Where to drink: Prizefighter

It was 80 degrees in Oakland today, but BART cars had their heaters running. I fantasized about one thing as I stewed in the steel-on-steel petri dish: Prizefighter and its glorious patio. Prizefighter is Emeryville's greatest treasure (including Ikea), but too many San Francisco drinkers don't make it across the Bay. After taking a peak at the space, and they're gloriously simple three-ingredient cocktails, I hope more people make the trek.



The interior is spacious and typifies the neighborhood bar. There's a shufflepuck table inside, which you'll never find at a good cocktail bar in San Francisco.



Despite its low-key, neighborhood feel, Prizefighter is a serious cocktail bar.



The menu, though extensive, consists of simple drinks. What makes this place special is that it makes these drinks exceptionally well; it's hard to find a bar that consistently executes three-ingredient cocktails so well.



Note the section devoted to patio drinks.



The specials change from time to time.



Here's that Old Fashioned:



Ice nerds, notice the clarity of the ice. The main event, the drink, was fantastic. The whiskey was strong enough to hold up to the ice without losing some of its bite, but it wasn't overly alcoholic. The bourbon also maintained its richness, giving you the burned-sugar joy throughout the cocktail.

This is the Jack Rose (calvados, lime, grenadine), named after a famous boxer. The balance tipped slightly towards the citrus side, which made the drink all the more refreshing. It's perfect for a hot day.



Prizefighter is an excellent place to go hang out with some friends and have some good cocktails. Or beer, if that's what you prefer. These folks are genuinely nice, so they won't give you trouble for ordering beer. Oh, and it's dog-friendly.

6702 Hollis St
Emeryville, CA 94608

Prizefighter isn't easily accessible from BART, so make sure that you designate a driver.

Please Don't Tell's Jim Meeham was at 5th Floor! [photos]

This past week, Jim Meehan of New York's infamous speakeasy Please Don't Tell was in San Francisco. For one night, San Francisco's Fifth Floor (a bar in the Hotel Palomar) turned into PDT, and it was awesome. Here are some photos from the event:

It was packed and dark, so it was hard to get good pictures but we tried our best:







This bartender was a champ. There were so many people at his table, and he didn't even break a sweat.



This East India Negroni (Banks 5 Rum, Campari, Lustau East India Sherry) was from Meehan's own hand. I loved this drink. Switching the gin out for rum is brilliant, and subbing sherry for vermouth is sheer genius. Such an interesting flavor profile.



Smoked Potato Tots to fuel the tanks.



The man himself, Jim Meehan.



I love this image of him because while everyone around him is in motion and his hands are everywhere, his face is perfectly concentrated.



If you want to visit the normal Fifth Floor, it's at:

Fifth Floor
12 4th St
San Francisco, CA 94105

(in Hotel Palomar)

Tony Devencenzi from Bourbon and Branch on How to Make The VOC Cocktail [VIDEO + PHOTOS]

Happy Friday, you guys! Whew, what whirlwind a past few days it has been. Life is just go, go, go!

We have been very busy for the past few week creating a video for Tony Devencenzi (see dashing photo below). If you don't know Tony, you totally should! In addition to being a very passionate and talented bartender at the Wilson and Wilson Bar, Tony is also the Beverage Academy Coordinator at Bourbon and Branch, President of the NorCal USBG, co-founder of the Bartenders' Relief Fund, and board member of SF Cocktail Week—so just a tiny bit accomplished and involved in the community. :-)

This time, we did a video spotlight on Tony who shows you how to make his original drink, The VOC—a malty, bright, and airy Bols-Genever-based cocktail with the very innovative ingredients of curry syrup and saffron tincture. Mouth watering yet?

The video was for Tony's third round in the Bols Around the World 2013 competition. It's a fierce contest of bartenders from all over the globe who are competing to become the global brand ambassador for Bols (think bartending + Iron Chef + Quiz Bowl). Our challenge was to shoot and edit it all in one week. I am happy to say we survived!

Here are a few behind-the-scenes shots, in addition to the video itself.

Tony readying for the lights, camera, and action.



We get ready to do a few shots of Tony in some egg-crackin' action.

Here is Kimberly, our expert production assistant, Chicago correspondent, and bouncer at a bar (haha, never gets old).



And now The VOC in its full glory:



Finally, without further ado, here is Tony's video! Watch in 1080p for best effect. Enjoy and let us know what you think! Happy Friday!

Recipes

The VOC
2 oz Bols Barrel Aged Genever
.5 oz Gran Classico
.5 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
.5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
.75 oz Yellow Curry Honey Syrup*
barspoon Saffron Tincture*
.5 oz Eggwhite
Garnish with Cracked White Pepper, Orange twist

Yellow Curry Honey Syrup

295 ml. water (1 1/4 cups)
5 ml. yellow curry powder (1 tsp.)
24 ml. mustard seed, lightly crushed (2 Tbls.)
474 ml. honey (2 cups)
Bring water to near boil. Remove from heat; add curry and mustard seed, steep for 12 minutes. Strain and reserve liquid. Add liquid to honey, stir gently until combined.

Saffron Tincture

Macerate 3-4 strands of saffron in 10 oz of high proof (100+) neutral spirit for up to one week. Remove saffron and store in a sealed container.

Where to Drink: St. Regis Hotel

I've been within two blocks of the St. Regis more times than I can count, but I never went inside. It's not that hotel bars are taboo in San Francisco, they're just not on the radar. It took an exceptionally cold night and a dearth of cabs to get me to visit the St. Regis, but boy am I glad that I did.

The first thing that struck me was that the St. Regis space is really pretty.



The interior is comfortable.



Huge art that doesn't annoy me like other hotel bars. I actually kind of like it.



Fireplace? Yes please.



The cocktail menu is good, too.


The Da Kine cocktail is a lot of fun. Da Kine is a Hawaiian pidgin phrase with a variety of meanings, most often "like that." The rim is li hing mui, a sweet and sour powder common in Hawaii. Funnily enough, a handful of people at the St. Regis have strong ties to Hawaii, having either been born there or lived there for a number of years.





Smoked Manhattan––Ironically, this is a cocktail that came by way of a bartender in Hawaii named Christian Self, from 39 Hotel in Honolulu Chinatown. Talk about a taste of home!



That's a vanilla bean smoking in the snifter. The vanilla smoke helped bring out some of the richer notes in the rye.







What struck me most was the service at the St. Regis. As soon as I walked down I had water and bar snacks, which never happens at SF bars. The bartenders were incredibly serviceable and made me feel right at home. I had such a relaxing time at the St. Regis that I'd recommend everyone go there at least once, if only just to hang out.

St. Regis Hotel
125 San Francisco, CA 94103
(Across from MoMA)

RIP Wo Hing General Store, we hardly knew ye

Wo Hing General Store closes its doors forever tonight. It had a good run, at the very least. Luckily, all the friendly faces from Wo Hing will be reshuffled to different Phan restaurants. We'll update when we find out where they wind up.

Where to Drink: All the Cocktails at Hard Water!

A few weeks ago we went to check out the interior of Hard Water before it was fully open. And now it's finally here––operating at full steam! Hard Water has some of the best southern food and drink I've ever had. The cocktail menu focuses on New Orleans style drinks, so if you love whiskey this is the place to be. We were so excited that we decided to try all the menu drinks to share a first look.



Here's the complete cocktail list:



And here is what each of the cocktails look like (it was a big night....and a rough morning):

Dixie Cocktail––Not to be confused with the gin and absinthe drink from the Savoy Cocktail Book, this Dixie Cocktail is rich, slow New Orleans classic. It showcases the bourbon perfectly.



Roffignac Cocktail––This drink was one of those potable portals that bring you back to another time in history. It's hard to describe why, but this drink left me speechless.



Mint Julep––this was a fantastic julep. Using Old Fitzgerald bourbon is a perfect choice because it holds up against the ice.





Cocktail a la Louisiane––rich bourbon goodness make this drink a slow-sipper.



Bonus cocktail: Sazerac––perhaps the best in the city. It's the older recipe, which uses a mixture of cognac and rye. It tones down the harshness that some sazeracs tend to have.


The Bourbon Lift—a frothy, fizz of Bourbon, Stumptown coffee liqueur, orgeat, Straus organic cream, and soda water—light, but still delicious and rich. Perfect for coffee fans.



The food is amazing, too. We had the celery hearts with old bay aioli



And the fried banana pie, which was incredible with the Cocktail a la Louisiane



Hard Water
Pier 3
Ste 3-102
San Francisco, CA 94111
http://hardwaterbar.com/

[Photos] Umami Mart's Lease-signing Party

Downtown Oakland has a bad reputation, but the times are a-changin' thanks to shops like Umami Mart  and proprietors like Yoko and Kayoko. Until six months ago, Umami Mart existed only as a Japanese-centered food and lifestyle blog in the virtual world. Now, it's a got a storefront at 815 Broadway in Oakland, a short five minute walk from the 12th St. BART station. 

Until last week, the Umami Mart flagship store was a pop-up store which, like handful of other stores on the block, was part of a neighborhood initiative to revitalize downtown Oakland called Pop Up Hood. Essentially, Kayoko and Yoko had six months of free rent to test the waters. If things went well, they'd have the opportunity to sign a lease, which they did just last week. After hanging out for awhile at the lease-signing party, it became pretty obvious why the store is such a hit. 

First, the physical space reveals an arresting mix of Scandinavian and Japanese design aesthetics.



The shelves are stocked with high-quality Japanese food and beverage related merchandise. The barware, like everything else, is imported directly from Japan.  Bartenders from both San Francisco and Oakland buy their gear at Umami Mart. 

As well-wishers began to pour in, I realized that beauty of Umami Mart is not confined to the space. Yoko and Kakyoko are skilled not only at running a business but also at contributing to a growing Downtown community. They have such warm, fun personalities that you feel immediately welcome in the store. 

Loads of loyal customers and business owners from the neighborhood showed up to celebrate, and it was clear that Kayoko and Yoko cultivated more than business relationships––they actually brought people together.







When it came time for the celebratory toast, I could actually feel the support in the room. Everyone wants this business to thrive.

No Japanese celebration is complete without completing the Daruma ritual––drawing in the eyes to signify that you've accomplished a goal. Above, Kayoko is learning the history of the Daruma doll. Below, mission accomplished.

There are so many reasons for you to check out Umami Mart. The ladies are fantastic fun. The merchandise is worth way more than they sell it for. The spot is beautiful. AND they sell bento boxes every Tuesday and Thursday lunchtime.