tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81521899230247912632024-02-15T20:34:21.102-08:00The Joy of DrinkingBars! Cocktails! Recipes! Spirits! Where to drink, what to drink, and what to make at home. We tell you the stories behind the cocktails.Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-73191575633617402802016-07-10T01:10:00.000-07:002016-07-10T17:03:43.604-07:00Classic Johnny Codd: A Revamped Menu at Tradition with Glitter, Gold, and Shots of Beer<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/27408300094/in/album-72157670389048066/" nbsp="" title="Tradition-37"><img alt="Tradition-37" height="534" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7724/27408300094_03c920a167_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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If you know <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Johnny%20Codd" target="_blank">Johnny Codd</a> at all, you will not be surprised by this picture.<br />
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Or this one.<br />
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Or this one.<br />
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Or this one.<br />
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That's because Johnny has been known for this kind of flair in execution at bars across San Francisco — from Wo Hing to the Coachman to Gaspar. He's honed a graceful approach to cocktails. It comes through in novel presentations and in well-balanced, sometimes unlikely, flavor combinations.<br />
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Johnny recently took over running the grandiose bar in the Tenderloin, <b>Tradition</b>. Tradition is a bar built on a concept that the name suggests: The menu pulls from all styles of making drinks — from dive bars to Prohibition, from tiki to British and Scottish. Such a wide variety of cocktails creates a ready stage for Johnny to play in what he does best: creative cocktail development.<br />
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As with his previous bars, Johnny is driven by an ambition to wow visitors. He always seems willing to go the extra mile to delight the most jaded bar flies with something new and cool in their drinks.<br />
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Want to meet the cocktails on Tradition's new menu?<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/27944402661/in/album-72157670389048066/" nbsp="" title="Tradition-64"><img alt="Tradition-64" height="400" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7366/27944402661_a0cc371f1e_n.jpg" width="265" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/27408342373/in/album-72157670389048066/" nbsp="" title="Tradition-66"><img alt="Tradition-66" height="400" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7314/27408342373_e0e9d5a82a_n.jpg" width="265" /></a><span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/27741945080/in/album-72157670389048066/" nbsp="" title="Tradition-4"><img alt="Tradition-4" height="400" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7431/27741945080_db770bec2e_m.jpg" width="266" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></u></span><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<b>Molecular - Ford's Gin, clarified lemon, gomme syrup (sugar), soda water, blue ice, soda, and juniper foam.</b><br />
The blue ice isn't made of the stuff from the Easter Egg coloring kits when you were a kid. It's made from butterfly pea flower, an ingredient that is beginning to trend, both in the tea world and now up-and-coming in cocktails. It is a flavorless, organic leaf that turns from blue to purple as acid is added.<br />
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This drink itself is "molecular" for additional reasons. Johnny uses his coveted industrial-strength centrifuge in back to clarify the lemon juice, a process that removes all impurities and makes the juice silky smooth. On top, he adds a juniper foam made using an ionizer juniper. The result is a drink that is pleasantly clean, delicious, and slightly creamy. You could drink the same thing all night.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/27408298604/in/album-72157670389048066/" nbsp="" title="Tradition-43"><img alt="Tradition-43" height="266" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7338/27408298604_6a403e00fe_m.jpg" width="400" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/27408298384/in/album-72157670389048066/" nbsp="" title="Tradition-44"><img alt="Tradition-44" height="266" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7490/27408298384_721beb9203_m.jpg" width="400" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<b>The Big Easy - Rittenhouse Rye, rum, vermouth, Benedictine, and Trinity bitters.</b><br />
The ingredients list on the menu lets the star of the show surprise you: GOLD! Who doesn't love gold! Johnny garnishes the drink with a satisfyingly warm, glimmering gold cherry and shiny accent on the base of the coupe — all non-toxic.<br />
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The drink itself is a twist on a classic: the Vieux Carre, which is one of Johnny's personal favorite cocktails. Instead of the classic cognac you'd find in a Vieux Carre, Johnny swaps in rum and adds Trinity bitters (which has hints of orange and cherry) instead of the traditional angostura and Peychauds. Between the gold and the warm, classic flavors, it's a drink that'll make you feel you you're wearing an evening gown or tux.<br />
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<b>Parting Glass</b><br />
The Parting Glass is a beloved drinking song sung at the end of the night in Scotland and Ireland. Johnny honors the tradition with a nice pour of Irish whiskey and spicy flavors that will warm you up as quick as apple pie. The drink is made from Bushmills Irish Whiskey, lemon, tree maple, baked apple, and ginger.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/27408295654/in/album-72157670389048066/" nbsp="" title="Tradition-56"><img alt="Tradition-56" height="320" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7368/27408295654_ea5ce858ee_m.jpg" width="212" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/27408295424/in/album-72157670389048066/" nbsp="" title="Tradition-57"><img alt="Tradition-57" height="265" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7275/27408295424_28cd08d218_n.jpg" width="400" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<b>Scottish Pub</b><br />
Two words: sparkle dust. Yes, there is glitter in this cocktail. Using, again, non-toxic magic, Johnny adds some sparkle to an otherwise stiff and serious drink. Tip: The glitter is best seen when stirring up the cocktail, so be sure to give it several whirls — because you can.<br />
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The rest of the cocktail is a deep and spicy mix that will make Old Fashioned fans happy. It is made from Monkey Shoulder Scotch, Tradition Amaro, smoked sherry, cinnamon, and silver dust.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/27741941960/in/album-72157670389048066/" nbsp="" title="Tradition-13"><img alt="Tradition-13" height="266" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7594/27741941960_b83af1ca5e_m.jpg" width="400" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/27741941230/in/album-72157670389048066/" nbsp="" title="Tradition-16"><img alt="Tradition-16" height="266" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7086/27741941230_b4034fb657_m.jpg" width="400" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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<b>Exotic</b><br />
Johnny is known for trying to make the details of a cocktail fun, and in this case he does it by toasting the banana garnish in this drink until it is warm and crispy. He also uses one of England's favorite tea, Yorkshire, and infuses it into gin. To that he adds, Bacardi 8 rum, coconut cream, and green pineapple — creating a creamy, but tropical, drink with a fragrant finish.</div>
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<b>Public House</b><br />
Johnny's nod to the British pub is funky and easy to drink. It uses Junipero gin — in the British tradition, of course — and adds to that house passion fruit syrup, lemon, rose, vanilla, and a bit of egg whites for froth.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/27944402161/in/album-72157670389048066/" nbsp="" title="Tradition"><img alt="Tradition" height="267" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7362/27944402161_2f043e67ed_c.jpg" width="400" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/27408299134/in/album-72157670389048066/" nbsp="" title="Tradition-41"><img alt="Tradition-41" height="267" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7108/27408299134_7ebd711e94_c.jpg" width="400" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<b>Grand Hotel</b><br />
The drink may look pretty and fruity, but beyond the pink is a complex cocktail. It's made of Reyka vodka, lime, Creme de Noyaux (made from apricot pits), black pepper, and a pour of bubbly champagne. Every menu must have a vodka drink, and this one has plenty of depth from the lime and black pepper.<br />
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<b>Dive Bar</b></h4>
This is not the typical beer with a shot you'd order at a dive bar. Johnny inverts it by offering a strong — but refreshing — cocktail with a shot of beer. The cocktail uses some strong stuff — like El Silencio mezcal, Chartreuse, and white pepper — but then cools it down with funky ingredients like lime and pineapple sorbet. Dry Pacifico washes it all down. If you're anything like us, you'll be returning to this fun pairing in the future.<br />
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<b>Tradition</b><br />
441 Jones St, San Francisco, CA<br />
(415) 474-2284<br />
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tradbar.com%2F&src_bizid=9co7fnNktBXbrQ5HFpGN1w&cachebuster=1468137551&s=1abf4839a82c9944df28941e4b3b983f191135a369705f3810eb38e8d018094e">tradbar.com</a></div>
Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-78669849389054341522016-04-24T14:05:00.003-07:002016-04-24T14:53:55.621-07:00New Bar: Bar San Pancho - Sports, Cocktails, and Mexican Food All in OneDo you guys remember <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Chino" target="_blank">Chino</a> in the Mission? The neon-adorned, psychedelic Pan Asian food with tongue-in-cheek tea cocktails, boba slushies, and hot wings? We wrote about it <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2015/03/meet-drinks-fun-and-inventive-cocktails.html" target="_blank">here</a> and for <a href="http://sf.eater.com/2014/9/26/6852061/in-the-drink-with-chinos-danny-louie" target="_blank">Eater</a>.<br />
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Well, after it abruptly closed in January, that space...<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15440888942" title="Chino"><img alt="Chino" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5600/15440888942_c2644bf91a.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15441261955/in/album-72157647725570922/" title="Chino"><img alt="Chino" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3936/15441261955_a861c6d45d.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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... is now this space:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/26017667424/in/dateposted/" title="Bar San Pancho"><img alt="Bar San Pancho" height="375" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1547/26017667424_78fd5431ca.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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Night and day, right? The new place is still run by the Tacolicious owners, but the revamped concept is called Bar San Pancho, which resembles something like a fancy sports bar. Chino's bright colors and throwback 90s decor has taken a complete 180, brought down with black accent walls, big TVs playing sports, and a string of muscular guy bartenders who have chosen baseball caps and blue t-shirts over mustaches, suspenders, and button downs. They've swapped out the Pan Asian fare for rich plates of Mexican-style food served at tall tables.<br />
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The bar staff pounds out unfussy, easy-to-drink cocktails punctuated with punches of fresh fruit juices. For $12, you can also build your own drink; choose from a list of three fresh syrups (strawberry-rhubbarb + black pepper, meyer lemon + basil, or blood orange + ginger) and three venerable spirits (Del Maguey Vida mezcal, Leguas blanco, or Denizen white rum). Served with soda and ice.<br />
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Here's the cocktail menu:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/26530520862/in/dateposted/" nbsp="" title="Bar San Pancho menu"><img alt="Bar San Pancho menu" height="500" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1561/26530520862_597fd17e52.jpg" width="375" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<b>Bar San Pancho</b><br />
<strong class="street-address" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></strong><br />
<address itemprop="address" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/PostalAddress" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span itemprop="streetAddress" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">3198 16th St.</span><br /><span itemprop="addressLocality" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">San Francisco</span>, <span itemprop="addressRegion" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">CA</span> <span itemprop="postalCode" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">94103</span></address>
Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-53104287485443679192015-12-29T12:22:00.001-08:002015-12-29T19:51:02.074-08:00Shaking It Up: San Francisco Industry Movements January 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After a quiet summer, the end of 2015 was a big season for bars in San Francisco. Where is everyone now? We often get emails about where regulars can find their favorite bartenders. So we decided to make it easier for everyone. We're putting together a regular list of where some of the most talented people behind the bar have been coming and going in the past three months.<br />
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Hear something or want to be included on the list? Drop us a line at hello@spiritlifestudios.com. We'll fact-check it and add it to the list.<br />
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<li><b><a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Isaac%20Shumway" target="_blank">Isaac Shumway</a></b> opened up the new <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Alamo%20Drafthouse" target="_blank">Alamo Drafthouse</a> in the <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Mission" target="_blank">Mission</a>. They are doing kitchen-style service for the theaters and also running a dedicated bar space called <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Bear%20Vs%20Bull" target="_blank">Bear Vs Bull</a>. Stacked on his roster are <b><a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Christian%20Clark" target="_blank">Christian Clark</a></b>, <b>Helen Diaz</b>, <b>Chad Henry</b>, <b>Rhachel Shaw</b>, <b>Andrew Mundy </b>(back from Florida), <b>Joel Baker, Will Popko</b>, <b>Michael Fleury</b>, <b>Ally Opstedal</b>, <b>John Fragola</b>, and <b>Dan Rubin</b>.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Claire%20Sprouse" target="_blank">Claire Sprouse</a></b> celebrated her last night at the Hideout as she continues her cross-country work with Tin Roof Drink.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Johnny%20Codd" target="_blank">Johnny Codd</a></b> is continuing to manage the formidable cocktail program at <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2015/06/gaspar-opens-new-cognac-room-as-johnny.html" target="_blank">Gaspar</a> but can also be found making appearances behind the wheel at <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Bourbon%20and%20Branch" target="_blank">Bourbon and Branch</a>. </li>
<li>After leaving BDK, <b>Kevin Diedrich</b> opened up a new popup called Turnkey in the Cantina space. Joining him is longtime teammate <b>Adrian Wong.</b> </li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Anthony%20Parks" target="_blank">Anthony Parks</a></b> took over the program at <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Mourad" target="_blank">Mourad</a> and is on his second iteration of the menu based on the the winter season.</li>
<li><b>Zachary Brian Taylor</b> left the program at Dirty Water and can now be found slinging on Saturdays at 83 Proof. </li>
<li><b>Randy Mariani</b> helped open the new Oro in <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/SOMA" target="_blank">Soma</a> and is leading the cocktail program there. The restaurant opened its doors in September. </li>
<li><b>Keli Rivers</b> is capitalizing on her passion for gin by helping<b> Martin Cate</b> and <b><a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Alex%20Smith" target="_blank">Alex Smith</a></b> get going at <b>Whitechapel </b>which first opened its doors in October. </li>
<li><b>Dan Stahl</b> joins the crack team over at ABV, which means that the "best new American Bar," according to the Spirited Awards, somehow got bestier. He's splitting his time between ABV and working with cocktail innovators <b>Justin Lew</b> and <b>Ian Scalzo</b> at Tsk/Tsk, which is blowing out New Year's Eve before closing down to build out cocktail lounge Horsefeather.</li>
<li><b>Jay Villafana</b> continues his work at the inventory software company Beverager. He's not at Raven anymore (the last party was Saturday), but you can find him churning out drinks at <b><a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/The%20Slanted%20Door" target="_blank">The Slanted Door</a></b>.</li>
<li><b>Jared Bene, </b>formerly of <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2013/03/where-to-drink-bar-agricole.html" target="_blank">Bar Agricole</a> and Trou Normand, has taken over the cocktail program at Izakaya Rintaro.</li>
<li><b>Christina Cabrera, </b>formerly of <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Novela" target="_blank">Novela</a>, has taken a new post leading the program over at <b>Barbarossa</b>, which opened in October.</li>
<li>The abrupt closing of <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2015/03/meet-drinks-fun-and-inventive-cocktails.html" target="_blank">Chino</a> in the Mission was one of the saddest this year, but you can still thankfully spot <b><a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Danny%20Louie" target="_blank">Danny Louie</a></b> pouring out drinks over at Dalva on Mondays. </li>
<li>After 20 years behind the stick, <b>Brian MacGregor</b> left Wingtip and embarks on new adventures working as a local field specialist for The Macallan Single Malt Whisky. Shared Brian, "The decision was not made lightly, but as my family has grown, I now have two beautiful little girls. I needed to have a job that allowed to be more present as a father and a husband."</li>
<li><b>Sam Houston</b> (formerly of Saison and Alexander's Steak House) and <b>William Tsui</b> have both left Jasper's in the Tenderloin and are at work on a new popup called <a href="http://sf.eater.com/2015/10/30/9646096/tiger-and-crane-chinese-cocktail-pop-up-series" target="_blank">Tiger and Crane</a>. You can also find Will making appearances at Bon Marche and Dirty Water, while Sam has been sighted in LA. </li>
<li>After shredding on the road with his band King Woman, <b>Colin Gallagher</b> is back behind the bar at Trou Normand and Hideout. Catch him before he goes on tour again. </li>
<li><i>Our bad</i>: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that <b>Neil Roche</b> was over at Alamo Drafthouse/Bear Vs Bull. He's mixing things up over at <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2014/09/ramen-shop-chris-lane-meet-cocktails-japanese.html" target="_blank">Ramen Shop</a> in Oakland with <b><a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Chris%20Lane" target="_blank">Chris Lane</a></b>.</li>
<li><i>Last Call: </i>After a decorated run at Maven, <b>Kate Bolton</b> is off to Portland where she will be managing the bar at Americano—<b>Blair Reynolds's</b> sophomore bar highlighting coffee (<b>Tim Hagney</b> will be taking the post at Maven). SF also said farewell to <b>Don Mallory</b> who left Rich Table to move to the great city of Chicago. He's nabbed a corporate position over at Lettuce Entertain You, a big restaurant company in the Windy City. <b>Kinson Lau</b>, meanwhile,<b> </b>left San Francisco to go shake things up in Las Vegas. </li>
</ul>
Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-13496510752238179592015-12-26T14:47:00.001-08:002015-12-29T00:25:22.742-08:00Bear Vs Bull: A neighborhood bar, cocktail watering hole, and flick house all in one [PHOTOS]<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/23722704822/in/album-72157660212425403/" nbsp="" title="Alamo Drafthouse, Bear Vs Bull"><img alt="Alamo Drafthouse, Bear Vs Bull" height="404" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5827/23722704822_e444a198a9.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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It is a truth universally acknowledged that in order to get a decent cocktail, you need to 1) recite a password to gain entry, 2) divine the meanings of a deeply poetic menu, 3) cower at a sassy bartender.<br />
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OK, so maybe we're being overly dramatic to make a point (pound sign handonforehead), but lucky for casual bar flies, more and more bars in San Francisco are <a href="http://sf.eater.com/2015/10/12/9488957/san-francisco-cocktail-trends-2015" target="_blank">on a trend</a> to make cocktails less pretentious.<br />
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Bear Vs Bull, the bar inside the newly opened Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, is part of that movement.<br />
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Drink nerds have been anxiously awaiting the project's opening for months now. The team that originally built a following at <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Tosca" target="_blank">Tosca</a> has reunited for Bear Vs Bull. This time, though, they integrate the casual environment of a neighborhood dive with a spectrum of boozy treats: simple but carefully made cocktails, 30 beers (25 on tap), 18 boilermakers, and four frozen blended drinks. Spirits lovers will also rejoice in a wide selection of whisk(e)ys and agave bottles for decent prices.<br />
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Does this mean that high prices and long waiting times are creeping into dive bars? Not here.<br />
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Bottles and cans of beers are available for as little as $2 to $3, boilermakers go for as little as $7, and even pinky-up spirits drinkers will find the menu rife with deals (yes, Hibiki 12 for $12 and Pappy van Winkle bourbon for as low as $35 a pour. Please don't tell anyone else).<br />
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Bartenders keep short wait times with quick fixes like cocktails on tap, straight forward cocktails, and a veteran staff––most of whom have worked in the trenches of high volume watering holes in the city. <i>(Five deep? Pffffttt.)</i><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/23810786442/in/album-72157660212425403/" nbsp="" title="Bear Vs Bull"><img alt="Bear Vs Bull" height="375" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5754/23810786442_b2a5974069.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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Leading the program is beverage director <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Isaac%20Shumway" target="_blank">Isaac Shumway</a> (formerly of Tosca, Heaven's Dog, Bourbon and Branch, French Laundry, and Gary Danko) who has built a reputation on his attention to detail.<br />
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Many cocktail bars try to loudly flaunt precision and forethought, but Isaac is trying to do the opposite with Bear Vs Bull. He seeks to make the experience so familiar that guests may not even notice the extensive work behind the scenes. </div>
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The space itself is wedged into a quiet corner of the Alamo Drafthouse, a chain known for comfy, text-and-talk-free movie theaters that allow you to eat and drink while you watch a flick.<br />
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Crowds ebb and flow with the show times, as movie goers can casually lounge and discuss plot twists. Between drinks, bartenders rotate a series of rock and roll records to keep the mood fresh. A smattering of tall tables and broad backed chairs allow guests to linger without feeling too cramped.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/23202962364/in/album-72157660212425403/" nbsp="" title="Alamo Drafthouse, Bear Vs Bull"><img alt="Alamo Drafthouse, Bear Vs Bull" height="500" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/754/23202962364_e237c98048.jpg" width="333" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Subtle Baker Drinks</b></span><br />
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Behind the low key environment, Isaac and his team have sewn together a tightly knit theme that pays tribute to the theater's rich history, the neighborhood, and cocktail tradition.<br />
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The theater that Alamo now occupies is over 100 years old, its first heyday in the wild 1920s. At that time, cocktail forefather Charles H Baker was abroad in South America where he was chronicling a drinking culture that would turn into his book <i>A South American Gentleman's Guide to Drinking</i>.<br />
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It just so happens that Bear Vs Bull is in the Mission District, a historically Latin community. So Isaac decided to pay tribute to the Alamo Drafthouse's history and its neighborhood by featuring Baker's drinks from his South American travels in the 20s, an often overlooked chapter of the writer's famous history. <br />
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In practice, this means honed Baker cocktails from his South American period.<br />
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Meet some of these cocktails:</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Remember the Mile </span></b><br />
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This rich and herbaceous cocktail will make fans of Old Fashioneds and Fernet giddy. Christian Clark, formerly of Tosca, Big, and AQ, came up with the recipe for this cocktail, which Isaac says is the Remember the Maine variation that he himself has been unable to perfect for years.<b> </b>The original uses rye, sweet vermouth, cherry heering, and a bit of absinthe.<br />
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Christian and Isaac tweak this cocktail by using Rittenhouse 100 (overproof rye), Latitude Adjustment, cherry brandy, house aromatic bitters, and orange peel. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/23831098895/in/album-72157660212425403/" nbsp="" title="Alamo Drafthouse, Bear Vs Bull"><img alt="Alamo Drafthouse, Bear Vs Bull" height="320" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/711/23831098895_dacd02709d_n.jpg" width="203" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/23831099905/in/album-72157660212425403/" nbsp="" title="Alamo Drafthouse, Bear Vs Bull"><img alt="Alamo Drafthouse, Bear Vs Bull" height="320" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5740/23831099905_0b72c7a229_n.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">House Martini</span></b><br />
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Do you ever ask a bartender how they like their own martini? This is Isaac's. Isaac creates a clean and fragrant version of this beloved classic by using Martin Miller's Westbourne Strength Gin.<br />
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You can find the martini on the menu in the Alamo Drafthouse theater or order it off-menu in Bear Vs Bull. Please note the classic martini glass––don't order this one unless you're sober enough to keep the drink from sloshing over the sides. ;-)<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/23535398700/in/album-72157660212425403/" nbsp="" title="Alamo Drafthouse, Bear Vs Bull"><img alt="Alamo Drafthouse, Bear Vs Bull" height="320" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/637/23535398700_2fa2446548_n.jpg" width="218" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/23204291383/in/album-72157660212425403/" nbsp="" title="Alamo Drafthouse, Bear Vs Bull"><img alt="Alamo Drafthouse, Bear Vs Bull" height="320" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5687/23204291383_a7f017cff1_n.jpg" width="213" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Waxman Special </span></b><br />
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The ingredients sound strong, but the Waxman Special is an easy sipper, part juicy apple and part delicate bouquet.<br />
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Isaac stirs together gin, specially made apple brandy from St George, French sweet vermouth, and yellow chartreuse.</div>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/23804992286/in/album-72157660212425403/" nbsp="" title="Alamo Drafthouse, Bear Vs Bull"><img alt="Alamo Drafthouse, Bear Vs Bull" height="320" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5834/23804992286_c9eba29cb8_n.jpg" width="213" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/23804991046/in/album-72157660212425403/" nbsp="" title="Alamo Drafthouse, Bear Vs Bull"><img alt="Alamo Drafthouse, Bear Vs Bull" height="320" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5645/23804991046_b677e0f613_n.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Surf Club Mangareva </span></b><br />
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This refreshing cocktail sips a bit like a buttery Mint Julep. It combines calvados (French apple brandy), honey, coconut-washed Cointreau (orange liqueur) and lime and is served in a custom made ceramic cup over cracked ice. <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Far Eastern Nitro Gimlet </span></b><br />
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Bear Vs Bull features a three-drink selection of cocktails on tap, which allows the staff to move quickly but also play with new textures for the cocktails. The original gimlet is made from gin and lime cordial, as beloved by drinkers as it is simple. <br />
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Isaac's version uses nitro to introduce tiny bubbles in the gimlet and serves it over a large, clear block of ice. The result is a creamy consistency. He also packs in a pleasant burst of citrus by making the lime cordial in house with fresh lime peels (did we mention he used to cook at The French Laundry?). <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Banana Cow </span></b><br />
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For years, cocktails know-it-alls, er, I mean cocktail geeks, have looked down on frozen or blended cocktails because of bad memories from high-fructose blended drinks, headache free of charge. That and who doesn't love a high horse, amirite? <br />
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Isaac, however, likes to point out that blended and frozen drinks are historical because you can find them in Charles H Baker's book (and we all know that to end cocktail argument among nerds, you simply need to establish some kind of historical precedent).<br />
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Bear Vs Bull highlights four frozen and blended drinks to the menu. Each drink is carefully measured to spec and the amount of ice is weighed on a scale so that it has the perfect ice to drink ratio. While you can't get the frozen drinks in the theaters, you can order them at Bear Vs Bull and bring the frozen drinks into the movie with you.<br />
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The Banana Cow is a pleasing frozen swirl of El Dorado 12-year Guyana rum, a secret ingredient called "Cow syrup," grenadine, maraschino, lime, and half a banana.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Adult Milkshake </span></b></div>
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You can order cocktails, beers, and frozen drinks both at Bear Vs Bull and at the movie theater (see below for the full details, as there are some differences between the theater menu and Bear Vs Bull). Theater drinks are served restaurant kitchen style with a full roster of bartenders at three wells that crank out drinks. Bartenders first train in this kitchen before getting behind the bar at Bear Vs Bull. <br />
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One easter egg you can only get in the theater (and <i>not</i> at Bear Vs Bull) is the adult milkshake. At $14 or so, these shakes are actually a steal because you're getting the best ingredients––Dandelion Chocolate and Strauss Cream, for example––and they're ridiculously rich, creamy, and smooth.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Beer, beer everywhere! </span></b><br />
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Like most cocktail bartenders, Isaac and the Bear Vs Bull team love beer. And they particularly love it with shots. Their beer list, though massive, is carefully cultivated and the boilermakers are as thoughtfully paired as they are delicious. <br />
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All Bear Vs. Bull beers are available in the theaters. You can take Bear Vs Bull cocktails into the theater, but you cannot order Bear Vs Bull cocktails in the theater. The theater has its own delicious cocktail menu, perhaps to be covered at a later date. You can order theater cocktails in Bear Vs. Bull (except the milkshakes).<br />
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<b>Bear Vs Bull</b><br />
2550 Mission St.<br />
San Francisco, CA 94110<br />
Open 2pm-2am every day.<br />
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Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-76240008431271088322015-10-23T10:51:00.000-07:002015-10-23T16:29:59.035-07:00Anthony Parks's Beautiful Drink Program at One-Star Michelin Mourad [photos]<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/20955018578/in/album-72157650087516969/" nbsp="" title="Mourad_ Anthony Parks _ Spirit Life Studios-12"><img alt="Mourad_ Anthony Parks _ Spirit Life Studios-12" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5717/20955018578_78e345b76a.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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I don't know about you, but I cannot believe that it is already October (pumpkin spice ramos gin fizzes, anyone? Anyone?). I've been rushing around working on a bunch of articles for other publications, which is why you haven't seen as much on here lately. This fall has brought a flurry of exciting openings, not to mention the annual Eater Cocktail Week (it was my third year <a href="http://sf.eater.com/2015/10/12/9488957/san-francisco-cocktail-trends-2015" target="_blank">contributing</a> to it, if you can believe it).<br />
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If you read my <i>Eater</i> articles this month (including some <a href="http://www.eater.com/maps/the-eater-hawaii-cocktail-heatmap-where-to-drink-cocktails-right-now" target="_blank">Hawaii</a> <a href="http://www.eater.com/drinks/2015/10/8/9438571/mai-tai-honolulu-best" target="_blank">tips</a>), you might have seen a <a href="http://sf.eater.com/2015/10/14/9518003/trending-the-rise-of-savory-cocktails-and-where-to-drink-them" target="_blank">few of our shots</a> from our photo session with Anthony Parks, who is newly stationed as bar manager of Mourad (read more about it <a href="http://sf.eater.com/2015/10/13/9489959/cocktail-trios-novela-mourad-wilson-and-wilson-san-francisco" target="_blank">here</a>). Mourad—which was <a href="http://sf.eater.com/2015/10/20/9577813/michelin-stars-san-francisco-2016" target="_blank">awarded</a> its first Michelin star Wednesday after less than a year of opening—is a gorgeous, modern space, and Anthony's new drinks are just as elegant. So I'd thought I'd share the rest of our photos. Take a look!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/21150691341/in/album-72157650087516969/" nbsp="" title="Mourad_ Anthony Parks _ Spirit Life Studios-17"><img alt="Mourad_ Anthony Parks _ Spirit Life Studios-17" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5752/21150691341_061e622e60.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Anthony pours out the new cocktail flight—2.5-oz servings of three different cocktails on the menu for $27.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/20521821373/in/album-72157650087516969/" nbsp="" title="Mourad_ Anthony Parks _ Spirit Life Studios-57"><img alt="Mourad_ Anthony Parks _ Spirit Life Studios-57" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5804/20521821373_d560a7fa1e.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Making saffron vodka.<br />
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<b>Umami and Mint</b> - One of my favorite cocktails on the menu. It's a savory, yet refreshing, blend of Blanco tequila, lemon juice, toasted sesame oil, raw agave, cucumber, and mint. It'll remind you favorably of Korean food, specifically zhajiamian (chewy noodles with black bean sauce, cucumber, and sesame oil). I know it sounds weird, but trust me.<br />
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Anthony sprays pipe tobacco moonshine over the <b>Coffee & Clove</b>. The drink is made from the ever so popular Japanese blended whisky (Nikka Coffey Whisky), fino sherry, creole shrub, and clove tincture.<br />
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Carrot & Spice comes with everything nice: VSOP cognac, cynar (artichoke amaro), carrot juice, lemon juice, coriander nectar, and egg whites.<br />
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<a href="http://sf.eater.com/2015/10/13/9489959/cocktail-trios-novela-mourad-wilson-and-wilson-san-francisco" target="_blank">Trio</a> time.<br />
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Cheers!<br />
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- Noelle<br />
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<b>Mourad</b><br />
140 New Montgomery St.<br />
San Francisco, CA 94105<br />
http://mouradsf.com/Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-28990630346049299912015-09-01T06:28:00.004-07:002015-09-01T06:28:54.719-07:00Cocktails in Florence: Fusion<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18163397476" title="Fusion Bar by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Fusion Bar" height="375" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7745/18163397476_5fd641a180.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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We didn't set out to try cocktails in Florence, but we weren't about to pass up an opportunity. The guys at <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2015/07/where-to-drink-in-italy-ditta.html" target="_blank">Ditta Artigianali</a> raved about Fusion, and especially a guy named Marco. After a brief stroll on the river, Noelle and I made our way to Fusion Bar and Restaurant at the Gallery Hotel Art.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18003569949" title="Fusion Bar by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Fusion Bar" height="375" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8866/18003569949_43092457d8.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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It's a bit surreal to walk into the hotel. You're immediately bombarded with enormous portraits of American celebrities and a luxury interior. As you enter the restaurant, you find yourself in a nice Asian fusion restaurant with hip jazz music playing. Not what you expect in a medieval city, to say the least.<br />
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We arrived early, so it was entirely empty. Over time, though, people began to trickle in. Australians, Americans, and lots of Italians of course. It was never loud, and felt like any luxury hotel bar should feel: easy, relaxed, and comfy.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18003573309" title="Fusion Bar by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Fusion Bar" height="375" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8809/18003573309_796192da2a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Marco is an absolute beast behind the bar. Watching this guy move is mesmerizing. He's got a kind of natural flair to his movements that you don't see very often. Each motion seems choreographed, but without appearing ostentatious. The casual drinker probably wouldn't even notice.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18163297356" title="Fusion Bar by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Fusion Bar" height="375" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7769/18163297356_d3587c8301.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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He's more than just moves, too. His execution is spot on. His stirred drinks were never too watery or too boozy, and his shaken drinks were perfectly frothy. Even as orders came pouring in, he never lost his composure. He knocked out drink after drink and still had time to chat with us without breaking a sweat.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18002142640" title="Fusion Bar by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Fusion Bar" height="375" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8802/18002142640_f6e508484e.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Fusion Bar, he explained, is a rarity in Florence. Most Italians aren't used to drinking in hotel bars, he said, and those who did were used to Aperol Spritzes.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/17569286973" title="The Aperol Spritz by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="The Aperol Spritz" height="375" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8822/17569286973_58042500dc.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>Despite the craft part of this craft cocktail bar, lots of Aperol Spritzes still went out.</i><br />
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But Fusion had been around for over a decade, and in that time they'd built up a huge fan base who appreciated the bar's craft approach to cocktails. They were doing fresh juices before it was even catching on in the States.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/17569280793" title="Fusion Bar by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Fusion Bar" height="375" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7730/17569280793_244f420bbe.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Marco himself was trained as an architect, but his deep love of cocktails put him in a bind. Should he do two things acceptably, or excel at one thing? He chose the latter, and fifteen years later his mastery is apparent.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18003583269" title="Americano Twist by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Americano Twist" height="500" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7775/18003583269_c4684cd122.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18186265772" title="Americano twist by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Americano twist" height="500" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7738/18186265772_46edbf49e1.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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I had an Americano twist, something Marco recommended for a warm afternoon in Florence. Instead of Campari, he used Cynar. This helped dry the cocktail out a good deal, and the lemon lingered long after swallowing. Like many Italian cocktails we tried, this was sweeter than the American cocktail drinker would normally experience, but it was by no means cloying. All in all, perfectly executed and delicious.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18163393446" title="Grapefruit Rosemary cocktail by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Grapefruit Rosemary cocktail" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8877/18163393446_aa3951dc22.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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We ended with a drink Marco made for a perfume launch party. The perfume was heavily scented with grapefruit and rosemary, so the cocktail matched it by using both a grapefruit infused vodka and a rosemary infused vodka. It was sweetened with a rosemary simple syrup. This drink was dry for the Italian palate, but absolutely perfect for the American palate. Just sweet enough to bring out the rosemary and cut the bitterness of the grapefruit, but one would never call it sweet.<br />
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As usual in Italy, Fusion serves snacks with cocktails. They change every day and fit in with the Japanese theme of the restaurant. We had some edamame and kappa maki.<br />
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Fusion Bar and Restaurant<br />
Vicolo dell'Oro, 3, 50123 Firenze, Italy<br />
+39 055 2726 6987<br />
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Snack: every day, 12.30 - 15.00<br />
Dinner: every day, 19.30 to 23.00.<br />
Cocktail bar: every day, 15.00 to 00.00<nobr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 14.6545457839966px;"><br /></nobr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-55665054205673930792015-08-13T10:41:00.002-07:002015-08-13T16:21:08.075-07:00A Peek at Dominic Alling's Secret Bird Menu at Beretta [photos]<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/19815445624/in/album-72157656613915448/" nbsp="" title="AD6A3390"><img alt="AD6A3390" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/390/19815445624_28c98c7a75.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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I imagine that it is within every reasonable person's fantasy to sidle up to a long wooden bar, lean over to the bartender, and whisper hoarsely, <i>"I'll have the secret bird menu."</i> Because honestly: 1) Secrets! 2) Birds. 3) <i>Cocktails. </i>I don't see much not to love here.<br />
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Well, it's your lucky day because <i>this can be you, too</i>. Bar manager Dominic Alling offers this illustrated Field Guide to the Birds menu at the much-loved San Francisco restaurant and bar Beretta (which I <a href="http://sf.eater.com/2015/1/22/7872275/beretta-secret-cocktail-menu-san-francisco" target="_blank">wrote</a> about a little while ago for <i>Eater</i>). This selection of 11 drinks is not advertised, but if you ask for it in a low, sly voice (OK, maybe not that part), the bartenders are happy to share it with you.<br />
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Just what are you getting yourself into? We took a few pictures to tide you over until you can visit yourself:<br />
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[Spoiler alert: Dominic does in fact serve something called a Fernet Branca Jelly. You're welcome, San Francisco. See the last photo.]<br />
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Dominic's menu celebrates every detail including this leather-bound menu. Each drink features elegant, intricate bird drawings, illustrated by former Beretta host Melissa Getman.<br />
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Dominic (shown below) thought the additional menu was a nice way to introduce some new cocktails without removing some of the popular drinks already on the menu, which have over time become hallmarks for Beretta.<br />
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<b>Sage Sparrow. </b>Mint-flavored mezcal, lemon, creme de menthe, velvet falernum, egg white.<br />
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<b>Kiskade.</b> Tequilla, lemon, vanilla almond milk, cinnamon, and toasted fennel.<br />
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<b>California Thrasher.</b> Rum, bacanora, olorosso sherry, chocolate barley, bitters.<br />
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<b>Strange Weaver. </b>Gin, rum, lemon, Campari, Cocchi di Torino, orgeat foam.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/19815390914/in/album-72157656613915448/" nbsp="" title="AD6A3308"><img alt="AD6A3308" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/306/19815390914_113ab9d75a.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<b>Siamese Fireback. </b>Rum, lime, ginger, banana, prosecco.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/20250020690/in/album-72157656613915448/" nbsp="" title="AD6A3373"><img alt="AD6A3373" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/377/20250020690_e4c7a1a450.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<b>Bohemian Waxwing. </b>Gin, lemon, Campari, aloe, egg white, rose.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/20444351221/in/album-72157656613915448/" nbsp="" title="AD6A3428"><img alt="AD6A3428" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/315/20444351221_735ee3250b.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<b>Magnificent Hummingbird.</b> Pisco, popcorn, lemon, candied sour apple syrup.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/20411903966/in/album-72157656613915448/" nbsp="" title="AD6A3469"><img alt="AD6A3469" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/430/20411903966_934d4d8402.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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And, yes, the perfect SF menu item:<br />
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<b>Fernet Branca Jelly.</b> Made into a silky solid and served in ginger syrup with orange zest. SF, you are ready for this jelly. (Hashtag obligatory Beyonce reference.)<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/20429481632/in/album-72157656613915448/" nbsp="" title="AD6A3487"><img alt="AD6A3487" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/331/20429481632_e2e7f48026.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/20438167485/in/album-72157656613915448/" nbsp="" title="AD6A3495"><img alt="AD6A3495" height="500" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/473/20438167485_473ce66686.jpg" width="333" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<b>Beretta</b><br />
1199 Valencia St.<br />
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San Francisco, CA<br />
(415) 695-1199<br />
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.berettasf.com&src_bizid=4KfQnlcSu4bbTqnvGdGptw&cachebuster=1439454944&s=81fce68d2b8f12f4d47902d188c2f7e07c3aff10250ad80ee99b64c695ef3499">berettasf.com</a></div>
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Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-60008966087827930792015-08-11T16:52:00.001-07:002015-08-11T16:52:30.286-07:00Petit Crenn Opens in Hayes Valley Tonight<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/20310968470/in/album-72157656712025660/" nbsp="" title="Petit Crenn _ Spirit Life Studios (12 of 14)"><img alt="Petit Crenn _ Spirit Life Studios (12 of 14)" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/346/20310968470_f5f9fd342e.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<br />
Star chef Dominique Crenn opens her highly anticipated sophomore restaurant, <a href="http://www.petitcrenn.com/" target="_blank">Petit Crenn</a>, tonight in Hayes Valley. Unlike her other avant garde two-Michelin restaurant Atelier Crenn in the Marina, Petit Crenn will focus on dishes from Crenn's home in Brittany. This means the kitchen will serve up mostly vegetables and seafood, using local California produce with French techniques inspired by her mother and grandmother's cooking.<br />
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There are no cocktails at this cozy new spot, but the menu will feature a curation of French and local ciders, as well as natural wines from France. You can see the menu <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/20473166916/in/album-72157656712025660/">here</a> and <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/20490581242">here</a>.<br />
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Bon appetit!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/19876393524/in/album-72157656712025660/" nbsp="" title="Petit Crenn _ Spirit Life Studios (8 of 14)"><img alt="Petit Crenn _ Spirit Life Studios (8 of 14)" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/482/19876393524_5ffd4dc80a.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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More photos from the media preview:<br />
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<b>Petit Crenn</b><br />609 Hayes St.<br />San Francisco, CA 94102<br />(415) 864-1744<br /><a href="http://www.petitcrenn.com/">http://www.petitcrenn.com</a>Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-37770913789503469322015-07-30T13:15:00.000-07:002015-07-30T15:27:16.145-07:00Where to Drink in Italy: Ditta Artigianale, a surprising gin and coffee bar in Florence<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18190952651" title="Ditta Artigianale by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Ditta Artigianale" height="375" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8828/18190952651_2578ea4116.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I went to Florence because it was the birthplace of the Renaissance. I wanted to see Brunelleschi's famous and world-changing dome. I wanted to walk the medieval streets and take in some art. But then I stumbled on <b>Ditta Artigianale</b>: a coffee roaster and, for some reason, an <i>epic </i>gin bar. Sorry, Michelangelo's David, I've got some gin to imbibe.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18002050320" title="Ditta Artiagianale by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Ditta Artiagianale" height="375" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8835/18002050320_60c1913598.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The funny thing about Ditta Artigianale is that, on the surface, it seems like any speciality coffee place in San Francisco or Austin. They roast their own beans and sling pour overs—the works of which you'd find at any self-respecting hipster coffee shop in the States.<br />
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And while we might find that every three blocks in San Francisco or Austin, it's extremely rare in Italy. In fact, it's the only one we saw in the <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Italy">12 days we spent in the country</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18163267736" title="Ditta Artigianale by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Ditta Artigianale" height="500" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7754/18163267736_17e7d614f1.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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From the outside, the place reminded both me and Noelle of our favorite coffee shops back home, so we rolled in primarily for espresso. It was bustling and smelled delicious, full of coffee accoutrements, and staffed by know-it-all but friendly baristas—just how we like it in the States.<br />
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We ordered our espresso and took a look around. The usual hipster markers laid in place: a turntable, big open windows, community advertisements pinned to the walls, and shiny, glass Hario coffee accessories for sale on wall shelves. The wooden seats were crowded with people sipping artisan coffee and chatting.<br />
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That's when we noticed the gin.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18163272216" title="Ditta Artigianale by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Ditta Artigianale" height="281" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7787/18163272216_7a76bb2263.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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And oh, such gin. Entire shelves of gin. Gin from America, from Italy. Gin from France and England. The shelves were laden with labels that are not currently distributed in our parts of the States.<br />
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It was a bit early for alcohol, but when in Florence, right? We awkwardly approached the barista and asked about the gins. Surprisingly, the fellow was more than willing to recommend his favorite gins and even pour us a few samples.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18002054350" title="Ditta Artigianale by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Ditta Artigianale" height="500" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7770/18002054350_d7db895d26.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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This Old English Gin by Hammer and Son was more than your average gin. It tasted of a perfect, text book London gin: heavy juniper, good bite, tiny bit of citrus, and of course delicious.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18002056100" title="Ditta Artigianale by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Ditta Artigianale" height="500" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7791/18002056100_626eacd0a5.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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G'vine is a French gin (that a French producer would create what's classically British? Miracles!), and the cute name comes from what the liquor is made of: grape spirits. The result is a more viscous gin, which can be off-putting if you're used to a London Dry. It might give you the illusion that the gin is sweet, even if it's not. Just give yourself time to get used to. It's worth it.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18001913908" title="Ditta Artigianale by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Ditta Artigianale" height="375" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8859/18001913908_a1c5b8dbdd.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Drink more gin, indeed.<br />
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It seems the shop was just as proud of their gin collection as they were of their coffee. It makes sense, too, why shouldn't coffee people also be booze people? This coffee shop / bar showed us the potential of such combinations in the states. It is easy to imagine that the place is packed from open to close, the crowds gradually shifting from morning coffee drinkers to evening G&T sippers.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18426050609" title="Ditta Artigianale by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Ditta Artigianale" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/351/18426050609_e4a8f6af19.jpg" width="281" /></a><br />
The entire gin list.<br />
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On the way out, the barista recommended we try Fusion, Florence's one and only craft cocktail bar. Check that out in a future post coming soon.<br />
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<b>Ditta Artigianale</b><br />
Via Neri, 32R Firenze, Italy.<br />
8am-2pm from Monday to Thursday<br />
8am-midnight Friday<br />
9:30am-midnight Saturday<br />
9:30-10pm Sunday<br />
<a href="http://www.dittaartigianale.it/">http://www.dittaartigianale.it</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-9725888175981308402015-06-08T15:49:00.000-07:002015-06-08T16:29:03.088-07:00Where to Drink in Italy: Nottingham Forest, molecular mixology in Milan<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18003487759" title="Nottingham Forest by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Nottingham Forest" height="640" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7787/18003487759_3e03d7e8dc_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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At a certain point, all cocktail bars start to look (and feel... and taste) alike. Whether you're in London, Paris, Copenhagen, or San Francisco, you can rest assured that there will be a solid array of well-executed classics and a relaxed ambiance. Sure, it's good, but routine.<br />
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That's why I didn't expect much from Nottingham Forest, widely hailed as the best cocktail bar in Milan. That is also why I was totally unprepared for the mad molecular mixology taking place there.<br />
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The bar describes itself as "a mercurial oasis where you can hear the echo of the world." A place where "Water can become foam, foam becomes air and air can turn into smoke." It seems dramatic until smoking drinks emerge from behind the bar. And then you notice what else is back there. There are all sorts of contraptions and gadgets. That's when you realize that Nottingham Forest is not your usual cocktail bar.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18163218946" title="Nottingham Forest by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Nottingham Forest" height="375" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7739/18163218946_112ac2fc31.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/17567101474" title="Nottingham Forest perfume bottle by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Nottingham Forest perfume bottle" height="375" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8831/17567101474_a41137b444.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Walking in, I was reminded a bit of Smuggler's Cove. Nottingham Forest took the British Empire/Robin Hood/Pirate theme very seriously. The bar is wall-to-wall rum and gin. The decor was chaotic, to put it mildly. There were imperial-themed objects packed into shelves, cases, and on every inch of wall space. The bar allows customers to peek through a lower level of gadgets and an upper level of booze at their bartender, who is nevertheless obscured by bottles, tubes, and sometimes smoke. Seating is relaxed but hard to come by.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18001844968" title="Nottingham Forest by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Nottingham Forest" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8876/18001844968_a001d398f7_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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The cliental is more varied than such a bar would be stateside. An older couple arrived at the same time we did, pounded four molecular cocktails by the time we finished our first round, and rolled out. There were a few ex-pats and a good number of young and hip Milan residents making the Forest their first stop.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18001983450" title="Nottingham Forest backbar by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Nottingham Forest backbar" height="375" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8832/18001983450_7eeb2e09fe.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The menu is voluminous, and it's extraordinarily confusing in English. It's not Italian custom to ask for recommendations blindly, so forget about asking for the bartender's favorite or his recommendation. Since this was literally our first cocktail experience in Italy, Noelle and I were a bit taken aback when the bartender refused to give a straightforward recommendation. So, we turned back to the confusing menu. Here's what we were dealing with:<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18425880449" title="Nottingham Forest by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Nottingham Forest" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8874/18425880449_38641b0a7d.jpg" width="281" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/17991394913" title="Nottingham Forest by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Nottingham Forest" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/372/17991394913_d79d59762f.jpg" width="281" /></a><br />
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Seriously. Candy caviar? Test tubes? And what the heck is sferification [spherification]? So, we picked two things that seemed the easiest to get into: a negroni-type thing and a martini-eque cocktail.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18001855668" title="Nottingham Forest by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Nottingham Forest" height="375" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8898/18001855668_c3fc7f6a8a_z.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18163234046" title="Nottingham Forest Negroni by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Nottingham Forest Negroni" height="640" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7765/18163234046_843e7f03a5_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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The negroni cocktail was actually two different drinks, one of which came in a test tube. The negroni was fairly straightforward, but the test tube drink was a kind of peach vodka mixture. The two could be sipped separately or mixed together. I tried both. On its own, the test tube was a bit sweet for my taste, but when it was mixed with the negroni I was impressed with how well peach mixed with the drink.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18186124332" title="Nottingham Forest Martini by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Nottingham Forest Martini" height="375" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7795/18186124332_7353dc1b72_z.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18003515779" title="Nottingham Forest Candy Caviar by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Nottingham Forest Candy Caviar" height="375" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7728/18003515779_4847c5dd41_z.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The martini thing was neat in concept, but I'm sad to say the drink itself tasted like rubbing alcohol with a heavy dose of everclear. Candy caviar, as it turns out, is an almost liquid jelly, encased in a thin film. The moment you bite into the sphere, it bursts. Each caviar was flavored either of anise (probably absinthe or pastis) or Campari. If you burst a sphere in your mouth along with some liquor, the drink was better, but still far too boozy to be enjoyable.<br />
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After these lackluster drinks I was ready to leave. I'm afraid I don't have much patience. Noelle, however, wanted to give the place another shot. So we ordered another round, and this time we didn't truck with the menu. "I want something bitter," I told the bartender. Noelle ordered something smoking and light. It was a good thing we stayed.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/17569143663" title="Nottingham Forest by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Nottingham Forest" height="375" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7796/17569143663_39139dfb54_z.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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My drink, which was served in a stone cup (which I now want). It was flavored with rhubarb, and that's wild licorice that you see on top. It was intensely bitter, just a little bit sweet and tart, and was extraordinarily refreshing. It was served with two types of mint: banana mint and oyster mint. Each of them taste like their namesakes, which is a bit off-putting at first. But they really do enhance the drink.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/17567129234" title="Nottingham Forest by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Nottingham Forest" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8861/17567129234_d161434085_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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Noelle's drink, in that dope skull cup, was a wine-based cocktail chilled with dry ice. Don't worry, the dry ice is kept in a little cage so no one <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/9594000/Warning-over-liquid-nitrogen-drinks-after-girl-loses-stomach.html" target="_blank">loses a stomach.</a> The drink was dry as all get out, herbal (especially because that massive parsley garnish), and ice cold for the full half-hour it took Noelle to finish.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18190904911" title="Nottingham Forest by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Nottingham Forest" height="375" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8789/18190904911_138a90d85a_z.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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A huge perk of drinking in Italy is that all cocktail orders come with food. <i>Free</i> (are you listening, American bars? Now that's a heck of an idea!). Nottingham Forest's food was probably the best bar food we had. I guess it's just a variety of focaccia, but it was better than the chips most place serve!<br />
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<b>Nottingham Forest </b><br />
http://www.nottingham-forest.com/flashpage.html (warning: sound)<br />
Viale Piave, 1, Milano, Italy<br />
6:30pm-2am, Tuesday-Saturday<br />
6:30pm-1am, Sunday <br />
CLOSED Monday<br />
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No reservations, no proper line. Get there early and jockey for position. Drinks are about 8 euro a pop. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-88089025984913161302015-06-02T23:33:00.000-07:002015-06-03T13:43:02.899-07:00How One Man Went from Homeless to an Airbnb Chef: Support the Homeless at This Friday's SummerTini <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRUvSgaZjA3cVE2_B8_bfQu9YNSTstDALaAuouIQHp-kQw9N0JtfBTKeTjIR9g-jqW5hpsV7R346vNth7I376Re9NZ2mINx-RH7OLp-B4J8hyphenhyphen_QCvVapzzTqQPnFIURf73FN3APwVQghE/s1600/14444054916_971b69c173_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRUvSgaZjA3cVE2_B8_bfQu9YNSTstDALaAuouIQHp-kQw9N0JtfBTKeTjIR9g-jqW5hpsV7R346vNth7I376Re9NZ2mINx-RH7OLp-B4J8hyphenhyphen_QCvVapzzTqQPnFIURf73FN3APwVQghE/s640/14444054916_971b69c173_k.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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If you told Gary Smith last year that today he’d work at one of San Francisco’s most desirable employers, Airbnb, he would not have believed you. </div>
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As of last year Smith, 52, did not have a job for some 36 years. Suffering from mental illness and without the life skills to manage the ups and downs, he was living on the street and just getting by with social security. With some guidance, he enrolled in the <a href="http://ecs-sf.org/index.html">Episcopal Community Services (ECS)</a> of San Francisco’s <a href="http://ecs-sf.org/programs/chefs.html">Conquering Homelessness through Employment in Food Services (CHEFS)</a> program, a six-month course designed to give homeless people the skills to get and maintain a stable job. The program equips participants with general life skills and trains them for jobs in kitchens. This supports them in finding housing and increasing their quality of life.<br />
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When the program was through, he landed a job in Airbnb’s kitchen through an agency. Today he’s known at the hot startup for his signature brownies.<br />
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“To walk into Airbnb's lobby every morning is a dream come true. Now I'm employed and no longer homeless," Smith says. "Those two equations have never come together for me. [The CHEFS program] can take away the darkness of the life you have.”<br />
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Smith is just one of the many graduates of the CHEFS program, which is hosting its 11th annual fundraiser, SummerTini on Friday, June 5 from 6:30pm-9:30pm at The Bently Reserve. (Buy tickets <a href="http://www.eventbrite.com/e/summertini-2015-tickets-16226078638?aff=None&aff=erelexporg">here</a>.)</div>
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Guests will be able to nosh on bites from NOPA, Commonwealth, Michael Mina, and <a href="http://ecs-sf.org/events/summertini_restaurants.html">other top San Francisco restaurants</a>. Bartenders will be slinging custom cocktails from bars like Trick Dog, Lolo, and Lazy Bear. And there will be a DJ, photo booth, and <a href="http://ecs-sf.org/events/summertini_auction.html">live</a> and silent auctions, which will sell off items from Bourbon and Branch, The French Laundry, and flour+water, among other places. Proceeds from the event go to the CHEFS program and ECS.<br />
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“San Francisco is a foodie town, and we have a program that’s food focused,” says ECS Development Director Bruce Beery. “So SummerTini's a great way to showcase the CHEFS program and the partnership we have with many restaurants and chefs in San Francisco through an event like this.”<br />
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The CHEFS students will also be there at the event serving guests. “It’s our opportunity to showcase the skills of these chef students to the 450 people who will be there,” says Beery.<br />
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<b>"Works Really Good"</b></div>
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The CHEFS program enrolls about 100 students each year. Participants first master culinary knife skills, then train in a kitchen preparing meals on a daily basis under the guidance of professional chefs and guest chefs from the community, and lastly work in a supervised working environment at a restaurant or congregate meal provider. At the same time, the students are given guidance in other life skills that will enable them to live independently.<br />
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Smith, for instance, learned how to prepare a wide variety of kitchen classics, like cookies, brownies, salads, and various meats. He also learned about working with other people, navigating the health system, taking care of himself, and finding and living in an apartment. </div>
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Graduates have placed at a variety of restaurants within the Bay Area, including EO Asian Restaurant, St. Francis Yacht Club, as well as Airbnb, among other places. About 75% of graduates are also able to find a place to live. For many, like Smith, the impact is life changing. </div>
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“I don't know how to say what it does for me as a person inside. It makes me feel valuable to work in a place like Airbnb,” says Smith. “There’s no way I could tell you my story for real. I just have to tell you I’ve lived it, and I know that little program on Tehama Street works really good.”</div>
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<i>Photos courtesy of Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco. </i></div>
Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-22446972876167306362015-06-01T08:35:00.001-07:002015-06-08T16:25:04.945-07:00Negroni Week 2015 Kicks Off Today: Classic cocktails for a good cause<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/11456929605" title="Casino Bar Negroni by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Casino Bar Negroni" height="333" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2843/11456929605_5e69e25f2d.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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It's that wonderful time of the year. Starting today, bars across the country put out their best <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Negroni">negroni</a> to support a good cause of their choice.<br />
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Negroni Week first started in San Francisco two years ago, and now Austin, Chicago, New York are just a few of the other cities participating this year. Each bar spotlights their own take on a negroni and a portion of the proceeds go to a charity of the bar's choice. Last year more than 1,300 bars globally raised more than $120,000 for good causes. This year there are over 3,500 bars taking part globally.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=58236045%40N07&view_all=1&text=negroni">Negronis</a> are one of the most classic drinks, traditionally made from just three ingredients: gin, Campari, and vermouth plus an orange garnish. Learn more about which bars are participating this year on the Negroni Week <a href="http://negroniweek.com/">website</a>.<br />
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Here are just a few of the drinks being offered in San Francisco this year. We'll update this list as we learn about more.<br />
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<b>Aaxte</b><br />
The Drink: Pup-groni - Campari, Aperol, Big Gin House-Infused with Saffron and Orange Peel, Alessio Torino<br />
Charity: ASPCA<br />
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<b>ABV</b> </div>
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The Drink: Negroni Rosa - Campari, Brooklyn Gin, Imbue Petal & Thorn Vermouth, Dolin Blanc Vermouth<br />
Charity: Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research<br />
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<b>Benjamin Cooper </b></div>
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The Drink: White Negroni - Campari Caviar, London Dry Gin, Gentian Aperitif, Blanc Vermouth, Lemon Bitters<br />
Charity: Doctors Without Boarders<br />
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<b>Bluestem Brasserie</b><br />
The Drink: The Downstroke - 2oz St George Botanivore, .75oz Campari, .75oz Carpano Bianco, dash Regans Orange, dash angostura. The negroni is stirred and served up and garnished a flamed orange peel.<br />
<b>Boxing Room </b><br />
The Drink: Frogroni - Campari, Cocchi Americano, House-Made Grapefruit Cordial<br />
Charity: SF-Marin Food Bank</div>
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<b>Burritt Room</b> </div>
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The Drink: Burritt Negroni - Campari Sorbet, Dry Gin, House Rosé Vermouth, Strawberry Shrub<br />
Charity: Sprouts Cooking Club<br />
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<b>Cafe Claude</b><br />
The Drink: The Pastèque - Bombay sapphire, Giuseppe Carpano sweet vermouth, Aperol, Campari and watermelon bitters </div>
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Charity: CUESA.<br />
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<b>DOSA</b><br />
The Drinks: </div>
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<li>Classic Negroni - Campari, Beefeater Gin, Carpano Antica</li>
<li>Barrel-Aged Negroni - Campari, St. George Dry Rye, Punt e Mes, White Peppercorn, Vanilla, Cardamom, Licorice, Marshmallow</li>
<li>South Indian Negroni - Campari, House-Made Vermouth, DOSA-Spice Mix</li>
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Charity: Katherine Delmar Burke School<br />
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<b>Gitane</b><br />
The Drink: Sheroni - Gin, Sherry, Vermouth<br />
Charity: CUESA<br />
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<b>Jasper's Tap Room and Kitchen</b><br />
The Drink: Smoked, aged negroni with chinato on tap<br />
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<b>Perbacco</b><br />
The Drinks: </div>
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<li>Umberto’s Negroni - Campari, Four Roses Bourbon, Cocchi Americano, Meletti Anisette, Peach Bitters</li>
<li>Negroni Fumé - Campari, Beefeater Smoked Gin, Antica Formula Vermouth</li>
<li>Lisbona-Milano - Campari, Plymouth Gin, Tawny Port</li>
<li>Sloegroni - Campari, Spirit Works Slow Gin, Carpano Bianco</li>
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Charity: Meals on Wheels<br />
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Poggio Trattoria<br />
The Drinks:<br />
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<li>Tony's Negroni - Bombay Sapphire gin, Campari, Vya red vermouth</li>
<li>Negrosky - Negroni with vodka</li>
<li>Dirty Negroni - Negroni with dry vermouth</li>
<li>Negroni Sbagliato - Negroni with sparkling wine</li>
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Charity: Willow Creek Academy</div>
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<b>Loló </b><br />
The Drink: Loló Negroni - Campari, San Juan del Rio Mezcal, Cocchi di Torino<br />
Charity: SF-Marin Food Bank<br />
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<b>Cockscomb</b><br />
The Drink: Negroni on Tap and Negrowlers (Campari and beer cocktail)</div>
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The Charity: Charity: Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research<br />
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<i>Above image caption: Negroni from Tosca</i></div>
Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-27962723411563297622015-06-01T05:00:00.000-07:002015-06-01T07:29:27.571-07:00Gaspar Opens New Cognac Room as Johnny Codd's Next Project: 50 Brandy Cocktails, Oh My!<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/13576451054" title="Johnny Codd by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Johnny Codd" height="333" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3701/13576451054_8db7b2e753.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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After the <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2015/02/why-coachman-is-like-second-city-for.html" target="_blank">untimely closing</a> of <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/The%20Coachman" target="_blank">The Coachman</a>, many have been wondering what the former bar manager <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/John%20Codd" target="_blank">Johnny Codd</a> would do next. Well, today Johnny opens a new bar program in San Francisco called The Cognac Room at Gaspar’s glittering upstairs bar.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16876459440" title="Gaspar's Cognac Room by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Gaspar's Cognac Room" height="323" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8768/16876459440_47007d7878.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<i>The Cognac Room</i><br />
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While Johnny is known for his <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2014/10/pst-check-out-coachmans-secret-menu.html" target="_blank">creative execution</a> (like deconstructed Sazeracs made from Peychaud ice cups, blended negronis, or Campari ice cream made to order at the bar), with The Cognac Room he is also establishing a track record in taking classic drinks and creating balanced renditions using modern techniques, something <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2014/05/meet-cocktails-british-inspired-drinks.html" target="_blank">he <span id="goog_1162857197"></span><span id="goog_1162857198"></span>first did</a> at The Coachman.</div>
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The Cognac Room is going beyond its namesake spirit to bring to the fore a multitude of brandy cocktails from throughout the decades. When many people think of brandy, the first think of brands like Christian Brothers that were popular in the 70s and 80s. The Cognac Room, however, is (thankfully) taking a much broader approach to brandy. Brandy is a category comprised of any spirit distilled from wine, pomace, or fruit. This includes a host of other spirits like grappa (distilled from grapes), pisco (a Peruvian spirit distilled from grape wine), and eau de vie (an unaged spirit distilled from fruit).<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16443852973" title="Gaspar, San Francisco by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Gaspar, San Francisco" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7613/16443852973_6fcf100d1c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>Gaspar's downstairs bar will still service the restaurant with classic cocktails. Shown here with bar manager Greg.</i></div>
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To celebrate these many spirits, Johnny is bringing a whopping 50-odd drinks to the menu. The menu breaks down into "house cocktails" (eight cocktails), cognac (nine cocktails), armagnac (seven cocktails), calvados (seven cocktails), brandy (nine cocktails), pisco (eight cocktails) and eau de vie and grappa (four cocktails). All cocktails are $12.<br />
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The focus is primarily on the cocktails, but flights of each type of spirit will also be offered, bolstered by a growing backbar of brandies sourced from Charles Neal and others—a collection curated by General Manager John Allen.<br />
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Gaspar is already a popular happy hour spot, especially among FiDi workers, and the Cognac Room will offer a happy hour menu Monday through Friday 4pm-6pm with a short list of $6- and $7-cocktails, wines, and bar bites.</div>
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<b>The Cocktails!</b></h3>
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Creating a menu of 50 brandy drinks is a tall order (pun unintended), so for inspiration Johnny reached into the historical bedrock of cocktails. He took and refined recipes from <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1614274304?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1614274304&linkCode=xm2&tag=thejoyofdri-20" target="_blank">The Savoy Cocktail Book</a> </i>(an influential London bar in the 1930s), cocktail forefather Charles H Baker best known for <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1614273960?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1614273960&linkCode=xm2&tag=thejoyofdri-20" target="_blank">The Gentleman’s Companion</a></i> in the 1940s, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1440439516?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1440439516&linkCode=xm2&tag=thejoyofdri-20" target="_blank"><i>Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks</i></a> from 1869, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/091833800X?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=091833800X&linkCode=xm2&tag=thejoyofdri-20" target="_blank">Jones Complete Bar Guide</a> (1977), just to name a few. </div>
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Here is a selection of the cocktails Johnny has put together for the Cognac Room. (You can see the rest of the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/sets/72157651480139474" target="_blank">preview menu here</a>, though it may change.)</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/17702232754" title="Armagnac Crusta, Gaspar's Cognac Room, Johnny Codd by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Armagnac Crusta, Gaspar's Cognac Room, Johnny Codd" height="333" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/340/17702232754_94c4f44165.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b>Armagnac Crusta</b></div>
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Johnny tweaks the classic brandy crusta (often made with cognac) by mixing together armagnac, cointreau (orange liqueur), lemon, maraschino liqueur, and angostura bitters. The cocktail itself contains no sugar and is quite dry, if refreshing, so the drink's cup is often coated in sugar. At places like Bar Agricole, you'll find this as bakers sugar dusted inside of the glass. Johnny chose to encrust the outside of his glass with granulated sugar because it looks beautiful and because the <i>Gentleman's Companion</i> includes an illustration of the sugar dusting on the outside of the glass. The result is a visually stunning drink that sparkles like diamonds. </div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/18326295881" title="Raspberry Claret Cup, Gaspar's Cognac Room, Johnny Codd by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Raspberry Claret Cup, Gaspar's Cognac Room, Johnny Codd" height="333" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8771/18326295881_73bebf4d3e.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b>Raspberry Claret Cup</b></div>
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This cup is one of the few cocktails that includes red wine, and boy is it delicious. Johnny mixes red wine, brandy, raspberry eau de vie, grenadine, lemon, and seltzer for his claret cup. Served tall and long over crushed ice, this super refreshing drink is tart without being puckering. A generous bouquet of mint garnish forces your nose into the leaves as you take sip, so that you smell the mint as you drink. With bold raspberry notes, the drink will put you right on a grassy lawn on a summer's day. </div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/17702240624" title="Pink Squirrel, Gaspar's Cognac Room, Johnny Codd by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Pink Squirrel, Gaspar's Cognac Room, Johnny Codd" height="333" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/409/17702240624_c6f7735953.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b>Pink Squirrel</b></div>
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This drink is a refined almond joy in a cup. It includes cognac, Creme de Nayoux (almond), Creme de Cacao, cream, and nutmeg. The almond and chocolate fluff together nicely with the cream to make a worthy dessert cocktail, light like a good tiramisu.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/17702214414" title="Pineapple Apricot Tropical, Gaspar's Cognac Room, Johnny Codd by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Pineapple Apricot Tropical, Gaspar's Cognac Room, Johnny Codd" height="392" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/271/17702214414_d3ec420f73.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<b>Pineapple Apricot Tropical</b><br />
Served on a handsome, large cut of ice, the Pineapple Apricot Tropical includes pisco, lime, pineapple gum syrup, orchard apricot, and angostura bitters. It's a tangy, refreshing drink, slow and viscous. Originally from Charles H Baker.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/17704188613" title="Pimm's Cup, Gaspar's Cognac Room, Johnny Codd by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Pimm's Cup, Gaspar's Cognac Room, Johnny Codd" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/537/17704188613_e7b05c3603.jpg" width="461" /></a></b><br />
<b>Pimm's No. 3 Cup</b><br />
A bar classic, the Pimm's Cup includes Pimm's No. 1, brandy, lemon, ginger, cucumber, mint, and seltzer. The No. 3 indicates that the recipe calls for brandy—opposed to the No. 1 which uses Pimm's as the sole main spirit, the No. 2 that uses scotch, the No. 4 that uses rum, and the list goes on.<br />
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<b>The Cognac Room at Gaspar Brasserie</b></div>
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185 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA<br />
(415) 576-8800<br />
<a href="http://gasparbrasserie.com/">gasparbrasserie.com</a></div>
Open for lunch Mon-Fri, 11:30am-3pm. Bar menu starts at 3pm. Happy hour Mon-Fri, 4pm-6pm. Open for dinner Sun-Wed 5pm-10:30pm, Thurs-Sat 5pm-11pm.Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-86787975817712169772015-04-01T13:09:00.000-07:002015-04-01T13:09:21.407-07:00Thursday Night Throwdown: a latte art tournament at Cuvée Coffee in Austin<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="333" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16411049241/in/set-72157650166657210/player/" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
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The Joy of Drinking doesn't have to be just about booze. Whatever it is that you love to imbibe, we're here to celebrate it. This post is for all you coffee geeks out there.<br />
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I recently attended a latte art tournament in Austin, Texas, and it was amazing. There's one tournament a month held at Couvee's brick and mortar, which you should definitely go to if you're in Austin. Couvee is famous for their roast house, and the coffee shop is relatively new. There's no WiFi, so you don't have to deal with the camped out techies, and the coffee is incredible.<br />
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As we do here in Texas, this competition is serious business. There's even a jumbotron, which really excited the cameramen:<br />
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The tournament itself is relatively simple. Baristas face off, two at a time, to create the perfect piece of latte art.<br />
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The espresso is prepared for them, but the contestants obviously have to steam the milk themselves since getting the right froth is key to a good design.<br />
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The vast majority of competitors took this showdown very seriously, and many a good barista fell to nerve-induced shaky hands. The guy below, though, was steady as can be.<br />
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The first round contestants had to make a heart. Those who advanced had to make tulips. The tulip round survivors had to make a freakin' swan. The final round was rosettes. Below is the swan.<br />
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The walk from the service station to the judges' table was ] often a nerve-wracking experience:<br />
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As was the wait while the judges deliberated:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="333" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15792806913/in/set-72157650166657210/player/" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
These three latte art experts took their jobs very seriously, examining each cup closely.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="333" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16225444910/in/set-72157650166657210/player/" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
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Then, when they all selected their favorites, they would count down. Three, two, one, point:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="333" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16225196048/in/set-72157650166657210/player/" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
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The winners basked in their hard earned glory:<br />
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<br />
Though victors were gracious, defeat still stung.<br />
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The two finalists wait for the decision:<br />
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The winner, right, smiles humbly. The vanquished is in good spirits.<br />
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Why should you try to go to one of these events? First, it's a ton of fun. People cheer on their favorites and collectively groan when a competitor spills his or her milk. The excitement is contagious. If that doesn't sell you, there's also lots of free coffee. You can tell when people have had a few lattes, something about their eyes:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="333" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16225189088/in/set-72157650166657210/player/" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
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<br />
Couvee Coffee Bar<br />
2000 E 6th St.<br />
Austin, TX 78702<br />
512-520-4470<br />
<br />
Monday-Friday: 6:30am-10pm<br />
Saturday-Sunday: 7:30am-10pm<br />
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Beer, coffee, pastries served. TNT's occur once a month.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-85219018559281114882015-03-24T23:06:00.002-07:002015-03-25T10:07:13.939-07:00Taste of the Nation This Thursday: Top San Francisco Bites and Sips to Benefit No Kid Hungry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2TfLCMW58yriGnzm3COSPwMBb-flcxAwzlZqTEWwQh0F2SZbLfvFhPAf10SA31-l1OYxr9pyEnH-PYB4eOGeotiqChdPkiaAARQifmBgznD3kSB-60mzRmoxF5a-QgXXpK0UmrCcezdE/s1600/_59A6407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2TfLCMW58yriGnzm3COSPwMBb-flcxAwzlZqTEWwQh0F2SZbLfvFhPAf10SA31-l1OYxr9pyEnH-PYB4eOGeotiqChdPkiaAARQifmBgznD3kSB-60mzRmoxF5a-QgXXpK0UmrCcezdE/s1600/_59A6407.JPG" width="550" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Jena Dodd</span><br />
<br />
Put on your fancy pants because <a href="http://ce.strength.org/events/san-francisco-taste-nation" target="_blank">Taste of the Nation</a> is coming to San Francisco's City View at the Metreon this Thursday. In its 8th year, the annual culinary benefit will bring together some of the City's most celebrated chefs to raise money for <a href="http://nokidhungry.org/" target="_blank">No Kid Hungry</a>, a campaign dedicated to ending childhood hunger by providing children with healthy food and nutritional programs.<br />
<br />
Attendants can nosh on bites from some 56 Bay Area restaurants. This includes dishes from Michael Tusk (Quince, Cotogna), Mark Liberman (AQ, TBD), Thomas McNaughton (flour+water, central kitchen and salumeria), Charles Phan (Slanted Door), David Bazirgan (Dirty Habit), Nancy Oakes (Boulevard), James Syhabout (Commis), Gayle Pirie (Foreign Cinema), and others.<br />
<br />
There will also be beverages from wineries, distilleries, and breweries. Plymouth Gin is bringing in bartender Maxwell Britten from Maison Premiere, a James Beard-nominated oyster house and cocktail den in Brooklyn, to pair some drinks with Hog Island Oysters. He'll be mixing up three cocktails: Delta Deanna (Plymouth Gin, lime juice, celery juice, celery bitters, and Mumm champagne), Southern Cross (Plymouth Gin, Muscadet, and orange bitters), and Staghound (Plymouth Gin and Oloroso Sherry).<br />
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The event will also host live entertainment and a silent auction with luxury items.<br />
<br />
Here are the full details: <i style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> <wbr></wbr> </i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Date: Thursday, March 26, 2015<br />
Location: City View at The Metreon<br />
135 4th St.<br />
San Francisco, CA 94103<br />
Time: 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.; 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. for VIP<br />
Admission: $125 for general admission; $250 for VIP</blockquote>
<div>
You can buy tickets <a href="http://ce.strength.org/events/san-francisco-taste-nation" target="_blank">here</a> and use the discount code "GETLUCKYSF" for 20 percent off.</div>
Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-36491277864757949272015-03-09T01:45:00.003-07:002015-03-10T22:24:48.368-07:00How to Make the Tilting at the Windmills Punch from Gitane in San Francisco [recipe]<div>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16370666830" title="Tilting at the Windmills by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Tilting at the Windmills" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7406/16370666830_af4664808f.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
If you caught my recent article on <a href="http://sf.eater.com/2015/2/17/8052487/gitane-san-francisco-punch-menu-sarah-knoefler" target="_blank">Eater</a>, you know that Gitane in San Francisco recently introduced a new punch menu to its bar program—and boy do those punches pack a wallop (har har). </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Well, if you're wondering how to make those punches at home, you can now make the Tilting at the Windmills punch. The recipe is a modern approach to punch—meaning that it doesn't follow the rigid 19th-century protocol of making punch using a sugar preparation called <i><a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/2014/10/17/oleo-saccharum-the-secret-ingredient-in-perfect-punch" target="_blank">oleo saccrum</a></i> and it doesn't follow the traditional pre-Prohibition proportions either ("One of Sour, Two of Sweet, Three of Strong, Four of Weak.")</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Instead, it is a brew of well-tasting spirits—which may be a welcome method for home bartenders who want a simple but refreshing drink to serve in large batches.</div>
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<div>
Tilting at the Windmills is a light and refreshing punch that will work well as a before-dinner drink for your party guests or as a communal sipper at a warm spring party on your roof or lawn. The ingredients can be found at your local specialty spirits store. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
If you can't find Cocchi Americano Rosa (a rose aperitif wine, sometimes used as a vermouth), you may try to find a light and spicy vermouth. If your store doesn't carry pineapple gum syrup, you may try a different pineapple syrup or reduce some pineapple juice with sugar to taste. </div>
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<br />
Enjoy the recipe!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
- Noelle<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<b>tilting at windmills</b> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
makes four portions. multiply as needed to fit your punch bowl.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
ingredients<br />
6 ounces pisco<br />
3 ounces cocchi americano rosa<br />
3 ounces pineapple gum<br />
3 ounces lemon juice<br />
Splash of allspice dram<br />
(no more than 1/4 ounce)</blockquote>
<blockquote>
instructions<br />
Stir first four ingredients together in a pitcher or punch bowl, then add half as much<br />
allspice dram as you think you need. Stir, taste and add more dram if it isn’t<br />
fragrant with spices. You should be able to smell the spice, but treat it like bitters -<br />
too much will ruin the drink. Serve over ice or with an ice ring in your punch bowl.</blockquote>
<br /></div>
Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-7438744228906296762015-03-03T00:08:00.000-08:002015-03-03T09:35:01.568-08:00Meet the Drinks: Fun and Inventive Cocktails at Chino [Pictures Galore]<span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15440888942" title="Chino by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5600/15440888942_c2644bf91a.jpg" width="500" /></a></u></span><br />
<br />
You could call the Mission District in San Francisco psychedelic. Home to the over 600 murals, the Mission is a canvas for epically large and intensely colorful paintings splashed all over the sides of its buildings. Add in a few spots known for drug exchanges and a newer reputation for hipster play, and it's no wonder everyone is seeing bright spots.<br />
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Chino is a playful addition to that colorful scene. Owned by the same team as Tacolicious, Chino offers a take on Asian-inspired food. Fuchsia Dunlop fans and Yelpers, put your fingers down now—this is not an attempt on authentic cuisine. Instead, you'll find a punchy flavors from favorite Asian dishes from China, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines—stuff like Xiao long bao (soup dumplings), "Chinese-ish pork ribblets," lumpia, "Korean-American rice cakes," and more.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15254620398" title="Chino by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5601/15254620398_173aabff34.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15441261955" title="Chino by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3936/15441261955_a861c6d45d.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The restaurant decor is fun and zany, full of Christmas lights, strangely hypnotic pictures of senior Asian people against neon backgrounds, exposed brick, and throwback toys from the 90s.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15441248535" title="Chino - Danny Louie by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Danny Louie" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3930/15441248535_570f8bcdaa.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The space is filled with mostly dinner tables, but snackers and drinkers can also sit at the prominent bar in the front. An upstairs bar pumps out additional drinks for the restaurant, and the additional seating on the second floor can also serve as a place for a private party.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15441294895" title="Chino - Upstairs Dining Room by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Upstairs Dining Room" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2947/15441294895_fd9a857896.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<b>Danny Louie </b>is the force behind the equally zany cocktail menu. Trained in the cocktail classics at his former post Alembic, Danny makes several plays on old conventions in these inventive drinks without making the flavors too cloying or tart. Like the food, Danny's cocktails are inspired by the Asian theme and make use of a lot of tea as a featured ingredient. The cocktails may not <i>look</i> or <i>sound</i> serious but they are carefully crafted. Danny uses high quality spirit, juices they squeeze themselves, and syrups they make in house.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15440884652" title="Chino - Danny Louie by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Danny Louie" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3927/15440884652_1cd7220169.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Danny's tweaked the menu since opening, but here are some of the cocktails you can find at Chino:<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15418166126" title="Chino - Danny Louie by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Danny Louie" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3933/15418166126_122e9854e9.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<b>Shanghai Buck</b><br />
The cold, refreshing drink is a classic Charles H Baker cocktail that many cocktail nerds will recognize. Danny tweaks the original recipe using fresh pressed ginger to create a fruity and slight effervescent drink.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15440867352" title="Chino - Shanghai Buck by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Shanghai Buck" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2947/15440867352_4bce2f7859.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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<b>Old Fashioned</b><br />
This twist on the most classic of all cocktails uses James E. Pepper rye and swaps in housemade cola syrup (a cross between cola and root beer) instead of sugar. Thankfully, the cola syrup doesn't make the drink to sweet. Danny stirs it down to the perfect dilution, and the drink is well balanced.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15254562190" title="Chino - Danny Louie by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Danny Louie" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2943/15254562190_3b2a8c1956.jpg" width="333" /></a></b><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15254569360" title="Chino - Old Fashioned by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Old Fashioned" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5601/15254569360_58ac62396f.jpg" width="333" /></a></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15254612118" title="Chino - Old Fashioned by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Old Fashioned" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3928/15254612118_28bab91479.jpg" width="500" /></a></b><br />
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<b>Up in Smoke</b><br />
Laphroaig 10 year, lapsang souchong syrup, Cardamaro, and peach vinegar make up this drink. Lapsang souchong is a famously smokey Chinese tea (so smokey, I once got scolded at a Chinese tea shop for buying it because the store woman thought it was too smokey to be lady like—but whatever! I like it) which pairs brilliantly with the smokey Laphroaig. The peach and cardamaro round out the drink and make it pleasant and approachable for anyone to drink—girl or boy!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15441256865" title="Chino - Danny Louie by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Danny Louie" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2943/15441256865_c7515d80a4.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15441224615" title="Chino - Up in Smoke by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Up in Smoke" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5598/15441224615_494ec27b8a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<b>So Strawberry</b><br />
Made of Anchor Hop Head Vodka, Zirbenz Sone Pine liqueur, and strawberry shrub. The name is appropriate because it tastes through and through like strawberry. Refreshing on a warm day.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15441299275" title="Chino - Danny Louie by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Danny Louie" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3935/15441299275_9da1aac5c8.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15440890152" title="Chino - So Strawberry by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - So Strawberry" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5599/15440890152_f7cb7e1a41.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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<b>Drunken Tea Leaf</b><br />
Danny uses Beckerovka (a spicy Czech spirit that tastes like cinnamon, clove, and Christmas), Sutton Vermouth (made locally in San Francisco's Dogpatch), cold chamomile tea, and vinegary apple shrub. It's a bright and tasty drink that tastes of a crisp fall day. It tastes like a refreshed, cold hot toddy.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15440879932" title="Chino - Danny Louie by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Danny Louie" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5600/15440879932_838f24718d.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15440872902" title="Chino - Danny Louie by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Danny Louie" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3929/15440872902_c96ee03724.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15254660477" title="Chino - Drunken Tea Leaf by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Drunken Tea Leaf" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3935/15254660477_1f56d6a5f9.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<b>Chinatown Iced Tea</b><br />
Tell us that even one of these ingredients is not surprising: Baijiu (roughly translated in Chinese as <i>run away</i>—OK, so actually it means rice liquor. I had been warned about this coarse spirit many times while traveling in China, but the Baojing label that Danny uses is actually a delicate expression of it and tastes almost like an Asian pear), almond milk, passion fruit, and Lipton Tea. The drink is served long and is reminiscent of many tiki drinks, but much more nuanced, largely from the almond milk. Frothy, light, and delicious.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15441231735" title="Chino - Danny Louie by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Danny Louie" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5600/15441231735_122c43d5e5.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15440886502" title="Chino - Danny Louie by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Danny Louie" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3928/15440886502_c31b72ccb7.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15418151436" title="Chino - Chinatown Iced Tea by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Chinatown Iced Tea" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5600/15418151436_2b39bb1170.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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<br />
<b>Slushie Machines</b><br />
Yes, Danny brought in a slushie machine that mixes up two spiked flavors seasonally. They are served in traditional Asian glory—that is, over high quality boba and using plastic cups sealed by a special sealing machine, which you can see to the left of the machine. On this day, there was <b>Boba Fett </b>(vodka, apple, ginger, thai basil, and lemon) and <b>Dr. J </b>(rum, orange, vanilla, and cream), which Danny calls an orange julius for big kids.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15254660987" title="Chino - Slushie by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Slushie" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3934/15254660987_999a7cb839.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>Boba Slushie</b><br />
Sometimes Danny will also make a flavor without the machine, like this creamy variation made of green tea, pineapple, cola syrup, lime juice, denizen rum, house made sweetened coconut milk, and of course boba from Nuts.com.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15441240975" title="Chino - Danny Louie by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Danny Louie" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2950/15441240975_568afb2d6c.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15254643248" title="Chino - Danny Louie by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Danny Louie" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5601/15254643248_eeeba336d2.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15254712187" title="Chino - Boba Slushie by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Boba Slushie" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3933/15254712187_c090ce76c0.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15441246075" title="Chino - Boba Slushie by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Boba Slushie" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2946/15441246075_086b71145b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15254507749" title="Chino - Boba slushie by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Boba slushie" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5597/15254507749_dd62ac4fe9.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<b>9 Volt</b><br />
Made of Aviation gin, white grape, green tea, and Szechuan pepper. It's easy to drink with just a little pepper at the back.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15254679077" title="Chino - 9 Volt by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - 9 Volt" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3929/15254679077_02d33e7685.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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<b>Singapore Sling</b><br />
Like some other tiki drinks, there is no clear agreement on the recipe for the Singapore Sling, but Danny tweaks Dale Degroff's recipe and the famous Raffle hotel's to create a well-balanced blend of gin, benedictine, cherry heering, citrus, and bitters.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15440905792" title="Chino - Singapore Sling by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chino - Singapore Sling" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3934/15440905792_5b48ddcd09.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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For more pictures of Chino, check out our album <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/sets/72157647725570922/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<b>Chino</b><br />
3198 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94103<br />
(415) 552-5771Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-73664917583767970582015-02-22T17:26:00.001-08:002015-03-03T00:17:06.646-08:00Tosca Pares Down Its Cocktail Program, Continuing a Sad Streak in San Francisco Cocktails<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/10914346016" title="IMG_8492 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_8492" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5536/10914346016_ce4c64e48a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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We thought we were sad when <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2015/02/why-coachman-is-like-second-city-for.html" target="_blank">The Coachman</a> closed this month. Not to mention that Trou Normand closed its early morning and espresso service. Well, we got a heavy dose of salt in the wounds when we learned that one of our other favorite <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2014/01/where-to-drink-tosca-cafe.html" target="_blank">bar programs, Tosca Cafe's,</a> is being cut down. Star bar director <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/search/label/Isaac%20Shumway" target="_blank">Isaac Shumway</a> is out, and the general manager and chef will now run the bar instead––with what we can only imagine to be a drastically simplified cocktail menu. Call us the Sorrow of Drinking.<br />
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Under Isaac, Tosca had one of our <a href="http://www.timeout.com/san-francisco/bars/the-best-bars-in-san-francisco" target="_blank">most favorite</a> cocktail programs in the city. As a former cook, Isaac brought his experience from places like the French Laundry and Gary Danko to one of the most ambitious cocktail menus in San Francisco. He has one of the most perceptive palates and an unrelenting eye for technique and execution. Classics and originals alike were obsessively honed, perfecting cocktails down to the specific blends of sugars and level of citrus oil. The cocktails—no matter who made them—were executed to perfection. This is a big deal, especially in a city like San Francisco. It's hard to make a great menu. It's even harder to bring together a whole staff to execute consistently and quickly, even when the crowds press in.<br />
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We won't be surprised if there is an exodus of bar talent at Tosca following this news.<br />
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Cocktails in San Francisco have had a rough start to 2015. Let's hope it's only up from here.<br />
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<b>UPDATE - 3/2</b><br />
Thanks to an anonymous commenter who pointed out an article in <i>SF Weekly</i>. Paolo Lucchesi reports that Tosca has replaced Isaac with Joe Cleveland who will <a href="http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2015/02/24/joe-cleveland-takes-over-the-bar-at-tosca-cafe/" target="_blank">"take over lead bartender duties."</a> Congrats to Joe! We are anxious to see what he does with the cherished program and spot.<br />
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- NoelleNoellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-13506787302563872152015-02-11T00:37:00.003-08:002015-09-25T12:11:20.204-07:00Bar Agricole and Trou Normand: Tipping and Tax All Included<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16499399735" title="AD6A8106 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="AD6A8106" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7282/16499399735_ae85442fcb.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Owner Thad Vogler is going the way of a select few other restaurant and bars in the San Francisco and, starting this year, began including service in the menu prices at his ever popular SOMA restaurants and cocktail watering holes, <a href="http://www.timeout.com/san-francisco/restaurants/bar-agricole" target="_blank">Bar Agricole</a> and <a href="http://www.timeout.com/san-francisco/bars/trou-normand" target="_blank">Trou Normand</a>. In other words, the price you see on the menu is what you get. The reasoning behind the change, said the staff, was to ensure that the cooks, who typically don't get a share of tips, benefited from service charges as much as the front of house.<br />
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I can't seem to tear myself from either restaurant and was initially unsure of whether I liked the change or not. $21 for my favorite pasta? $13 for that divine pâté? $15 for those expertly mixed cocktails?<br />
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As I thought about it, I came to realize what a noble gesture this is for the consumer. Totally transparency. All in. What you see is what you get. No hidden costs.<br />
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I watched the couple next to me finish their charcuterie and cheese plate, and when the check came, the guy exclaimed, "This is awesome! The tip is included in the check!" My mom kept making similar remarks when I brought her to Trou Normand the previous week: "No math!" she told her friends.<br />
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And so I've come around. What works especially well for the Bar Agricole family is their impeccable dedication to service and quite simply their delicious cocktails and food. So it makes any sticker shock much more palatable, so to speak.<br />
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Now the only problem is that I can't tip more.Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-89854128204614764772015-02-07T16:00:00.000-08:002015-02-07T16:07:03.294-08:00What to Drink: The Michelada at Namu Gaji’s Brunch<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16460002672" title="Namu Gaji - Michelada by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Namu Gaji - Michelada" height="281" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8562/16460002672_d195f838ef.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I’m not really a person who gravitates to the Hair of the Dog. The occasional punch or Ramos Gin Fizz with friends will sometimes fit my mood on weekend mornings, but generally speaking, I prefer a strong, black coffee to start my day.<br />
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When I do have the occasion to enjoy a long brunch on slow weekend days, I’ve recently started ordering Virgin Marys as my drink of choice. They come quick, burst with flavor even without liquor, and can spice up a couple of fried eggs. And they’re usually about half the price of the spiked version. </div>
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But this all changed when I came upon the <b>Michelada</b> at <b>Namu Gaji</b>. </div>
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We had come to the Korean-inspired restaurant on a Saturday morning hungry for the clean, comforting flavors of grilled fish, rice, and pickled vegetables. At night, the restaurant offers table service for its elegant plates of Korean American fare, but on weekend mornings, guests can order brunch at the counter and find themselves a seat at the bar along the window, the long communal table, or one of the dozen or so other two tops. </div>
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And then I saw it on a sign by the cash register: the Michelada. A typical Michelada is a sometimes favorite of bartenders, a dirty mix of beer (often cheap), lime, peppers, and spices. In its rawest state, it can sometimes takes the form of a cold can of Tecate with a wedge of lime and a dosing of Tapatio. </div>
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But this was not Namu Gaji’s Michelada. Namu Gaji’s Michelada is made from tomatoes—when possible, from the restaurants’s farm in Sonul ag park—gochugaru (bright red Korean pepper flakes), bulldog vegetable and fruit tonkatsu sauce, tamari (aka Japanese soy sauce from miso), wasabi, ginger, and unfiltered Asahi beer. It is garnished with a lemon wheel and a long peel of ginger. I was entranced.<br />
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And rightly so. The wheaty unfiltered Asahi beer went perfectly with the bright burst of California tomatoes and sweet Korean pepper. Unlike Bloody Marys—which sometimes make the tomatoes, salt, and alcohol feel like fire in your throat—the Michelada offered a milder, more drinkable, slightly effervescent alternative that tasted cohesive. It was everything I actually crave when ordering a Bloody Mary.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16459239671" title="Namu Gaji - Barley Tea by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Namu Gaji - Barley Tea" height="281" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7400/16459239671_d2cfa3e602.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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For those who find the acid of tomato juice tough on their stomach, a cup of traditional barley tea is a restorative follow up (in fact, you’ll find the same kind of tea served as a finisher at the three-Michelin-starred Saison on the other side of the City).<br />
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By the way, if you're into beer cocktails, 15 Romolo is hosting its 5th annual <a href="http://www.eventbrite.com/e/15-romolos-5th-annual-booze-brew-brawl-tickets-13474184649?aff=erelexporg" target="_blank">Booze and Beer Brawl </a>event on Feb. 15 at 6 p.m., as part of SF beer week. Some of the city's best bartenders will be competing for the best cocktail of the night, and you get to try each of their creations and then vote. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. We often go and <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2013/02/presidents-day-cocktail-white-persian.html" target="_blank">wrote about it</a> a few years ago. Enjoy.<br />
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<b>Namu Gaji</b><br />
499 Dolores St<br />
San Francisco, CA 94110</div>
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(between 8th St & Dorland St in the Mission)<br />
(415) 431-6268<br />
<a href="http://namusf.com/">namusf.com</a></div>
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Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-26126956211417374542015-02-01T14:31:00.000-08:002015-02-03T11:46:54.889-08:00Why The Coachman Is Like Second City for Cocktails—And It Just Closed<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16229143240" title="AD6A5208 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="AD6A5208" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7335/16229143240_96e0e875b6.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>The Coachman on its penultimate night.</i><br />
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Chances are that if you haven't heard of Second City, you probably have and just don't know it.<br />
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If you have ever used a <i>30 Rock</i> gif to describe your life, quoted Billy Murray's character in <i>Caddyshack</i>, gotten your news entirely from <i>The Colbert Report</i>, or ironically or unironically used the phrase "win-win-win" from Steve Carrell in <i>The Office</i>, then you have benefited from Second City, Chicago's infamous live improv group. The <a href="https://www.secondcity.com/history/alumni/" target="_blank">full list of Second City alum</a> reads like a who's who of the most influential, funniest comedians of the last fifty years. After earning their chops at Second City, alumni go on to act or write in TV (most notably <i>Saturday Night Live</i>) or film. Audiences flock to the shows, knowing that they can watch performances from some of the funniest people in the country––many of whom will go on to become nationally famous.<br />
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The Coachman—formerly known as Heaven's Dog—is San Francisco's Second City for cocktails.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16387850006" title="IMG_0120.JPG by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0120.JPG" height="500" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8646/16387850006_a1cdc35a06.jpg" width="375" /></a></h3>
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<i>A sadly blurry picture from an iPhone 3GS during our first visit to Heaven's Dog in 2009.</i><br />
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<b>A Cocktail Geek's Dream</b></h3>
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Heaven's Dog <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/sets/72157650162606627/" target="_blank">opened</a> in 2009 in a dodgy part of San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood, about a block away from the city's main theaters on Mission between 7th and 8th. This sister restaurant to Slanted Door had opened with some fanfare. The craft cocktail scene at the time was small and young, and those who cared about good drinks on both coasts knew that with Erik Adkins at the helm, Heaven's Dog would be amazing. Erik was and is the Slanted Door group's beverage director, and by that time he had earned the respect of "mixologists" everywhere (remember when that term didn't make you sound like a d-bag?) for his encyclopedic knowledge of cocktails and their history, his meticulousness, and his almost supernaturally perfect execution. </div>
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Heaven's Dog was built to be the cocktail geek's dream. It opened with a beautifully executed curation of Charles H. Baker drinks, ones that would become favorites in the craft cocktail crowd—the Fourth Regiment, an Improved Whiskey Cocktail (a Buffalo Trace old fashioned with a touch of absinthe and maraschino), the Bittered Sling (armangac, bitters, sugar, and nutmeg), and the Remember the Maine (rye, sweet vermouth, cherry herring, and bit of absinthe), for example, just to indulge myself in a few fond memories. It was one of the first places to use crystal-clear ice for every drink and to put a bar-wide emphasis on cocktail consistency. Even on the bartender's side, Erik designed the bar to be a thing of beauty—a "jet cockpit for making cocktails," as former bar manager Trevor Easter once called it. It was optimized for the bartender with the racks, sinks, glasses, and garnish trays in the most sensible and ergonomic places. And the bar itself was a long, handsome single piece of wood that was so large it had to be moved in before the front door was fully installed.</div>
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Erik said that he would work onsite on the project, and funnily you could find him working as the host and zipping around to fill water glasses (which is <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2009/08/heavens-dog.html" target="_blank">how we met him</a>).<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16226721420" title="IMG_1349 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1349" height="375" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/16226721420_03406c4720.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>An old picture of Heaven's Dog under Trevor Easter. Taken with a iPhone 3GS, now an artifact of the past.</i></div>
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<b>Enter Coachman</b></h3>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/12859670973" title="AD6A0747 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="AD6A0747" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2847/12859670973_09dea0acaa.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>The Coachman on its preview night.</i><br />
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Heaven's Dog was eventually closed for a time after suffering a flood. Owner Charles Phan did away with the delicious Chinese food (Soup dumplings! Siu mai! Corn and pork! Vegetarian pork buns!) and <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2014/03/heavens-dog-re-opens-small-peek-at.html" target="_blank">recast it</a> as a British gastropub called the Coachman. Cocktails were equally meticulous, but this time <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2014/05/meet-cocktails-british-inspired-drinks.html" target="_blank">focused on inspiration</a> from the Victorian Era with some real creative flair from Johnny Codd.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/13576434484" title="AD6A8522 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="AD6A8522" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7323/13576434484_dfe8fb2c43.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>Just one of Johnny Codd's inventive creations, a clarified gin flight.</i></div>
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Johnny Codd took the Coachman in an exciting new direction––not just for the Slanted Door Group, but also for the city. Codd pushed the boundaries, coming up with Aviary-esque cocktails right in our own backyard. His clarified gin flight (three gin and clarified citrus cocktails served up), made-to-order Campari ice cream, and blended Negronis quickly became well known. His <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2014/10/pst-check-out-coachmans-secret-menu.html" target="_blank">"secret menu"</a> was an especially creative endeavor, including roast-your-own marshmallows, smoked spirits, and glasses made of Peychauds ice. At the Coachman, Codd could be as creative as he wanted, and Adkins encouraged and guided Codd's experiments. This is why losing the Coachman is such a bummer for San Francisco. Not only are we losing a great bar, but we're losing a pace for bartenders to master their craft with skilled mentors.</div>
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<b>A Star Studded Crew</b></h3>
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Over the years, the restaurant bought a celebrated cast of bartenders behind the bar—a mix of industry legends and those who would launch a formidable bartending career from there. Most had come as friends to Erik or as fans/proteges of him. </div>
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Here is a taste of the bar managers:</div>
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<li>Erik Adkins (of course!)</li>
<li>Jackie Patterson (a much-loved early pioneer in the craft cocktail scene)</li>
<li>Trevor Easter (who was spotlighted as a Bar Star while at the Dog and subsequently took on the coveted role of West Coast Ambassador for Beefeater and now leads Noble Experiment in San Diego. He also started <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BarCoaster" target="_blank">Bar Coaster</a> while at Heaven's Dog)</li>
<li>Ethan Terry (who went on to manage <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2013/07/alembic-neighborhood-bar-worth-trip.html" target="_blank">Alembic</a> and founded Reclamation Etchworks)</li>
<li>Johnny Codd (who opened the Coachman and is recognized as one of Zagat's 30 under 30 this year)</li>
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The men and women behind the bar were equally incredible. Even the opening team was stacked with possibly unparalleled talent. Many were already established or went on to open some of the Bay Area's most renowned restaurants. They included Thad Vogler (owner of <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2013/03/where-to-drink-bar-agricole.html" target="_blank">Bar Agricole</a> and Trou Normand), Eric Johnson, <a href="http://sf.eater.com/2013/10/29/6343547/craig-lane-of-bar-agricole" target="_blank">Craig Lane</a>, <a href="http://sf.eater.com/2014/9/18/6574367/ramen-shops-chris-lane-combines-cocktails-and-noodles-with-ease" target="_blank">Chris Lane</a> (who then headed up <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2013/01/where-to-drink-lots-of-meat-lots-of.html" target="_blank">Lolinda</a>, <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2013/05/a-much-needed-rooftop-space-opens-in.html" target="_blank">El Techo</a>, and now <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2014/09/ramen-shop-chris-lane-meet-cocktails-japanese.html" target="_blank">Ramen Shop</a>), Isaac Shumway (bar manager of <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2014/01/where-to-drink-tosca-cafe.html" target="_blank">Tosca</a>), Jennifer Colliau (bar manager the Interval at the Long Now and <a href="http://sf.eater.com/2014/10/24/7067835/meet-the-woman-whos-improving-every-craft-cocktail-you-try" target="_blank">owner/founder of Small Hand Foods</a>), Erik Ellestad (of <a href="http://savoystomp.com/" target="_blank">Stomping Through the Savoy</a>), John Ottman (of <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2014/03/meet-cocktails-holy-water.html" target="_blank">Holy Water</a>), Keli Rivers, and others. </div>
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As much as the bar was Second City, Heaven's Dog/The Coachman was also a Cheers bar. It soon became an industry watering hole and cocktail enthusiast destination. You would often see bartenders on their dinner break or nights off come by for a drink, some dumplings, and a warm welcome. Drink nerds fans would glow from the firelight of flaming 151 for roasting marshmallows.</div>
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For ourselves, personally, we <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2012/03/leopolds-navy-strength-gin.html" target="_blank">learned so much</a> from the six years we spent at the bar. We made new friends, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BarCoaster" target="_blank">rode a few bar coasters</a>, <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2012/02/heavens-dog-valentines-day-cocktail.html" target="_blank">watched</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/6878630933/" target="_blank">Trevor</a> weep in terror while <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSzeQJSb46Y&list=UUy-3-5JrjWm0V0-TNF9bT9A" target="_blank">making a blue blazer</a>, created (and subsequently burned) <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/sets/72157650568235552/" target="_blank">Pedro</a> with Isaac, enjoyed many a happy hour (and then happy evening?) over tiki drinks with Chris Lane, and had our first ever, mind-blowing negroni jello shot with Johnny as part of his <a href="http://www.the-joy-of-drinking.com/2014/10/pst-check-out-coachmans-secret-menu.html" target="_blank">hush hush menu</a>. </div>
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Friday night, The Coachman/Heaven's Dog closed. It closed quietly and quickly with little fanfare. There was no massive send-off, just a lot of tears from regular customers and staff alike. We've lost something special with The Coachman, and that is a lineage of bar managers and bartenders who were changing the way the Bay Area, and, yes, the nation, thinks about cocktails. We can only hope it is not forever.</div>
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- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwnoNVOj1Fs" target="_blank">Josh</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-mi0r0LpXo" target="_blank">Noelle</a><br />
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<i>Video of The Coachman's last hour, as friends and family say goodbye.</i></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0aTxPVFOvgA?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-60505745502712570872015-01-28T01:05:00.000-08:002015-12-28T23:47:43.507-08:00All the Cocktails on the Opening Menu at Mourad<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16377366721" title="AD6A5160 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="AD6A5160" height="333" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8667/16377366721_9c35ee3e09.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I feel for restaurant owners on opening night. Despite what often seems like glitz and glam from the outside, I can only imagine how difficult it must be to open your doors for the first time and invite in hoards of San Francisco sophisticates with high expectations. Yet when Mourad Lalou opened his latest project, Mourad, in San Francisco's neo gothic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/140_New_Montgomery" target="_blank">Pacbell Building</a> in SOMA last night, he did so with seeming ease. Service seemed calm. And the cocktails—of course my interest point here—were elegantly executed.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16200785027" title="AD6A5144 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="AD6A5144" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7365/16200785027_b5c4bb2470.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The opening menu is put together by Christ Aivaliotis, of consulting firm Wizard Oil. After getting his start with Erik Adkins at Flora, Christ opened a cocktail consultancy with his business partner Tory Bayless and was brought on to create the program at Mourad.<br />
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It's a simple, but well constructed, menu with cohesive flavors and a touch of spices to go with the restaurant's theme—which, like its Michelined sister Aziza, focuses on Morocco.<br />
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The restaurant is an impressive stage for cocktails. The layout is designed to resemble a traditional Moroccan home, which grows in intimacy as you move from the front to the back. It starts with the living room and opens up to the main dining room. The staircase in back looks like it could move into a bedroom—in actuality another dining room. The bar itself is granite-topped and so long that it curves into an L. The backbar is impressively large and rises above the counter with modern, minimalist shelves.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16386688155" title="AD6A5124 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="AD6A5124" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7330/16386688155_d07dafda5a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16384952541" title="AD6A5143 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="AD6A5143" height="333" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8636/16384952541_c3f22b287b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Here is what you can expect from the opening cocktail menu at Mourad and some scant notes:<br />
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On the Spot - rye, nocino, manzilla, triple sec. A smooth and stirred drinks with velvety elements of fig from the sherry.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16377355271" title="AD6A5120 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="AD6A5120" height="355" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7303/16377355271_266e8b9c9f.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Calgula's Kiss - rum, cherry liqueur and lime. Bright and refreshing. Not too sweet.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16378180652" title="On the Spot - Mourad by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="On the Spot - Mourad" height="500" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8605/16378180652_9e02fb6a4c.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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Baco: tequilla, pineapple, lime, cinnamon, herbsaint. It's bright, sweet, slightly buttery (from the pineapple), and cohesive.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15766677453" title="AD6A5126 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="AD6A5126" height="500" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8682/15766677453_479847b75e.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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Chrysanthemum - Benedictine, French vermouth, and Elisir mp Roux (a herbsaint from Provence, France). It's a sweet drink that tastes like honey suckle, though the texture is still light and not viscous. The drink is relatively low ABV, and tastes like a milder, sweeter martini for those who like the flavor profile of the classic drink with less aggressive notes.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16385768712" title="AD6A5132 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="AD6A5132" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7460/16385768712_e08205f42d.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Old Blanco Daisy - pisco, pomelo, and tonga mix made of real passion fruit, real lilikoi. The tonga mix is made made of pomegranate, orange peels, and pomelo. They also had real lilikoi seeds for sweetnss and texture. Though it sounds sweet, the pomelo balances out the drink with a touch of bitterness.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16200464369" title="AD6A5137 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="AD6A5137" height="333" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8647/16200464369_6855b609fd.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Copa Gibson - A classic mix of Sipsmith Gin, bitter, and onion.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15766678643" title="AD6A5139 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="AD6A5139" height="500" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7445/15766678643_0d933b8a9e.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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Salt and Pepper - gin, lemon, grapefruit, bitters. They use Broker's gin in this drink, which is dry and botanical—a good match to the grape fruit and bitters.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16192863039" title="AD6A5148 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="AD6A5148" height="500" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7283/16192863039_c07c382011.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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<b>Mourad</b><br />
140 New Montgomery St.<br />
San Francisco, CA 94105Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-53474294075885186872015-01-05T01:32:00.000-08:002015-01-05T15:34:25.657-08:00What to Drink in Hawaii: The Blood Mary at Halekulani’s House Without a Key<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/16017798327" title="Halekulani Bloody Mary by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Halekulani Bloody Mary" height="417" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7568/16017798327_87c80bbffa.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The Mai Tai at the Halekulani is easily one of the most legendary cocktails in Honolulu. Lesser known, however equally mythic, is the same five-star hotel’s <b>Bloody Mary</b>. While not listed on the menu, those who know about it can order it at the <b>House Without a Key</b>, the hotel's historic outside patio with famous views of iconic Diamond Head and, around sunset, a live Hawaiian band and hula dancer. <br />
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It has been said that the Halekulani’s Bloody Mary is so good that there is only one guy at the hotel who knows how to create the mix. He makes it in batches for bartenders to simply add the spirit before serving, so that even the bartenders don’t know how to make the drink. This guards the recipe from inquiring minds. I imagined an old, leathered local man alone in the bowels of the hotel, huddled over a large tub, carefully making his brew. (My other image, curiously, was a Don Ho with big 70s hair and large sunglasses making the mix in the open, but no one knowing exactly what he was doing.)<br />
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Sadly, upon a little investigation, it turns out that the myth isn’t exactly true. Many bartenders at the Halekulani know how to make the mix ahead of time, and they collaborate on it. (On the bright side, this did assuage my anxieties around losing the recipe with the old man. Also, good bye, Don Ho.)<br />
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But just because the myth isn’t true doesn’t mean the drink isn’t quite simply delicious and, in fact, the recipe still has a twist. According to the staff, the Bloody Mary makes use of the most classic ingredients: tomato juice, horseradish, Worcestershire, tobasco, celery salt, and—adding one more special touch—au jus. It’s a great idea in concept. Mixing in the rich savory juices from beef gives deep complexity to the spicy drink. What’s alluring in practice is that the Halekulani also happens to be home to La Mer, the most elegant French restaurant on the island. The food there is exquisite and expertly crafted, enjoyed by patrons in the quiet dining room with pristine views of the Pacific. Au jus from potentially La Mer in my Bloody Mary? Yes, please!<br />
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The result is a satisfyingly sweet, briny, savory, and slightly spicy Bloody Mary served with a generous celery stick and a lime wedge. Guests can choose from vodka or gin. Unlike many other Bloody Marys which easily veer too spicy, too acidic, or too rich, the Halekulani’s well-balanced rendition is easy to enjoy to the last drop and is a ready companion to the sweet, round tunes of a Hawaiian band and the winter’s swollen sunsets, all found at House Without a Key. <br />
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Inspired by my interest in the Bloody Mary recipe, one of the friendly waiters did offer his friend’s favorite mix for making the drink at home: V8, A1, and tobasco sauce. Yet another concoction that I will perhaps have to try some day.<br />
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<b>House Without a Key</b></div>
Halekulani Hotel, 2199 Kalia Road, Honolulu, HI 96815<br />
(808) 923-2311<br />
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<a href="http://www.halekulani.com/dining/house-without-a-key">http://www.halekulani.com/dining/house-without-a-key</a></div>
Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-15586581564158093832014-10-13T23:50:00.001-07:002014-10-13T23:50:19.120-07:00Pst! Check Out the Coachman's Secret Menu (Told Through Instagram and Phone Pictures)<div>
After much debating back and forth about keeping it to ourselves, we're going to let San Francisco into one of our favorite little secrets: the secret menu at the Coachman in San Francisco's gritty part of SOMA. </div>
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As if you needed another reason to check out their extremely creative program, someone allowed bar manager Johnny Codd near liquid nitrogen, fire, fireball, and a smoke machine, and this menu was the fantastic result. </div>
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If you are at the bar and you ask for it, you'll be allowed to choose from a short list of these sippable wonders. They run for $14-$16 and are perfect to impress a date or just to add a bit of fun to your evening. </div>
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Fit for the genre of <i>secret cocktails</i>, we are going to depart from our usual photography treatment. What better way to share them than in low-lit phone and instagram photos? Because the real thing is always going to be so much better than the pictures anyway. (Trust us.)</div>
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The menu sometimes rotates a little, but check this out:</div>
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<b>Something Ridiculous</b></div>
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The bartender sets a goblet on fire with high proof alcohol and toasts a marshmallow in front of you. Then you can enjoy bites of gooey toasted marshmallow paired with rich, chocolatey porter, and a cocktail of rum, Carpano Antica sweet vermouth, cream, and toffee syrup.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15508704696" title="Coachman SF by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Coachman SF" height="281" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3950/15508704696_b7174bec46.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15481186391" title="Coachman Secret Menu by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Coachman Secret Menu" height="281" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3938/15481186391_b77e189ff6.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<b>Something in an Ice Sphere</b><br />
What's better than your favorite cocktail? Uh, your favorite cocktail in a freaking <i>ice sphere</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15481186311" title="Coachman Secret Menu - Something in an Ice Sphere by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Coachman Secret Menu - Something in an Ice Sphere" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3942/15481186311_5274cef693.jpg" /></a><br />
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<b>Something Tiki</b><br />
We have so many favorite tiki drinks, we just can't choose our favorite! And why should we have to with this awesome (and did we mention adorable?) tiki trio, which includes a Mai Tai, Pain Killer, and Pina Colada. Don't forget to wear sunscreen.<br />
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<b>Something Smoked</b><br />
Choose from Buffalo Trace, House made fireball, or Hunting Flask (one of the house cocktails made with infused Redbreast whiskey). Then decide on mesquite, apple, hickory, or cherry wood chips. Add smoke.<br />
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Something Special</b><br />
Is this what you think you see? If you're wondering that, the answer is probably yes.<br />
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<b>Something with Cheeky's</b><br />
At one time, something cheeky was made of this delicious adult icee—and by that we mean a blended negroni, a super cold, thirst quenching, and somehow creamy cocktail of campari, sweet vermouth, and gin whipped up in a Vitamix with ice (Johnny likes to add a little squeeze of lime over the top, as well as some egg white to the mix). The garnish was a negroni jello in a real orange peel.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15297760267" title="IMG_20140822_195553078 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_20140822_195553078" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2945/15297760267_ac1377fa43.jpg" width="344" /></a><br />
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These days, they've added a bit more to the order. Instead of the blended negroni (still available upon request, and we recommend you do on a hot day), you get a cheeky trio: a deconstructed sazerac in an absinthe ice glass (you're not hallucinating), a cheeky of housemade fireball, and the jelly negroni.<br />
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Shhhh. Don't tell anyone.<br />
<br /><b>The Coachman</b><br />1148 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103<br />(415) 813-1701<br />Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16426154607141582176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152189923024791263.post-46802947884913332572014-09-24T00:05:00.000-07:002014-09-24T11:08:08.623-07:00Meet the Cocktails: Japanese, European, and American cocktail styles blend at Ramen ShopIt recently came to our attention that we've known Chris Lane for, well, years.<br />
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The early days of Heaven's Dog used to have what is now a bygone SF unicorn: $5 cocktails. Chris used to work at Heaven's Dog on Fridays, and as we'd while away the Friday evening, Chris would indulge us with crazy awesome cocktails of his own design, as well as an impressive list of classics and tiki (Scorpion please!). It may or may not have inspired Josh to even pen a blog post in the form of an ode to the Devil's Backbone, a deep, slow, and stirred Scotch drink that Chris eventually put on the Lolinda menu. Let's just say that the ode began with a Dante quote ("Abandon all hope ye who enters here!"). Though I have tried to find that post for publishing, it has mysteriously disappeared.<br />
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Today, Chris is heading up an ambitious cocktail program at Ramen Shop, a much celebrated restaurant in Rockridge Oakland that serves up rich bowls of ramen made with fresh California ingredients. It's a logical match for Chris, who has always embraced an impressive attention to detail and to execution with his cocktails.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/14378014596" title="Chris Lane at Ramen Shop by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chris Lane at Ramen Shop" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3853/14378014596_3029795cb5.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Ramen Shop is a great dinner stop. The now-famous noodles have caught the eye of Bay Area hipsters and foodies, and waits can be expected, as is typical for a hotspot. The bar until now has served as a happy landing pad where patrons can wait for tables with glass in hand. There may be even more room for the bar in the future when the restaurant expands early next year and brings more tables and dedicated bar space.<br />
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The cocktail menu itself is a great amalgamation of Chris's style, combining classic presentation, tiki- and Japanese-style ingredients, and precise execution. If the range seems impressively wide, it is—only made more admirable that this represents a mere slice of Chris's spectrum, with cocktails chosen specifically with the food in mind. For Chris, this meant cocktails that were a bit more savory and a bit lighter.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/14401146795" title="Ramen Shop by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Ramen Shop" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3854/14401146795_a9c757e324.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Want to meet the cocktails?<br />
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<b>Double Barrel Fizz:</b> Rittenhouse Rye whiskey, fresh lemon juice, cherry gastrique (a sweet and sour syrup), cinnamon, with a float of Rodenbach Grand Cru, served long over ice in a tall collins glass. Though we are often suspicious of beer cocktails, this is one that works beautifully. The Grand Cru brings a nice funk to the lemon and cherry tang, and the cinnamon takes the spice to the end with a nice finish. It's at once tangy and savory, which makes it a good addition to a meal. </div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/14401150595" title="Chris Lane at Ramen Shop by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chris Lane at Ramen Shop" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3887/14401150595_ccf4a3409f.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/14214537238" title="Double Barrel Cocktail at Ramen Shop by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Double Barrel Cocktail at Ramen Shop" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3875/14214537238_241833103c.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b>Old Golden Cocktail:</b> Fidencio Clasica Mezcal, lemon, honey, ginger, crushed sage, served over ice in a rocks glass. A refreshing drink in which the smokey mezcal and sage combine seamlessly into a light herbaceousness with a honey finish. The ginger is subtle and not overpowering, a common downfall for many Asian-inspired drinks. But not this one!</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/14214526778" title="Chris Lane at Ramen Shop by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chris Lane at Ramen Shop" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2895/14214526778_87bc9e5cc0.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/14214527518" title="Old Golden cocktail at Ramen Shop by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Old Golden cocktail at Ramen Shop" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3900/14214527518_fb868d49a3.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b>First and Last:</b> Neisson Blanc agricole rhum, lime, pineapple gum, Velvet Falernum, Sapins Traditional. Texture is one of the cruxes of this light and fluffy drink, whipped up purely from pineapple gum syrup and precise shaking. It require fast shaking to create the meringue without introducing too much water, so an expert hand is required. The result is a smooth, almost creamy, and approachable drink, that washes pleasantly over your palate. The agricole rhum and pineapple together create a delicate profile made from tiki ingredients with classic presentation using Japanese execution. Truly a testament to Chris's range, this felt like one of his program's signatures.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/14400052214" title="Chris Lane at Ramen Shop by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chris Lane at Ramen Shop" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2909/14400052214_6a87cfc158.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/14214556600" title="First and Last Cocktail at Ramen Shop by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="First and Last Cocktail at Ramen Shop" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5511/14214556600_216099c120.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b>Big Medicine: </b>Herencio Blanco, lime, Bergamot, orange marmalade, gomme (sugar) syrup, and tonic, served long, over ice in a tall collins glass. We love cocktails that introduce marmalade because of the richness bartenders are able to achieve with it. Big Medicine is a very good example of it. Chris introduces a little bit of salt into this long cocktail which turns it savory. The saline tempers the sweetness in the marmalade and pleasantly accentuates the bitter rind and the tonic. The lime and orange taste like natural companions to the tonic and, served long, tastes like a pleasant, highly sippable, distant relative to a classic gin and tonic. </div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/14214501239" title="Chris Lane at Ramen Shop by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Chris Lane at Ramen Shop" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2896/14214501239_d637e96308.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/14400057714" title="AD6A9877 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="AD6A9877" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2938/14400057714_a1fb912758.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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<b>Broken Flower:</b> El Tesoro Reposado tequila, Cynar (artichoke Italian bitters), fresh lime juice, fresh grapefruit juice, cinnamon, Angostura bitters served up in a coupe glass. The grapefruit and Cynar come together to create a satisfyingly bitter and rich drink that is at the same time refreshing. You'll find spicy notes from the tequila, Cynar, cinnamon, and Angostura, reminiscent of some tiki styles, but with a light texture and restrained sweetness. It tastes crisp, almost like an apple. </div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/14399808042" title="Broken Flower Cocktail at Ramen Shop by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Broken Flower Cocktail at Ramen Shop" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5232/14399808042_0b23477c3d.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b>Drop Point:</b> Rittenhouse rye whiskey, Amaro Nordini (Italian bitter liqueur), Cynar (artichoke Italian bitter liqueur), and apricot, served on the rocks in an old fashioned glass and garnished with a large orange peel. This is a stirred drink that is more crisp and refreshing than it looks. Though it is one of the slower sippers on the menu, the apricot uplifts the cocktail in the end and brings together what would otherwise be very serious, bitter, and slow ingredients.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/15128109367" title="AD6A9921 by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="AD6A9921" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3864/15128109367_924c706cbc.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/14214541768" title="Drop Point Cocktail at Ramen Shop by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Drop Point Cocktail at Ramen Shop" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3859/14214541768_ac43b097bd.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b>Grass Cutter</b>: St. George Spirits Shochu, terroir gin, fresh lemon guide, ginger, vanilla, orgeat (almond syrup), pineapple, matcha powder, served up in a couple glass. Along with the First and Last, this is felt like another one of Chris's signature drinks on the menu and one that most explicitly incorporates Japanese ingredients along with some tiki influences. It's a light and airy cocktail that is, like the First and Last, texture-driven with high attention to execution. Though some of the ingredients might feel foreign to some drinkers, the result is something strangely familiar, almost like an adult version of your favorite birthday cake. The matcha introduces some salt and dryness to the cocktail and contributes to an overall profile that is not cloying. You won't find a cocktail like this anywhere else in the city.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/14421317603" title="Grass Cutter Cocktail at Ramen Shop by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Grass Cutter Cocktail at Ramen Shop" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3898/14421317603_7480472109.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/14378035876" title="Grass Cutter Cocktail at Ramen Shop by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Grass Cutter Cocktail at Ramen Shop" height="333" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2934/14378035876_11769f9436.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/14399814272" title="Grass Cutter Cocktail at Ramen Shop by Noelle Chun, on Flickr"><img alt="Grass Cutter Cocktail at Ramen Shop" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3887/14399814272_2892076f92.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Check out the full <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/58236045@N07/sets/72157644716766639/" target="_blank">photo album here</a>.<br />
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<b>Ramen Shop</b><br />
5812 College Ave<br />
Oakland, CA 94618<br />
(510) 788-6370<br />
<a href="http://ramenshop.com/">ramenshop.com</a>
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