40) Siesta #1

1.5 oz. Tezon Blanco Tequila
.5 oz. Plymouth Sloe Gin
.5 oz. St. Germain
.5 oz. Lemon Juice

Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass

Sweet Jebus! We done actually threw down with a drink for the first time in for the ever.

I had just popped into Elixir to say "hey" to Ed after running some errands, and found him keen on working on a drink. We were both feeling a bit loopy, so when he suggested Tequila as a base, I said we should mix it with Sloe Gin. We looked at one another, and decided to go for it. As we discussed what else to put in the drink Ed brought up the St. Germain, as its floral notes tends to work well with Tequila. Since St. Germain is fairly sweet, and the Plymouth Slow Gin is tart, yet has a sweetness to it we thought a bit of lemon would help round it out, and bring a bit of brightness to the drink.

We thought this was going to be a disaster of a cocktail, but were pleasantly surprised to find it was rather tasty. We tend to like our drinks on the dry side, and while we thought this might be a bit on the sweet side it suited our tastes well. The first few sips were Tequila forward, but as the drink sat a bit, the fruit from the Sloe, and the floral from the St. Germain began to work with the agave notes of the Tequila.

We're tossing the #1 in the name as the first thing Ed said upon tasting it was, "I think this needs an egg white." As we drank it, we became more convinced that this drink would work very well as a fizz. Ed (the lucky bastard) is currently off having fun in New Orleans, but when he gets back we are going to see what we can do with the Fizz variation.

Party Time

Recently I was asked by the girlfriend of a friend of mine, if I'd be willing to come up with some theme drinks for

his big birthday bash. I, of course, said yes. As the party grew closer, the logistics of the event (specifically that there would be anywhere from 50-100 people in attendance) began to make me a bit nervous. One of the biggest challenges was that I had no way of predicting what sort of cocktail tastes the guests would have. In the end I decided to play it on the simple side -- By being kind of a lame cheater, and for the most part just serving up fairly unimaginative variations.

Drink #1
Tequila, St. Germain, lime juice

While I don't remember it, I can't imagine I haven't seen this Margarita variation before. I would imagine it was one of the first things many people did when St. Germain first hit the streets. This one was squarely in the "meh" range -- Not delicious, but not terrible. Not surprisingly it was the least popular of the three. In my defense, I will say that a number of folks were staunchly against Tequila citing all sorts of prior poor experiences. I tried to convince them that it was probably due to the over consumption of mixto, but that did little to assuage fears.

Drink #2
Black Seal Rum, Ginger Beer, half a lime

Yeah! A Dark and Stormy with half a lime thrown in! With this level of creativity, I can't believe I haven't been nabbed by Bourbon and Branch. Sigh. I fall into the camp of people who find lime in a Dark and Stormy to kind of "water" down the drink, but this one was quite popular, and I even had a few people tell me they liked the lime -- Finding that it cut the spiciness of the ginger.

Drink #3
Vodka, Chambord, lemonade

I knew I was going to be doing a Vodka drink, and when I found out that my friend has an freakish love of lemonade I decided to just do a simple spiked concoction with Chambord to add a bit of extra flavor. This tasted exactly what you would think it would. For my tastes it wasn't very good, but sweet Jesus did this thing fly off the bar. The cocktail snob in me winced a bit every time somebody said, "Yum! Tastes just like candy!", but I was happy that so many people enjoyed it as much as they did.

Overall, I had a great time, and enjoyed seeing so many people enjoying their drinks. Were I to do such a thing again, there are a few things I'd do differently.

First and foremost, I'd set a definite "cocktail hour". Going into the party I had thought one of two things would happen -- 1) There wouldn't be much interest in the cocktails as people would be more interested on the kegs, and shot station (that's right. Shot station. I run with a classy crowd.) 2) There would be an early run (the party started at 3) after which folks would "slow down" by switching to beer. What actually happened was that the cocktails were consistently popular, and it wasn't until around 10:30 that I finally broke down the bar. By the time I was done, all I wanted to do was hop in a cab, and head home. Having cocktails from something like 3-7, and letting folks help themselves to whatever was left over after that would have allowed me to spend some time at the party proper.

I would also ditch the "make up drinks" bit. I think everybody would have been somewhat better served by a selection of carefully chose classics. It wouldn't have been too much trouble to seek out drinks that in and of themselves fit the theme I was told about while still being able to offer a selection of drinks that wouldn't be perceived as run of the mill.

Obesello Absinthe Vert

A while back, We got an e-mail from a representative of Obesello Absinthe asking us if we would be interested in being sent a bottle to try out. Why, yes -- Yes we would. Like most other Americans, Absinthe is new to us due to its recently legal status 'round these parts, so getting our hands on yet another bottle to add to those which we have had so far was a-ok with us. Ed isn't actually much of an anise fan, so it was left up to me to give this stuff a whirl. My life? It is so hard.

I first tried it neat -- The anise was huge (as one might expect) , with a lingering, sweet follow up. Past the anise punch were hints of mint and vanilla. Not surprisingly, sans water it's a big punch of heat and flavor -- Definitely asking for a little bit of water to open it up. With the water, there is a beautiful opalescent louche. Opened up, the botanicals come out to play with the anise -- The flavors cling to the tongue like I used to cling to my He-Man action figure.

I also wanted to give the Obesello a whirl in a cocktail to see how it would mix. My first thought was to try it in one of my favorites, the Sazerac. I decided that it might be more fun to try it out in something different, just for kicks. I ran on over to the always handy Cocktail DB and came across the Yellow Daisy. I had encountered this drink before and thought it would be a good one to take the Obesello for a ride.

Yellow Daisy
1.5 oz. Gin
.5 oz. Dry Vermouth
.25 oz. Grand Marnier
.25 oz. Obesello

The Gin and Absinthe were quite dominant, and it seemed to me that .25 oz. of Absinthe called for is a bit much. However, as the drink had time to rest, a bit more balance developed. The notes of the Grand Marnier asserted themselvs a bit more, and I feel the rounding out effects of the vermouth.

Overall, I like this entry into the Absinthe market. I still fall into the camp of 'if you can only have one Absinthe' choose St. George, but as people begin to take advantige of of the Absinthe craze, and churn out crap, Obesello is a well crafted, worhty entry to the market. Well worth giving a try if you get the chance.

SF Cocktail Week

It's down to the wire, but I just done got to let y'all know that San Francisco Cocktail Week is just around the corner. I made it to a few of the events last year, and had a damn fine time at each.

One of the things I'm particularly excited about is the USBG cocktail competition. I've been to a few similar events in the past, and they're a fun way to see a real breadth of drinks being made by the best bartenders around.

The thing I'm really digging for this year is the day of bar school classes that are going on around various parts of the city. All the classes look to be gangbusters, but there are a couple that I particularly wish I could attend.

Cane, grape & cactus -- I probably shouldn't admit this, but Latin spirits are a bit of a weakness in by booze knowledge. I know the basics, sure, but the intricacies of the wide selection of southern continental potables are far from my forte. While it's true that Duggan has been known to dress so snazzy as to cause severe bouts of vertigo, and Jordan will smash you with friendliness (tell him, "not in the face!") -- This is a great opportunity to learn from two of the most knowledgeable folks in the city.

Gentleman's Companion -- I've said many times that I believe Slanted Door is running one of the best cocktail programs that isn't talked about in San Francisco. The man behind that program is also the man behind the program at the recently opened second Charles Phan project Heavens Dog. Erik Atkins is that man, and on my first visit to "The Dog", his passion for the drinks from Charles H. Baker's book was infectious. To see one of the best bartenders, talking about one of his favorite drink manuals will be treat indeed. Also, if you ask him nicely, he may show you how he is able to turn ice blocks into any number of shapes using nothing but the power of his mind.

I'm biased to be sure, but any and all cocktail week events you can make, you should get your fine bodies to. You won't regret it.

Tokyo Fog

Not too long ago, Rob posted on Twitter that he was about to work on a "Tokyo Fog" based beer. I was pretty sure I was the only person who knew exactly what he was talking about, and quite certain I was the only one who cried out in delight.

Long ago, in the before time known as college, Rob and I had a mutual friend (hi Eric!) who one day showed up at our local coffee shop with a grand announcement. Earlier in the day he had gone to the annual book sale of our hamlet's library, and one of the tomes he had picked up was a cookbook published in the 50's which was geared toward men. What this meant, it seemed, was that the chapter with vegetables had been omitted so that the author could put in more meat dishes. Dishes which contained a preponderance of butter or cream -- Often times both. Of course, there was also a healthy chapter on drinks. It was from this book that Eric became fascinated with the Manhattan, and eventually perfected his personal recipe -- The one which planted the seed in me that would later bloom fully decades later in New York.

But that's not what this is about. No, this missive is about far less sophisticated, dangerous drink which also emanated from that grand work. The infamous Tokyo Fog.

We first heard about this drink as part of the enticement to attend a BBQ Eric was throwing at his house. It was far from needed, as it was generally difficult to keep us away from functions at Eric's place, but it was a welcome tantalization in the midst of a classic Oregon heat wave. So what is this Tokyo Fog you are probably wondering? It's a simple compound consisting of equal parts Bourbon, coffee, and vanilla ice cream. It's mixed into a slurry, and stored in the freezer overnight to reconstitute into what can only be described as sort of a milkshake consistency.

We were well into the consumption of many grilled items when Eric finally brought out the bowl. The sort of milkshake consistency wasn't the most appetizing of looks for a beverage, but how can one go wrong with a combination of three delicious things? Indeed it was delicious, tasting almost exactly like a coffee milkshake -- With no hint of the Bourbon. It was a perfect drink for the day, as the heat would continue to pound us well into the evening. Some of us (ahem) gravitated to it more than others, and we soon found out that just because one couldn't taste the Bourbon didn't mean it wasn't very much there. Just ask the guy who drank the sausage beer. The less said about that the better.

As I've learned more about cocktails, I've found that there are some drinks that shouldn't exist, and some drinks that are best suited to a particular place and time. The Tokyo Fog -- rough, and inelegant -- is a drink in the latter category. I've recommended it as a batch drink for BBQs, though personally, on a really hot day I'd mostly prefer a Dark N' Stormy, or a Daiquiri. Then again, in a backyard filled with friends, and an embarrassment of girllable riches, a big cup (red SOLO please) of Tokyo Fog would be a welcome sight indeed.

As to the naked ambition of capturing those flavors in a beer brewed by one of those with whom I shared that first taste, and memories? Fuck yeah.

Look out, he's got a bar spoon!

For those cocktail geeks who aren't (or haven't been) in the industry, I imagine that an interest in being behind a for reals bar, whipping up beverages for strangers, begins to bubble up towards the conscience mind like swamp gas. That bubbling exploded in me many months ago, when I asked a friend of mine if he would be willing to let me stage with him at his bar. Like most of my random, great ideas that's about as far as it went. Until I got laid off in December. As I found myself sitting around my house sending out resumes to no avail, watching the Dow plunge to fear inducing levels, and slowly going insane, it seemed like as good a time as ever to bug my friend about it some more. Finally, he relented and got the consent from his boss to let me back behind the bar.

The fool!

There is a great difference between making drinks for yourself, and friends at your home bar. A good drink is a good drink, but there is so much more to being in a service position. It sounds trite, but when you are tending bar you are a host, and the customers are your guests. They may want drinks you despise, or they may be annoying to no end, but your job is to make them happy. There is also a particular procedure to being behind a bar that can flummox any non-industry folk who think they know everything. That was why I wanted to take a shot behind the bar.

I started with pouring beer, and discovered the fucked up intricacies of pouring beer from a tap. I can hear Rob screaming as he reads that, as he has
tried for many years to teach me the basics of pouring a beer, but in a bar each tap has its own life. A life that is full of gassy baggage, and when each mistake is a pour cost, one can get a little freaked out. as the day wore on I was finally called upon to make a cocktail. A Sazerac -- One of my favorite cocktails, and one that I thought I would slam dunk. Yet under pressure to make one for a random guy who had shuffled into the bar, I might as well have been asked to make a battleship from scratch. My stirring technique was criticized. My sloppy methodology of assembling all the components of the drink was pointed out to me. I was made to feel like I had no business behind a bar at all -- And it felt fantastic. There is a strange delight to learning that I had forgotten, and was glad to find again.

Just as my shift was ending, I began to feel the slightest hints of a groove. I was having fun interacting with customers. I had gotten the hang of pouring a good beer, and I even got show my shaker face to a lucky few folks.

I've got a lot more shifts ahead of me before I'm anywhere close to being a bartender, but I'm looking forward to it. The nervous feeling when I'm asked to make a drink. The fucking up, and feeling like an idiot. Making folks feel welcome at the bar, and seeing people leave after having a good time.

Bartending is a tough job, and one I might not be cut out for in the long run, but as a cocktail geek, I'm happy as a monkey in a peanut machine. Maybe I'll even let y'all know where I'm working someday, and you can come on by and I'll make you the best Old Fasioned in San Francisco.

Repeal Day II: The 'Recon Crew -- Part 2

Cantina

In a twist most nefarious,the folks at
Cantina teamed up with John Walker for a Repeal Day extravaganza. They put together a special menu for the evening of $1 cocktails. As you might imagine, by the time Ed and I got there, the joint was jumping, but we were undaunted. Duggan McDonnell was manning the hosting position, while behind the bar upstairs co-owner Aaron Prentice, and Jordan Mackay were churning out the drinks. We both started with an Oriental (Sazerac Rye, Sweet Vermouth, Creole Shrub, and lime juice) -- This is a great cocktail that I'm surprised doesn't get more air time. As we were enjoying our drinks, and trying to stay out of the way, Jordan popped over to say hi, and introduce us to a friend of his, Marcia "Tablehopper" Gagliardi with whom we had a fine time chatting with for a while (she's fabulous!). For our second drink, we went for the Yellow Daisy -- A pleasant mix of Gin, Dry Vermouth, and Grand Marnier. We decided to drift downstairs to the satellite bar, where Dominic Venegas was working his magic which, it turned out, consisted of making Ed and I break our "no shots" rule. As we were chatting with some of the other folks who were about, I noticed Dominic pull out a couple of silver mugs from under the bar. It was early in the evening, but it seemed that it was time for a Blue Blazer. The lights were dimmed, and with deft hands Dominic tossed flaming whiskey from mug to mug. It was a glorious display that was cut short by Ed being called into an emergency run to Elixir, and with that we were off once again.

Elixir

The run to Elixir was quick. A crowd was gathering, and we had other places we needed to be. As long as we were there, and had broken our shot rule, we decided to indulge in a quick shot of the sweet, sweet Jameson. As we left, we began to talk of our next stop. We decided to head out to Beretta or NOPA. As I was eager to try a little something they were serving up for the occasion at NOPA, I used my massive charm to lure Ed NOPA ways.

NOPA

The reason I wanted to go to NOPA was because they were celebrating Repeal Day by unleashing their Red Headed Rye. I had tried some a while ago thanks to persons which shall remain nameless, and was eager to have some more. When we arrived, the bar was crowded, as we had feared. Ed decided we should push through and see if we got lucky. His intuition proved genius, as two stools opened up right in front of us only moments after we situated ourselves behind the bar. As we seated ourselves, we were greeted by the delightful Kent Howard. I had met him randomly several weeks before, and was glad to see him again on our Repeal journey. Ed and I were both on the same page when it came to what we wanted to put that Rye to, and ordered Manhattans. It was a beautiful construction, with all the lively kick a Rye lover could want. We thought about sticking around for another, but it was getting late, and we wanted to make another stop.

Alembic

As we walked in, we saw the benevolent face of the great Daniel Hyatt behind the bar. We were also still on the same page, looking to end our evening with another of our favorite classics -- The Sazerac. Some time ago this became one of my favorite cocktails, and it seemed to be the best way to end our evening. It was one last cheers, and several sips before Ed and I parted ways to our respective homes.

It was a grand (long) night, and a grand way to spend Repeal Day. As I sat at home drinking an enormous glass of water, I began to wonder how we might top it next year.

I'm guessing a booze pool.