Alcademics.com

Smuggler's Cove in Pictures and Words

Smuggler's Cove, the San Francisco tiki bar by "Shoeless" Martin Cate, opens in San Francisco on Tuesday, December 8th. I got a sneak preview along with other members of the press on Thursday night. To give you an idea about the level of excitement around this bar opening, some cocktail nerds drove up from Los Angeles or flew down from Portland to witness it in person, assuming they'd see it now before it is packed for the next few months as the very enthusiastic tiki crowd swarms in.

Smuggler's Cove has a gorgeous menu featuring 80 mostly rum cocktails and will have over 200 sipping rums. There are incentives for drinking them all. Join the "Rumbustion Society" and work your way through the rum list to gain access to samples from very rare bottles. Or join the "Voyager of the Cove" club and try all the cocktails for unspecified super secret perks.

Ah, but what does it look like? Sort of like the entrance to a theme ride at Disney World. Rather than being a design theme or decor, the three-story (yet small) bar is filled with props and sets. The giant anchor that hangs menacingly over the main stairway is thankfully not made of solid metal, nor is the canon that threatens to squish the bartender. Giant rocks poke out from the walls, some sort of tribal spears adorn a wall, and rum crates are used as tables in the basement. It's like drinking on a movie set, not that I've ever done that.

It's all very unreal, except for where it's not. The bar is actually packed with historic artifacts from tiki bars around the country- the the ship's wheel and Boathouse sign above the downstairs bar, vintage tiki mugs, totem polls, and other flotsam and jetsam once adorned the walls of various Trader Vic's and other bars. The three display windows at the entry level bar are mini-museums dedicated to past San Francisco tiki bars, including one where the first tiki mug was created. There is so much history in the place I'm considering asking Martin to train me as a docent to give regular tours.

So here are the pictures.

The top floor is a bamboo hut lounge where journalists take notes about the bamboo hut lounge on the top floor.

 

The street level bar is small and backed by endless bottles of delicious rum.

Recent LA transplant Matty Eggleston was working there on preview night.

 

The ceiling in this room is tall and packed with barrels, boxes, and other stuff held up with ropes and pulleys. 

In the basement, Dominic Venegas works the bar.

No wait! That was a pufferfish lamp. This is Dominic Venegas working in the basement bar.

And this is the guy who built this magic playground for us, "Shoeless" Martin Cate. Congratulations Martin!

New Booze: The Kraken Spiced Rum

I don't think of the spiced rum category as anything too special- it's just rum flavored with things like caramel, vanilla, and chocolate. Todd Thrasher's recipe makes it sound more complex and actually spicy- his homemade version includes ginger, peppercorns, and nutmeg. But honestly I'd rather have additives mixed in the glass rather than the bottle.

Of brands on the market I've tried Captain Morgan's, Kilo Kai, and Sailor Jerry. I can't say I love any of them, but then again spiced rum is basically designed to be mixed with Coke and I rarely drink that (and never in a bar).

New to the market is The Kraken Black Spiced Rum. It has a more pronounced coffee and bitter coco flavor to it that I can appreciate so much more more than vanilla and orange. It doesn't feel like it's going to give me a toothache and it's okay for sipping. For the few spiced rums I've tried, it's my favorite by far. 

But the branding, I love. Sea monsters are awesome, a close second only to pirates (and above ninjas) for things that are cool to my internal 15-year-old. I even sent away for the free poster from the website. Not surprisingly, this brand comes from Proximo Spirits who also has the cool 1800 Tequila street art bottles.

Rum Day in the NYT

We've been predicting a comeback of tiki drinks for about three years now, but maybe it will finally happen in 2010. The New York Times has two rum stories today.

The first is a huge and terrific write-up of Martin Cate's Smuggler's Cove that opens next week in San Francisco, and Audrey Saunders' Tar Pit in Los Angeles opening later this month. I did not know that Saunders' spot was going to be rum and tiki themed- this is most excellent news.

The second is a tasting of aged rums with some interesting conclusions.

The Smuggler's Cove Rumshakers

Smuggler's Cove, the new San Francisco tiki bar in the former Jade bar space, run by "Shoeless" Martin Cate formerly of Forbidden Island, will open December 8th to much fanfare. 

The word on the scene is that the rum selection is going to be ridiculously large. The staff are in training now to make the probably very long menu of undoubtedly complicated and delicious tiki drinks. They've already announced they have a rum, and wine, and a beer made exclusively for the bar. And it keeps getting better- I just got word on the staff.

The Smuggler's Cove rumshakers will be:

• Christine D'Abrosca-England (ex-Malo, Seven Grand in LA)
• Matty Eggleston (ex Varnish in LA)
• Reza Esmaili (Conduit)
• Melissa Garcia (ex-Trader Vic's)
• Jacqueline Patterson (Heaven's Dog)
• Alex Smith (soon-to-be-ex Ramblas & Thirsty Bear) manager
• Dominic Venegas (83 Proof, John Walker & Sons, Appleton Rum ambassador)

The other folks in the picture are barbacks and a door person. Aloha! See you in December.

Glossy Booze: Big October Edition

Glossy Booze is a regular Alcademics feature in which I cover the liquor coverage in glossy magazines.

Bon Appetit (October)lists a recipe for the Highland's Fall from Peter Vestinos, available here. Also, a story on dry cider and one on dessert wines. In November St. John Frizell has a recipe for the coffee/rum drink Koffie Van Brunt.

Everyday With Rachael Ray (October) has a story on "gum cocktails"- not something you get at Tailor, but combining flavors of gum to make new flavors.

GQ (September) had a big feature on the six best drinking cities in the US. They were San Francisco, New Orleans, Chicago, Portland (OR), Nashville, and New York.

Conde Nast Traveler has a list of three tropical island bars in the Bahamas, plus a recipe for the Goombay Smash.

7X7 (September) has a story on Rickhouse. In the October issue, Jordan Mackay writes about relocated NYC sommelier David Lynch. 

Men's Journal (October) list America's best beers here, and the top five beer towns here.

Sunset (October) has beer and food pairings for Octoberfest, and a story on green wine packaging.

Esquire has a recipe for the Grasshopper. Really!

Details lists some "really excellent canned beer,"and a few places in which to drink it.

And the winner for best drink coverage goes to Food & Wine- and they didn't even have any cocktail recipes. Their stories are:

• What sommeliers know best.
•  Understanding Oregon Pinot Noir country
• Wineries by the sea all over the world- France and Spain, US, Australia, Portugal, and South Africa.
• Wines for drinking, not overthinking
• American Wine Awards
• A preview of the F&W Wine Guide 2010
• How to be a smarter wine shopper
• Gruner Veltliner
• 50 classic wines to try
• 15 rules for wine and food pairings

Glossy Booze: Late July Edition

Glossy Booze is a regular Alcademics feature in which I talk about the alcohol coverage in magazines.

Gourmet (July) has a ton of liquor content this month: an essay on cocktail parties, a Negroni recipe, a brief mention of big ice, a recipe for Fresh Tomato Bloody Marys in a brunch story, Fresh Mint Juleps in an American party story, a Black and Tan recipe in an afternoon meal story, and several recipes for cocktail-flavored ice pops. (More ice pop recipes here.)

Saveur (July) has six drink recipes on one page: Book Club Sangria, Kentucky Club Margarita, Michelada, Longhorn Bull Shot, Cucumber Cooler, and the Chico.

Food & Wine (August) lists light wines for hot days and big balanced reds.

Chilled Magazine, which is more of a drinking magazine for nightclub types, has several stories on vodka and stories on the Thirsty Traveler, Sam Adams, molecular mixology, and flair bartending.

GQ (August) has a quick note on lower alcohol wines for summer. In the July issue, they list recipes for the Ramos Gin Fizz, Rum Fizz, and Gin Fizz.

Entrepreneur (July) has an entirely lackluster cover story interview with John DeJoria of Patron.

 Bon Appetit (August) has a great profile of Boston bartender Misty Kalkofen, a quick recommendation of swizzle sticks, a story on fizzy drinks, and perhaps the spookiest picture of a Bellini ever taken.

Two Cool New Contests

Exciting things in my inbox to share with y'all.

Malibu Reef Check

Malibu kicks off the ultimate beach internship to enlist 10 interns to monitor coral reef health in Thailand, the Maldives or the Philippines. Malibu is giving 10 budding environmentalists a chance to do just that through the first-ever Malibu Beach Internship.  Beginning today, eligible individuals who are of legal drinking age (21 and over) and passionate about ecosystem preservation may apply. 

Applications will be accepted from July 1, 2009, through August 31, 2009, and are available online at www.malibu-rum.com/reefcheck.  The applicants who convey the most creativity, enthusiasm and character will be selected as finalists, and will be sent on a 10-day assignment to a Malibu-sponsored eco-adventure with Reef Check to an exotic location, such as Thailand, the Philippines or the Maldives. 

Also, cool new bottle!

Enter here.

Partida Party Kit:

Each week until Mexican Independence Day (September 16^th), a name will be chosen from a random drawing.  One weekly winner will receive the Partida Margarita Fiesta kit valued at $150, which includes the following:

• 1 Handsome Partida Tote Bag
• 1 Stylish T-Shirt
• 2 Old Fashion Glasses
• 1 Cocktail Shaker & Strainer
• 1 Bottle of 100% Organic Agave Nectar
• 1 Lime Squeezer
• 1 Cocktail Recipe Booklet
• 5 Partida Margarita Buttons

    (Contest valid only in California, Florida, New York, and Texas)

Enter here.

Glossy Booze: Late June Edition

Glossy Booze is regular Alcademics feature; a round-up of spirits stories in magazines.

Details (June/July) has a story on punch and places to get it around the country, plus a small feature on Hauz Alpenz products. 

ReadyMade (June/July) has another story by Alex Day, this one on ice. Looks like some good advice on how to freeze and split a pan of ice.

Town and Country  (July) has a feature on new food and drink cookbooks for summer.

GQ (July) has three fizz recipes: the Ramos Gin Fizz, the Rum Fizz, and the Gin Fizz.

Mutineer (June/July) has a story on the movie Beer Wars, a feature on craft distillers of the Pacific Northwest, a big story on absinthe, a tour of Maker's Mark, and an interview with Max Riedel of Riedel glass.

Bon Appetit (July) has some recommended blanco tequilas, lists a recipe for the Strawberry Muddle (recipe: muddle strawberries. add prosecco),and a story on IPA beers. 

In Esquire (July), David Wondrich takes a break from writing about cocktails to tell us we don't drink enough champagne.

In Food and Wine (July), we have a recipe for Peach Sangria, a story on creating a wine list, a story on texture as a wine pairing guide, one on Argentinian wines, some recommended restaurants in which to drink wine, and the best beers for wine lovers.

Men's Journal (August) has a ton of booze coverage: recommendations for High West whiskey, Sam Adams Imperial White, and Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, plus a story on four summer classic cocktails with a twist with recipes by Sean Muldoon of Belfast's Merchant Hotel, Chris Hannah or Arnaud's, Jamie Boudreau of Tini Bigs, and Jeffrey Mortenthaler of Clyde Common. There is also a recipe for an Heirloom Bloody Mary, and Jimmy Buffet recommends a drink that's just rum, coconut water, and a slice of lime.