degrees inside. Luckily, relief came in the forms of the Pisco Sour and new-to-the-menu Gilded Lily with Plymouth gin, Yellow Chartreuse, orange flower water, and sparkling demi-sec.

At this point Ana, who lives in New York and should really be better at this, pooped out. I think she was sufficiently impressed with the cocktails in SF and I was sufficiently impressed with myself for out-partying a New Yorker.

Not a bad way to beat the heat.

Level III opening + a cucumber recipe

Friday night I attended the opening party for Level III in the JW Marriott, which, it turns out, was also the 7X7 Magazine Best of SF issue party.

It's hard to say what the place will look like when the party lights are off and the space returns to its normal hotel lobby look, but they did a terrific job of fixing it up for the event.

They served three drinks from the menu: The Shanghaied, Portman Cosmafornian, and Cable Car No. 2. They were all batch-made drinks for the big party, so they weren't a good indication of how the drinks might taste when made on the spot- we'll just have to see about that going forward.

The Portman Cosmafornian is basically a Cosmo with a sweet lime foam on top- without the foam the drink is nothing special but the sweet lime foam really works. The Cable Car No. 2 is full of tequila with a chili powder and cocoa rim. I really liked where it was headed, though I think I would swap chili powder with wasabi. (Mmm, wasabi.) I wasn't sold on the chocolate but I like chocolate less than the average person.

The Shangaied with Square One cucumber vodka, Canton ginger liqueur, and lemongrass syrup had great flavors (though it came out too sweet in the batching) and the lemongrass bits kind of get stuck to your lips, but it's worth it. This could be a great drink for summer. It contains just three ingredients, and if you batch the lemongrass syrup (or buy it from Monin), would make a great party drink.

And the Square One folks just gave me permission to print the recipe. At Level III we had this drink served on the rocks instead of in a cocktail glass as directed below.

Shanghaied
Created by H. Joseph Ehrmann, Mixologist and Brand Ambassador for Square One

2 ounces Square One Cucumber Vodka
1/2 ounce Canton Ginger Liqueur
1 ounce lemongrass syrup*
3 - 4 inch piece of lemongrass stalk for garnish

Combine in a mixing glass with ice. Shake hard for 10 seconds and strain into a cocktail glass.

*Lemongrass Syrup: Trim the stalk at the bottom and just past the heart of the stalk (4-5 inches). Save top half for garnish. Cut the heart lengthwise down the middle and with a mallet pound the lemongrass to break it up. Boil lemongrass in one cup of water for 2-3 minutes then add one cup of sugar slowly, stirring constantly to dissolve. Bring to a boil then simmer for 3-5 minutes until syrupy. Remove from heat and cool completely. Pour through a strainer and into a storage bottle. Refrigerate.

One more stop on the downtown cocktail circuit

The JW Marriott on Post Street relaunched their restaurant/lounge, now called Level III, with cocktails created by H. Ehrmann of Elixir. The drinks, which I've posted below (as the website has it as a PDF), look really light, floral, and likely to go down easy.

Also, importantly, this is a new bar on the downtown drinking circuit. You can hit Level III on your way to Bourbon & Branch, Cantina, Rye, and other spots off Union Square. For someone who doesn't work or shop downtown, I sure spend a lot of time there.

emperor norton’s mistress
(seasonal – summer)
we’re sure this seasonal fruit refreshment would have been one of the emperor’s “decrees.”
knob creek bourbon, muddled strawberries, navan, and cointreau are combined and served tall, over ice with a luscious strawberry.

harvey milk punch (3 levels)
san francisco’s version of the big easy classic.
select your grand marnier
• level 1 – cordon rouge
• level 2 – cuvee de centenaire
• level 3- cuvee du cent-cinquantenaire
navan, organic milk; rolled and served over ice with a dusting of fresh nutmeg and fresh cinnamon.

the bank exchange punch
duncan nicol, an early san francisco mixologist, only allowed patrons two of his famous cocktail…
and for good reason.
barsol pisco quebranta, st. elizabeth allspice dram, pineapple gomme, distilled water, and fresh lemon juice are shaken and served up with a pineapple chunk.

shanghaied
we bet you’ll go willingly on this chinese journey.
square one cucumber, canton ginger, and organic lemongrass syrup, shaken and served up with an english cucumber slice on the rim.

the portman cosmafornian
leave it to san francisco to re-imagine and elevate the traditional berry flavor found in the wildly
popular cocktail.
level vodka, plymouth sloe gin, lime foam.

sunset on dunnigan
citrus and floral notes characterize this nod to the wine country.
damrak gin, sauvignon blanc, and st. germain are combined, shaken and served up with a grapefruit twist.

the summer of love
wait for the memories of 1967 to come rushing back with just one sip.
hangar one mandarin blossom vodka, rose water syrup, lillet blanc and chambord are combined and served up with a lemon zest rose.

golden gate fog
get lost in the flavors, not the “fog” that envelops this drink.
white peach puree, muddled mint, rhum clement creole schrubb, and lime juice are stirred, poured over ice, and topped with “fog” - a louche of kubler absinthe - and a mint sprig.

dirty harry
luck’s got nothing to do with this cherry-flavored concoction.
rittenhouse 100 rye, carpano antica, luxardo maraschino and a la fee absinthe rinse is stirred and served up with a house-made maraschino cherry.

cable car no.2
unique, latin flavor pairings differentiate this version from the classic.
4 copas organic añejo tequila, rhum clement creole schrubb, and lemon juice are shaken and served up with a ghirardelli cocoa and ancho chili powder rim.

Gin + Dinner = Ginner

Orson in San Francisco is hosting a Gin and Stone pairing dinner on June 11 to celebrate fresh stone fruit. (Gin you can celebrate all year round.) I've seen dinner pairings with bourbon, rum, absinthe, and even vodka, but this is the first gin and food pairing I've noticed. Check out the menu here.

All about absinthe

Bourbon & Branch's Beverage Academy has a few spots open for tomorrow's absinthe class with Lance Winters. Lance makes St. George Spirit's Absinthe Vert, and is a fun speaker to boot. Backing him up is Todd Smith who will be making absinthe cocktails during the event. If you can't make it tomorrow, the next one is July 29th. The Beverage Academy has also started teaching Cocktails 101, also lead by Todd Smith, who will teach you how to get the most out of making drinks at home. Get tickets here.

Events in San Francisco

Here are a few San Francisco events clogging my inbox:

May 22: 7 Leguas at Elixir's Cocktail Club.

May 22: Mr. Smith's Whisky Club holds a tasting of Bowmore 12, Achentoshan 18, and Glen Garioch 3 Wood, with Guest Speaker David Stoop.

May 24 and June 2: Uva Enoteca has begun hosting Introduction to Italian Wines classes. The first of the two dates is May 24. Join their mailing list for more info.

June 4th: the Mechanics Institute Library (almost my favorite place in San Francisco except they don't serve drinks) is hosting a talk by Benjamin Wallace, author of The Billionaire’s Vinegar: The Mystery of the World’s Most Expensive Bottle of Wine.

Going off-menu

It's over two weeks since I've been to Beretta, and I'm getting the shakes. I meet there last night for drinks and I find the menu lacking the cocktail I most want: the Rangoon Gin Cobbler. What to do, I ask Eric Johnson, my man behind the stick.

Relax, says he, mixing me one, we change the menu all the time depending on the ingredients in stock.

Fine, I go, and what else don't I see here?

He says we were recently between piscos, so the menu isn't packing Punch, but I'd whip one out for you if you wanted.

I say no thanks, buddy, but you've inspired me to keep this train off the tracks. I ask him for a Ti Punch since they've got rhum agricole laying around like bums in the park, and he makes me one like it's nothing. Thanks for keeping me steady, I say, and blow out of there until tomorrow.

Gin judging

Last night I helped judge the Hendrick's gin cocktail competition at Rye. Hendrick's likes to make things interesting in their events and marketing, so for this contest bartenders not only had to create a cocktail showcasing one of the botanicals in Hendrick's, they also had to recite a limerick to go along with it. The limericks were weighted heavily in the judging but luckily our top contenders were strong in both the poetic and taste categories.

The winner of the contest was Sierra Zimei of the Seasons Bar at the Four Seasons with her Secret Garden cocktail consisting of grapefruit, cucumber, lime, and cilantro syrup with a healthy dose of gin mixed in. She won a round-trip air ticket anywhere in the States, which unfortunately she's not using to join us at Tales of the Cocktail but opting for a baseball game with her husband instead. I believe that marriage should not get in the way of cocktailing, but then again that may be a reason I'm still single. I'll ponder that over drinks later.

After the contest, I went out to dinner with Julio Bermejo of Tommy's, Charlotte Voissey of Hendrick's, Rob Renteria of Martini House, Greg Lindgren of Rye, and some other friends of Julio. Joey and Eddie's (the former Moose's) has a short cocktail menu, from which I chose the Bronx Negroni, which is a regular Negroni with a touch of Averna. Very good.

Beattie book and bar news

I ran into Scott Beattie of Cyrus last night at Absinthe's SF Cocktail Week finale event. He had big news to share- as of last weekend, he's no longer be working behind the bar there. He'll still be running the show, though, so your drinks will be just as tasty as ever. So from now on, he'll be a backseat muddler.

In other news, his book Artisnal Cocktails: Drinks Inspired by the Seasons from the Bar at Cyrus, will be released in November. It's available for pre-order on Amazon.com here. He gave me a sneak peak at the contents and it looks like great stuff, with photos like the one below (stolen from his website). It makes me very, very thirsty.

Bourbon, Branch, and Boudreau

Prepare yourselves. The wonderfully talented Jamie Boudreau will be guest bartending at Bourbon & Branch on May 28th and 29th in the library room, bringing along his own cocktail menu. Will make drinks with beer liqueur? Olive caviar? Blowtorch something? We shall see.

Boudreau was until recently behind the bar at Vessel in Seattle, is the author of the blog SpiritsandCocktails.com, and is also a hell of a photographer. He makes many of his own ingredients, designs dozens of cocktails, and is a fine writer to boot. He does so many things so very well that you kind of want to kick him, but I do not recommend that officially. Instead, go read his website and visit him next week at B&B.

I should have made this claim 6 months ago, but whatevs.

Ginger beer is the new soda water.

Who uses a splash of soda anymore? Nobody in San Francisco, it appears. It's all about the GB.

Bong Souvenir

Bong Su restaurant has produced mini recipe booklets as souvenirs featuring their cocktails. I'm not sure when they're available and whether or not they're free, but they do intend to make them available to the public. I think this is a great idea- it reminds visitors of where they got that great drink they liked, and allows them to (try to) make it at home. And they did a nice job with these booklets- they're spiral bound with thick laminated pages.

And chances are, they were made at a discount. Brands used in the recipes are listed as sponsors on the back. Clever!

Robotic cocktails in SF

A cool robot bartender event I hadn't heard about.

Rum race

Next weekend's Bay to Breakers is San Francisco's famous naked race (as opposed to the naked marches, naked street fairs, and a generally high level of overall nakedness), though these days more people seem to be wearing costumes than nothing at all.

Don't like exercise? Don't worry. This year, the Million Pirate March gives you an excuse to drink rum, wear an eyepatch, and be generally more piratey than on other days. Also, wearing an eyepatch doesn't imply you have to wear anything else.

Different ways to get stinko on Cinco

The Chronicle does a nice round-up of non-margaritas in SF, including several versions of the Paloma, the Mescal gimlet, the fabulous Carter Beats the Devil at Flora, and the spicy Toro del Fuego at Laiola.

Beretta robbed!

Given the number of times I've been going there, it's surprising that I wasn't present for the drama. Then again, if I were, I probably wouldn't remember it clearly anyway.

Armed man robs SF restaurant in the Mission

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

(04-30) 19:02 PDT San Francisco -- An Italian restaurant in the Mission District was robbed early this morning while about 10 patrons were eating their dinners, said police Sgt. Neville Gittens.

Police got a call at 1:21 a.m. Wednesday that a man had walked into Beretta on Valencia Street between 22nd and 23rd Streets, waved a gun and shouted, "This is a robbery! Everybody get down!" He didn't fire his gun, and no one was hurt. A restaurant worker handed the man the cash, and he fled on foot eastbound on 23rd Street.

The suspect was described as an African-American male between 25 and 35 years old, 5'8" and 150 pounds and wearing a brown hooded jacket, black baggy jeans and black shoes.

The manager of Beretta was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

There is no indication the hold-up is related to the recent spate of Oakland area restaurant robberies, Gittens said.

"At this point, there's no indication it's related to anything," he said.

Light drinks

New York magazine mentions wine bar Terroir and Marshall Altier's non-hard-alcohol cocktails. (I just met Marshall last week in SF. I think he likes it.)

His concoctions incorporate port, sherry, vermouth, whipped egg white, and bracingly smoky Lapsang Souchong tea. They even display a touch of molecular mixology in the La Terra Ferma’s Nebbiolo-porcini spuma—otherwise known as foam.

Out here, of course, the big opening this week was Uva Enoteca, where Camber Lay (Range, Frisson, Laiola, Epic) did the drink list with the same restrictions. Here are some of the cocktails:

MIELE FRIZZANTE Carpano antique, orange, peach bitters & heidrum sage blossom mead

EVVIVA Tahitian green tea infused vya dry vermouth, lemon bitters, pinot bianco & lemon

IN BOCCA AL LUPO Lillet blanc, chilies, basil, prosecco & coconut salt

ULTRAS Birra bionda, ginger beer, lime, lemongrass & terragon

Lookin' good.

SF Represent!

I picked up a copy of Food & Wine Cocktails 2008 to see what the representation of bars and cocktails around the country was. West Coast drinks have been getting more attention in the past year and it's great to see this reflected in the book.

The cocktails from the Bay Area are:

Grapefruit Flamingo from Kieran Walsh at Solstice
Green with Envy from the Poleng Lounge
Amberjack from Le Colonial
Bergamont Shandy from NOPA
Zydeco Cocktail from Tres Agaves
Vanilla-Cucumber Limey from Jay Crabb at Martini Monkey in San Jose
Fog Cutter from Forbidden Island
Puerto de Cuba from Dominic Venegas (formerly of) Bourbon & Branch
Alsatian Daiquiri from Duggan McDonnell at Cantina
Thai Boxer from Scott Beattie at Cyrus in Healdsburg
Green Lantern from Range
Mi-So-Pretty from Elizabeth Falkner and Angie Heeney-Tunstall of Orson
Tommy Gun from Jacques Bezuidenhout of Bar Drake
Filibuster Cockatail from Erik Adkins of Flora in Oakland
Jose McGregor from Jimmy Patrick at Lion & Compass in Sunnyvale
Northern Spy from Josey Packard The Alembic
Off Kilter from Elixir
Babylon Sister from Jonny Raglin of Absinthe
Blackberry and Cabernet Caipirinha from Cantina
Strawberry and Ginger Cooler from Jeff Hollinger Absinthe
plus
Dark and Stormy Ribs from Presidio Social Club

That makes 17 SF and San Jose venues represented compared to 24 New York. Not bad for a city 5-10 times as small.

Other cities represented and their number of venues were:
Atlanta 4
Boston 7
Boulder 3
Chicago 8
Dallas 5
Houston 5
Las Vegas 5
Los Angeles 9
Louisville, KY 3
Madison, WI 4
Miami/ Ft. Lauderdale 5
New Jersey 4
New Orleans 5
Philadelphia 5
Phoenix/Tuscon 4
Portland, ME 3
Portland, OR 8
Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC 5
San Diego 4
Seattle 4
St. Louis 3
Washington, DC area 4

Note: Go Portland, Oregon! That place has had a great selection of local beer, wine, sake, and micro-distillers for a while now. The new cocktail bars like Beaker and Flask and TearDrop Lounge are taking it to the next level. And with Imbibe Magazine based out of Portland, it may soon be the most important drinking city in the nation. Props.

New word needed

As may be apparent from the name of this website, I love making up new words. But I'm stumped.

Last night a group of friends and I hit Beretta (making this my sixth visit in three weeks, I have a problem) and sampled 13 of the drinks over two rounds. What made it fun is that nobody owned any one drink- we all shared everything, except for Jamie who hogged the Rangoon Gin Cobbler and Marshall of Tailor in NYC, who was the bottleneck in our cocktail-passing circle.

Then we realized we only had four drinks to go to try all 17 cocktails on the menu, so we ordered more. Project!

So now I need a word or phrase that describes having every drink on the menu in one night- the cocktail menu equivalent of a triple crown or marathon or Iron Man.

Suggestions?

Reading material

- The LA Times story reporting on the closing of some of SF's old-time watering holes was reprinted in the Baltimore Sun. I'm so glad word on the street is we don't have any good old bars left. That's not entirely true, of course. Katy St. Clair, who was quoted in the LA Times story, writes about them in the SF Weekly all the time.

- Eric Felten in the Wall Street Journal taste tests mass-market bourbons and finds Evan Williams his favorite. As usual, he has some great cultural anecdotes in the story as well.

- The NYTimes has a story on a $10,000 home still that efficiently converts sugar into ethanol. Unfortunately, it's for car fuel.

- Jeff Mortgenthaler (Morty) gives a simple recipe for ginger beer. Marleigh at Sloshed! reviews some commercial brands without high-fructose corn syrup.

- Jamie Boudreau describes his individual component method for making any type of bitters. And I thought I was crafty for using my Chia herb garden to make tinctures.

- Alder at Vinography has the complete list of wine blogs- in several languages!

- Esquire's molecular Whiskyburger's recipe is now online.

Conduit cocktails and convoluting the story

I finally made it into Conduit for some drinks the other night. The menu by Reza Esmali has a lot of surprises. He combines Rhum Clement's Creole Shrub with Chartreuse and lime in the Monk's Voyage, absinthe and tequila in The Hub, and apple brandy, lemon, and mint in the Gravenstein Smash. The dessert cocktails are unique too, bringing bourbon and almond grappa together in the Americana, and Creole Shurb and Nocino walnut liqueur in the Clement. (There is also a classic cocktail section for the less adventurous.)

I don't know where he came up with these ideas, but I like where they're going. I wasn't in complete agreement with the balance of some of them- more nuts, please- but they deserve another try seeing as I'd just come from having about four drinks at another bar. Luckily this place is near my house and open late.

It's great how bars in San Francisco are veering in different directions. Innovation here and there, spirits business morality there, organic drinks there and there, fresh fruit in many bars, and classic-derivative cocktails all over the place.

While variety is definitely a good thing, it will make the panel I'll be giving this year at Tales of the Cocktail on regional American cocktail trends a little more difficult to sum up. It used to be fresh fruit = SF, stuff from bottles = NY. Now there's a lot more overlap.

Drinks at Fish and Farm

There's another organic cocktail program in town at Fish and Farm. Mixologist Brian Livesay uses spirits like Square One vodka and 4 Copas tequila in his drinks, along with some brands not certified organic but that use organic ingredients. Some of the fresh herbs in the drinks are grown on the chef's rooftop garden.

The drink list includes some interesting elements like rosemary and citrus-infused gin, but seems largely dependent on fresh juices and mint. The real creativity, however, comes from the modifying ingredients.

Since there are no commercial organic vermouths or triple secs, Livesay makes his own using an organic neutral base spirit and organic ingredients. He makes sweet and dry vermouths, triple sec, a delicious apple liquor, cherry-vanilla and orange bitters, and is working on a few more cordials like cocoa-blueberry. Hand-labeled bottles sit atop the back bar and line some of the shelves, so you know he's got a bunch of other experiments in the works as well.


All in all, a very cool project.

Dry Drunk: The Cocktails of Thad Vogler at Beretta

What's up with my iPhone-tography skills? Do I have to be good at everything?

Anyway, Beretta. I was only thinking about the cocktails when I went there, but it turns out that with inexpensive food and lots of communal seating, this may be the one cocktail restaurant in which I can actually afford to eat. (Small plates priced as small plates- what a concept!)

But back to the important stuff: the drinks. Thad Vogler's drinks, unlike many in San Francisco, eschew the farmer's market fruit, flowers, and herbs in favor of the basics- lime, lemon, grapefruit, and pineapple. The flavor profile of most could be considered classic for that reason, but as opposed to classic derivative drinks that go wild with brown spirits and amaros or other unusual modifiers, these cocktails are more like simple drinks reconsidered.

What sticks out is the types of sweetening agents used in each drink- honey, gomme syrup (made by Slanted Door's Jennifer Colliau), sugar cane syrup, agave syrup, etc. I don't know if they use plain old simple syrup at all. But when you drink them, "sweet" isn't a word that comes to mind. Vogler makes the driest drinks in town. He uses a lot of gin, rhum agricole, and maraschino liqueur, and even the Pisco Sour isn't sweet (or all that sour- it's almost earthy).

Of the drinks I tried, the Nuestra Paloma is the most pleasing and probably the safest bet for the less adventurous drinker (It's delicious- don't get me wrong). The Dolores Park Swizzle looks great with a few drops of bitters atop the crushed ice of the drink like a happy red treat, but packs a wallop of flavor. I like it more as the ice melts starts and dilutes it. The same is true of the Rangoon Gin Cobbler, my favorite drink on the menu so far that has a nice orange aspect to it from the Cointreau. I also liked the Single Village Fix, making this the second time I've ever enjoyed a drink with mescal in it.

Is anyone else bored of my typing? I am. Long story short: tasty dry drinks, go good with food, it's in my neighborhood, I'll be back lots.

More winners

After the USBG competition, many of SF's bartenders headed over to the Averna competition at Cantina. There two local bartenders won a trip to Italy to compete in the finals: Thomas Waugh from Alembic and Jeff Hollinger of Absinthe, who was not actually at the competition but had his drink made my Jackie Patterson of Orson. Congrats, people.

Regional Winner

Congratulations to Carlos Yturria, who won the United States Bartending Guild regional qualifier today at Conduit against about 20 other bartenders from as far away as Sacramento. Carlos will be competing in the USBG national competition in Long Beach in May.