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.

Cocktail radio

Update- Listen to the radio show here.

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Tomorrow (Tuesday) at 10AM California time, Dale Degroff, Ted Haigh (Dr. Cocktail), and H Ehrmann from Elixir will be on KQED radio, 88.5 FM, speaking about the "cocktail renaissance."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Seriously

Did the Kentucky Derby really need an official tequila? Let's stay on-message here, people.

One one hand...

... it's a terrible thing that I'll be out of town for all but the last day of San Francisco Cocktail Week, because the schedule is looking absurdly great and I keep hearing about more special guests being added. On the other hand, with me out of town there will be a lot more cocktails available for everyone else to drink. Think of it as my gift to you.

WoW Report

Live from the Denver airport (kudos for the free wi-fi), my take on last night's Whiskies of the World in San Francisco:

• Eades "Double Malts" is a lame advertising term to describe the combination of two single malts, married in an additional cask. However, their Islay blend, made with Bowmore and Caol Ila and finished in a Zinfandel cask, is going in an interesting direction. I think I like it when people put a sweet and soft spin on a macho spirit, kind of like a drag queen with a beard.
  
• The new Ardmore single malt (previously it went mostly into the Teacher's blend) seemed to be a big hit at the event. I'm glad- I like the stuff. I had lunch with the brand ambassador Simon Brooking the previous day. He said that there are about 3,000 cases released this year (in the next couple of weeks), but should be five times that next year. It's the only fully peated Highland malt, with the peat smokey flavor profile of an Islay scotch, but there's something about the texture of the whisky that's most like the smoothness Glenlivet or Glenfiddich. The combination of lighter texture and heartier flavor I really enjoy.
  
• I tried Tuthilltown Spirits products for the first time. I was surprised to love their unaged corn whiskey (moonshine, basically). I didn't like the Baby Bourbon at all, but found their Single Malt to be tasty. And those little tiny bottles are just so cute. I'll take a dozen!
  
• But the big hit of the night was the High West Rendezvous Rye, a blend of a 6 year old and 17 year old rye that was destined to be blended into Canadian Whisky. The man behind the brand, David Perkins, saved it from its fate and married the two together. Perkins says that with the exception of Anchor's 100% rye, his product probably has the highest rye content on the market. And in a strange coincidence, Perkins is the future father-in-law of an old raver friend from the early 1990's I ran into at the event. Flashback!
  
• There were also a few vodkas, rums, eau-de-vie's, and absinthe at the event. I skipped most of them but tried some tequila.
• Querido Viejo had a deliciously sweet blanco that reminded me a little of Corralejo crossed with Don Julio. I didn't like their reposado at all- it was aged 9 months in new oak. The anejo, aged in Canadian whisky casks (and I think Canadian whisky casks are often used bourbon casks used again but I could be wrong) I also enjoyed. It's strange how so many tequila brands have blanco, repo, and anejo expressions, but they may not share the same barrel finish or flavor profile.
  
• Speaking of that, I also tried the Don Eduardo tequila. The blanco is triple distilled and thus doesn't taste like anything much. The reposado, on the other hand is only double distilled like usual, and is wonderfully strong in agave character and spiciness from aging in Oregon pine. The anejo, aged in used bourbon barrels, I thought was just okay. Go repo!

Phew! That's it. Now I'm thirsty again.

New at WoW

The annual Whiskies of the World is coming up March 28 and 29th in San Francisco.

On Friday the 28th, they'll be holding $30 seminars and $ 60 courses (differentiated by the duration of each) at Le Meridien Hotel. The 2.5 hour courses include "Whisky Wizardry" by John Glaser of Compass Box for those into experimentation with blending, "Grain to Glass" that seems like a large overview of whiskies from around the world, and "A Walk in the Woods" with whisky master Steve Beal of Diageo, which is all about wood maturation.

The 50-minute seminars are mostly brand-specific, with tasting lectures by MacKillop's Choice, Yamazaki, Bowmore, and Laphroaig, plus "The Great Whisky/Whiskey Debate" which is about American vs. Scotch whiskies. Information on courses and seminars is here.

The big tasting this year returns to the San Francisco Belle, docked at Pier 3. Even though the boat is docked the whole time it can be a little wobbly until your sea legs catch up with your natural rocking motion from the alcohol. The tasting costs $99 and runs from 6PM-10PM.

New this year, the Beverage Academy of Bourbon & Branch will host a booth at the event so you can stop by and learn about the programs. The open air top deck allows for a whisky and cigar pairing, and there are live whisky cooking demos from Angel Catering.

The list of whisky brands attending is here (scroll down).

Celebrity guest bartending

Will celebrity bartenders be the next celebrity DJs, degrading the profession with unprofessionals? You could certainly do both at once, since being a celebrity DJ means having someone plug in your iPod, but I can't see Paris Hilton getting herself sticky. Via email friend Blair:

Danny Bonaduce, Celebrity Bartender
Tomorrow, 5-8pm at The Intercontinental:
2151 Avenue of the Stars, Century City
Los Angeles, CA
For the first of their quarterly celeb nights, the Intercontinental's bringing out adorable Partridge runt Danny Bonaduce to mix up cocktails. Danny's favorite drink (a double vodka-cran) is 1/2-price; proceeds go to his favorite charity, which provides “assistance dogs” to the disabled (rehab veterans who still drink double vodka-crans?).

Gin winners

Last night I stopped into Rye's cocktail competition with this month's sponsor Bluecoat Gin. Certainly the most interesting cocktail of the evening was Jonny Raglin from Absinthe's green garlic drink- there's nothing like a cocktail that gives you stink breath. Raglin said it was made to go with food, like a big plate of french fries. French fries and gin? That's my kind of meal.

I later found out that it was a garlic gastrique. And you know what that means, folks: He used the magic ingredient of 2008: Vinegar!

The competition's winners were Joel Baker from Bourbon & Branch in third place, H. Ehrman from Elixir as runner-up, and Carlos Yturria from Grand Puh Bah and other places taking home the first prize. His drink was my favorite of the night also- along with some fresh juices, it had pepper in it and I'm a total sucker for that.

Winning drinks from Rye's competition make it onto their drink menu, so stop in and try one.

SF Event: Cocktail week calendar

They've started to put together the schedule for San Francisco Cocktail Week.

This year it will run May 13 - 19. Some of the events planned include an opening event at the Starlight Room with Tony Abou-Ganim, a guest bartender night at various bars around the city, several cocktail dinners with food and cocktail pairings, a "Save the Sazerac" event at Elixir, a booze and literature lecture at Hotel Rex, a farmer's market cocktails event at the Ferry Building, and a grand finale event at Absinthe.

Wow. This is shaping up nicely.

The SF Cocktail Week website isn't up to speed just yet, but stay tuned for more information.

Bar-swapping

Reminder to SF'ers make real live New York City bartender Phil of Death & Co. welcome at Alembic this week, and for New Yorkers to visit Thomas of the Alembic in your own backyard. I believe they're swapped until March 12th.

Abinthe in the Apple

Lance Winters of St. George Spirits will be giving a talk on absinthe at the Astor Center on March 12th. Details are here.

San Francisco wine events

Courtney at Hip Tastes has scheduled a slew of new wine events in the days and evenings, with themes like "blind tasting boot camp," "salty and sweet," and "Austrian odyssey." Check 'em out.

Cold Porter

Nice story about porters in the Chron today.

Also, Celebrator Beer News is celebrating their 20th anniversary with a party on Sunday in Oakland.

SF Event: Strong Beer Month

February is Strong Beer Month once again, and both Magnolia and 21rst Amendment breweries will be putting a list of high-alcohol beers on their menu to help you celebrate.

To kick off the party, brewers from both places (both nice guys) will be at the Toronado Thursday Jan 31 to say howdy. Stop by and have a high-octane beer.

SF Event: 80 beers

This Saturday in San Francisco a two-hour tasting event of 80 beers from around the world. The details are here. It sounds worth the money (if a bit short) at only 30 bucks, but the copy on the flier reads like it was translated from a third grade essay in another language:

This enjoyable event will be a Unique opportunity for you to discover New & Exotic beers while gauging stylistic differences against your own preferences. Serving the beers will be Beautiful servers/ambassadors dressed in Specially designed sexy costumes with an around the world theme making for a truly extraordinary experience.

Hopefully the event will be better than its description.

The drinkiest day of the new year

What is it about January 28th? In San Francisco, it's Absinthe's ten-year anniversary party, a Hands On Bay Area fundraiser at Bin 38, a Moet-Hennessy tasting, Rye's Mixing Competition with Navan, and 7x7 Magazine's Eat & Drink Awards. All events I'd like to attend.

Unfortunately, I won't be here to hit any of them. I'll be on a plane coming back to SF after a visit to Asheville, NC.

Bummer.

Shrub

Here's an event that you need to RSVP to attend. I'll be going to the industry version of it early in the day, as I'm starting to get real interested in rhum agricole.

CELEBRATE CARNAVAL WITH MARTINIQUE’S RHUM CLÉMENT CRÉOLE SHRUBB

A BARTENDER FAVORITE—LEARN HOW TO MAKE COCKTAILS FROM SOME OF SF’S FINEST

Who: 4^th generation Clément family rhum connoisseur, Benjamin Mélin Jones, Cantina Bar owner and mixologist extraordinaire, Duggan McDonnell and cocktail and beverage aficionado Jordan Mackay will lead a discussion about Rhum Clément and Créole Shrubb, a superb blend of white rum and aged rum infused with Créole spices and sun-bleached bitter orange peels. Learn about the history of A.O.C. Martinique Rhum Agricole, the tradition behind Créole Shrubb in Martinique and how to incorporate Shrubb into classic and contemporary cocktails and cuisine.

What: Enjoy complimentary Shrubb cocktails and festive nibbles followed by an open Q&A

Where: Cantina Bar

580 Sutter Street (cross Mason)

San Francisco, CA

Limited space--Please RSVP to (removed)

When: Monday, February 4, 2008

6:00-7:30 p.m.

Another Repeal Day party announcement: Forbidden Island

On December 5th, 1933, the 21st Amendment to the US was ratified by FDR, repealing the 18th Amendment, aka Prohibition, aka “Big Mistake”.

We will be celebrating at FI in style: All the remaining November Cocktail Month Specials will be just $5 all night until they’re gone. That’s about 12 different drinks! I’ll have a list on hand that
night.

Repeal Day Party in SF

CELEBRATE THE REPEAL OF PROHIBITION WITH BLUECOAT GIN AND ELIXIR

DECEMBER 5th

San Francisco , 1933 - On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment to the U.S Constitution is ratified, repealing Prohibition. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1881-1945) ran for the presidency in 1932, partly on a platform of the repeal of Prohibition. The 21st Amendment was ratified by the State of California on July 25 ^th, 1933. On December 5, 1933, Utah was the 36th state to ratify the amendment. President Roosevelt immediately issued a repeal proclamation.

In those days, California was considered the farthest reaches of the United States and, as it was so far from the Federal Government, Prohibition was not as closely followed as in some other states. However, Elixir, then under the ownership of the man who built rebuilt the saloon after the 1906 fire, ran it under the business description of a "soft drink parlor". How "soft" the drinks are, we'll probably never know. But one thing is for sure: 74 years ago, on December 5^th, there was a damn big party at ELIXIR. And we're gonna do it again!

Please join us for

Bluecoat Gin Cocktails at Prohibition Era prices!

$5 Cocktails all night

9pm to close

Pisco book event

On Monday, December 3 at 7PM at Cantina there is a book release party the English language version of Wings of Cherubs, a novelization of the author's search for the recipe for the original Pisco Punch.

Book signing and release of Wings of Cherubs—A book that unravels the secrets of Pisco Punch, the magic and mysterious concoction of San Francisco, California, of the early 1900s. In an entertaining way, the narrative describes the saga of a protagonist obsessed with discovering the recipe of the secret beverage, long lost since the death of its creator en 1926. With the gift of being able to transport himself in time, he reveals little known historical anecdotes of San Francisco. The book climaxes presenting the recipe of the famous Pisco Punch for the benefit of all those who love history and Pisco brandy. (254 pgs., 147 photographs and illustrations; a 30 pgs. essay is included).

The author, Guillermo Toro-Lira will be reading from, selling, and signing copies of his book. (It's also available on Amazon.com here or directly from the author here.) I have a copy of the book but haven't read it yet. However, San Franciscans should take time to learn about this drink, as it was one of the most popular cocktails in the US in the gold rush era and invented here in SF. I plan to write a large feature on pisco and 'frisco in the new year, and hope this book will be a good resource.

Oh, and if you haven't tried the pisco punch at Cantina you really must. It's an updated version but it's delicious.

Tiki bar crawl in San Francisco

By me, in today's SF Chronicle:

Next Thursday though Sunday is the seventh annual San Francisco Bay Area Tiki Crawl. That the event is spread out over four days and three geographic regions is an indicator that we have a heck of a lot of tiki bars in this part of the world. (Take that, Hawaii!) On South Bay Thursday, the hordes descend upon Smoke Tiki, the Palo Alto Trader Vic's and Martini Monkey in the San Jose airport (pending approval). Friday night, city tiki-hoppers stop by Trad'r Sam, the Tonga Room, Bamboo Hut and the San Francisco Trader Vic's. On Saturday, it's time to hit Trader Vic's in Emeryville, Forbidden Island in Alameda, and the Conga Lounge and Kona Club in Oakland. The tour ends on Sunday with a leisurely revisit of Forbidden Island. There is no bus between venues unlike past years, so drivers are encouraged to find safe carpool situations rather than anger the great gods of common sense. Specific times and addresses, as well as an e-mail information list can be found on TikiCrawl.com.

Magnolia Pub's Ten Year Anniversary

Magnolia Pub and Brewery in the Haight is celebrating their ten-year anniversary next week as they launch their annual Thunderpussy Barleywine for the holidays. They're doing a concert at the Great American Music Hall on Monday, and having themed food and beer all week at the pub. Here's the word on what's happening from owner Dave McLean:

The early part of the week is a nod to some of the things that influence us. Mon-Thurs are all 3-course menus (also available a la carte). Monday is an expansion of our ongoing New Orleans night, Tuesday a British gastropub theme, Wednesday the menu is Belgian-inspired, and Thursday is an extension of our fried chicken night with a southern theme. Then on Fri-Sun night we will be running the same 5-course tasting menu each night (not available a la carte, and the whole table must order), which will focus more on David's creativity and be an expression of what can done with the gastropub concept.

We will feature our favorite local and sustainable producers throughout, of course. The actual anniversary is on 11/11 (sunday), so the Monday, 11/5 show at the Great American Music Hall is sort of the kickoff and then the week will progress with the menus and pairings and some beer releases like barrel-aged 10th anniversary ale and barrel-aged Belgian tripel and some vintage Old Thunderpussy Barleywine and Smokestack Lightning Imperial Stout. Plus whatever else we can find in the cellar.

Not Finnished Yet

Yesterday I went to Finnishing School, an event put on by Finlandia vodka lead by Dale De Groff and Tony Abou Ganim. They do this program around the country every now and then, but this was my first time attending. For those of us aware that fresh ingredients are important in cocktails it wasn't a huge awakening, but I did pick up a few tidbits of information- to keep a bunch of mint fresh, store it upside down in a bucket of cold water, canned lychees are easier to work with and not much worse tasting than fresh ones, and a "gummy" feeling in the mouth is an indicator of glycerin in your vodka.

Speaking of picking up things and tasting glycerin, I picked up a prize for identifying the most vodkas in a blind taste test. I (and four other people) picked four out of six vodkas correctly. We knew what the brands were and had to match the tasting sample with the brand. I was really gunning to get them all, but didn't feel as bad when I learned that only six people in the entire history of the Finnishing School have ever identified them all. Next time...

For me the creaminess of Absolut and the charcoal of Kettle One were easy stand-outs for my palate, it was clear they were pushing Finlandia as the sample that tasted the most like nothing, and I got the Grey Goose solely by the process of elimination. (I am ashamed to admit that I mixed up Skyy and Stoli, two brands I've probably had more of than the rest!)

In any case, it was a fun event and every bit of confirmation that I'm not a complete phony helps drown out the voices of doubt. Also, so does the vodka.

Halloween drinks in SF

By me, in Friday's SF Chronicle:

A few bars and restaurants around San Francisco are putting extra effort into making your Halloween more spirited with cocktail specials.

Luna Park is serving the Dr. Moreau's Island, a rum punch poured into a bowl with dry ice for the fog machine effect. 694 Valencia St. (near 18th Street), S.F; (415) 553-8584, lunaparksf.com.

Another rum bar, Forbidden Island in Alameda, is serving two drinks without rum for the night: the Hawaiian Hemoglobin, a blood-red hibiscus liqueur and sparkling wine drink, and the Hellfire with mango, tamarind, Hangar One chipotle vodka, and cayenne pepper. 1304 Lincoln Ave. (at Sherman), Alameda; (510) 749-0332, forbiddenislandalameda.com.

At Rye, bartenders are conjuring up three cocktails for All Hallow's Eve: the Bela Mumosi (similar to a mimosa), the Karloff's Cauldron with pumpkin puree and ginger flavors, and the Bloody Scary, which is a riff on the Bloody Mary. 688 Geary St. (at Leavenworth), San Francisco; (415) 474-4448.

Teatro ZinZanni is performing a special macabre ball event with the drinks made with Blavod black vodka. Pier 29, Embarcadero at Battery Street; (415) 438-2668, zinzanni.org.

And whatever costume you're wearing this year, don't forget to cut a hole in the mask for the straw.

WhiskyFest listing

Okay, last post about WhiskyFest until I go there: Here is the mention of the event in Friday's SF Chronicle:

Lessons in whisky

Malt Advocate magazine's WhiskyFest, which has been running annually for years in New York and Chicago, makes its debut in San Francisco on Tuesday. It's a one-stop whisk(e)y workshop, with lectures, tastings of more than 250 Scotch, Irish, Canadian, Japanese, and American whiskeys, and food to keep you from getting overwhelmed by it all. Some of the special guests and/or speakers this year are Jimmy Bedford, master distiller at Jack Daniel's, Fred Noe, Jim Beam's great grandson, and John Campbell, distillery manager at Laphroaig. New whiskeys available for tasting include Benromach Organic Scotch, additional Glenmorangie finishes, and the Buffalo Trace 2007 Antique Collection. The event runs from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency, 5 Embarcadero Center, in San Francisco. Tickets cost $105; to register in advance and for information, call (800) 610-6258 or visit maltadvocate.com.

Pisco at Elixir

I just heard through the grapevine (read: just got the weekly email blast) that Diego Loret de Mola will be leading a Pisco tasting at Elixir in San Francisco on Thursday during their weekly Cocktail Club. I went to Diego's pisco presentation at Tales of the Cocktail this summer, and it was great. He had us all make our own pisco sours, though I doubt there is room for all that shaking at Elixir.

Where's the after-hours at?

I just got word that Swig and Bourbon & Branch will be holding discounted after-parties for WhiskyFest San Francisco Oct 23. You know, just in case you haven't had enough with the 200+ at the tasting.

Bourbon & Branch After Party

501 Jones St.

San Francisco,

415-673-1921

20% discount on all whiskies in our 150 bottle (mostly Bourbon) list. Just show your WhiskyFest ticket stub to receive the discount. The event would be held in the Library room and a secret password is required for entry at the front door. To get the password, send an email to RSVP to dahi (put at sign here) bourbonandbranch.com. Admittance will be limited. Try their new Buffalo Trace cask; they will also be making new whisky cocktails such as the Revolver (Bulleit, Tia Maria, Orange Bitters), Black Manhattan (Buffalo Trace, Averna, Cherry Coffee bitters), as well as classics such as Blood & Sand, Manhattan and Old Fashioned.

Swig After Party

561 Geary St. (between Taylor and Jones)

San Francisco

415- 931-7292

20% discount on 175 (mostly Scotch) whisky list.

Islay and Oysters at Absinthe

I don't even eat seafood but this sounds like a great pairing. Islay single malts can take on much of the character of the sea due to the wind-swept island locations: salt, seaweed/iodine, and the smokiness I bet will work just great with how (I think I remember) oysters taste.

Thursday, October 11
6:00 pm, $50 per person

Join us in our Private Dining Room as
we sample up 20 different Islay drams.

In addition, we'll consume countless oysters, celebrating an age-old Islay pairing. This event is our warm up for Malt Advocate's first annual Whisk(e)y Fest in San Francisco on October 23, at the Hyatt Regencey Hotel. To purchase tickets for Absinthe's 'Little Feis Ile', go here.

Good things come in small batches

By me, in today's SF Chronicle:

Oct. 13 is the first Independent Spirits Fest, a big tasting event focused on small producers. Unlike most single-topic spirits bonanzas, this one has a bit of everything: cachaca, single-malt Scotch, liqueurs, flavored vodka, eau de vie, bourbon and more. Most of the Bay Area-based distillers (Charbay, Anchor, St. George, Osocalis) will present so you can support the home teams or try something from farther afield. Spirits are available for ordering on site, allowing you to get a jump on your holiday shopping. For added entertainment, "Cocktails on the Fly" Internet cocktail show host Alberta Straub will be conducting live interviews with distillers onstage while also mixing drinks with their products. Tasting, food and music are included for $75, or for $88 you can get in and start tasting an hour early.

The W Hotel San Francisco, 6:30-10 p.m. Oct. 13th. Tickets available at CelticMalts.com.

Roshambo!

By me, in today's SF Chronicle:

While most wineries sponsor genteel sports like croquet and polo, Roshambo stages a battle of fists. At high noon this Saturday, the fifth annual RockPaperScissors Championship gets under way. Competitors, who must register in advance ($20 at roshambowinery.com), come dressed for battle in opponent-concentration-breaking costumes like blue wigs and wrestling gear. The winner of the event takes home $2,500, which buys a lot of wine and better outfits in which to defend the title in 2008. Tickets for spectators (spectating costumes also encouraged) go for $10 in advance or $15 at the door.

Noon-6 p.m., Flamingo Hotel, 2777 Fourth St., Santa Rosa; (707) 431-2051

WhiskyFest To-Do List

Amy Westlake from WhiskyFest (October 23 in SF, October 30 NY, Chicago April 4, 2008) sent me an email with the new bottlings available for tasting at the event this year. So take it as what's new in whisky or an ad for WhiskyFest. Whatevs-I wish every industry would list the new launches for each season.

Aberlour 16yr.
Benromach Organic
Bowmore 18 yr.
Several new Bruichladdichs
The New Buffalo Trace 2007 Antique Collection
Compass Box Flaming Heart
Deanston 30 year old
New release of Evan Williams Single Barrel, not going into circulation until 2008
New Glenmorangie finishes
Hazelburn
Lagavulin and Oban Distillers edition
New 2007 release of Old Forester Birthday bourbon
Springbank 16 year Rum Cask

Note: How many more finishes can Glenmorangie do?

Schedule for the week

Monday: Lotus Vodka launch, Campari cocktail contest, Skyy vodka after-party, drinks for friend's birthday

Tuesday: Gin lunch

Wednesday: Tequila tasting

Thursday: Wine book launch party

Friday: Happy hour party

No wonder I need the weekends to catch up on work.

A Toast to MJ this Sunday

The Beer Hunter website lists places to join in a toast to beer/whisky writer Michael Jackson and raise money for Parkinson's Disease this Sunday, September 30.

In the SF Bay Area, you can join at the Bistro in Hayward, Rogue Ales Public House, and the Toronado.

We've got spirits fests, yes we do

Here is my comparative round-up in San Francisco Magazine of the three upcoming spirits festivals in San Francisco: the Independent Spirits Festival, Malt Advocate's WhiskyFest, and the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's Extravaganza.

I just found out I'll be out of town for the Independent Spirits Festival, which is too bad because they'll have all sorts of weird stuff there. But hopefully I can still hit the other two.