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Guest
Guest
I'm not into cocktails outside Tanguery & Schwepps, but maybe some of you have special recipes? - Perdita
The Bartender Recommends - Expert advice on what's best to serve at the holidays - Delfin Vigil, SF Chron, Nov. 21, 2004
For those of you who are holiday phobic, thankfully there are plenty of ways to escape those awkward moments with the in-laws. Deck the halls with alcohol. Celebrate Hanukkah with bottles of gin, tonic and shots of vodka. In order to help you get the most mileage out of those holiday hangovers, we consulted five expert bartenders for tips on how to think when it comes to mixing holiday drinks. So before you raise a cup for the days of auld lang syne, here are some suggestions you ought to keep in mind..
Harry Denton's Starlight Room
Sure, everybody is wild about Harry Denton's Starlight Room. But Mr. Denton would like everyone to know that he's wild about his favorite bartender, Marco Dionysos. Dressed in a white tuxedo top and black slacks, Dionysos makes it crystal clear where his priorities are. "I'm a cocktail geek," he says. "I've accepted it."
Having tended bar at more than 10 joints in town, Dionysos has lost count of his cocktail repertoire. It makes sense considering that he invents new drinks every year. Like the Cunningham, made of Dewar's Scotch, cherry brandy, Benedictine orange and lemon juices. Served with brandied cherries and an orange twist, the fruity cocktail was kinky enough to be published in Playboy last May along with a picture of the cocktail geek himself. "I kept all my clothes on," he says. "My grandmother was so proud." What Mr. May likes most about the Cunningham is that you can still taste the alcohol beneath all of the fruitiness.
"If I drink something that tastes like a lollipop, I'll forget I'm drinking alcohol and end up curled up under the piano."
450 Powell St., San Francisco; (415) 395-8595 or www.harrydenton.com.
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The Buena Vista Cafe
Every year, Paul Nolan at the Buena Vista Cafe gets a request for an eggnog concoction. Unfortunately, it's usually from only one person. Sometimes it's the same guy. "One time, this fellow absolutely insisted, so I personally went out to the store and bought him some. But that was an exception," said Nolan, who has been bartending at the B.V. (allegedly the first place in America to serve an Irish Coffee) for 27 years.
In order to keep Nolan behind the bar, he'd like to suggest something equally as creamy and cozy. Give the Nutty Irishman a shot. The oxymoronically named drink is made of equal parts Baileys and Frangelico and prepared with a hand swirl over ice and strained into either a pony or shot glass. It's perfect for keeping the patrons/family feeling warm and fuzzy inside while keeping Nolan/you from going to the store outside in the cold.
2765 Hyde St., San Francisco; (415) 474-5044 or www.thebuenavista.com.
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Big Foot Lodge
During the past two years, there have been several Sasquatch sightings on Polk street. What witnesses describe is pretty ugly. "If you're looking to get tanked, say, to celebrate getting married, boom! Drink a Sasquatch," says Rebekah Bermudez who bartends at the Bigfoot Lodge. "Birthday boy? Boom! Try a Sasquatch."
Need a little inspiration for your holiday family reunion? Boom! Take on the Sasquatch. According to the description of the Wild Turkey-based drink mixed with bitters and ginger ale, "it's big, it's hairy and it will stomp your ass."
But if you're in need of a lighter kick in the pants, Bermudez recommends two of her favorites: The Toasted Marshmallow is a tall creamy drink that fits around the throat like a snug turtleneck sweater. "We light the marshmallow on fire," says Bermudez. "And any drink with flames has to be cool, right?"
Bermudez's all-time favorite is the Girl Scout Cookie, which (surprise) looks and tastes just like a Girl Scout cookie -- the Thin Mint kind. "Anything green is perfect for the holidays," Bermudez says. Ingredients include "real girl scouts who have been very bad and dirty," or the more pedestrian Bailey's, Creme de Menthe and half-and-half.
1750 Polk St., San Francisco; (415) 440-2355 or www.bigfootlodge.com.
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Trader Vic's
When Herb Caen said that the best restaurant in San Francisco is in the East, he was talking about Trader Vic's. So it should come as no surprise that the bar with the most beautiful view of the city is at Trader Vic's in Emeryville.
According to bartender Jim Shoemake, everything and everyone looks more beautiful and sounds a lot more interesting after a few of any of Trader Vic's trademark drinks. "Hot buttered rums are perfect for holiday drinking," says Shoemake, who has been tending at Trader's for four years. "It's been a classic holiday drink for a good reason. It's sweet, hot, tasty and has got a good amount of booze in it." The hot-buttered rum batter-based drinks need three or four whole cloves with one ounce of 151-proof Demerara rum mixed with boiling water, topped with a cinnamon stick.
And since it's the time of the season, don't forget to try one of Trader Vic's Zombies. "If you drink enough of them, you'll end up like a zombie," he says. "And that can come in handy during the holidays."
9 Anchor Drive, Emeryville; (510) 653-3400 or www.tradervics.com.
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Gold Dust Lounge
When it comes to being a San Francisco bartender, Chuck Davis wrote the book. It's 263 pages of nearly 1,000 drinks, and it's called "The New Standard San Francisco Bartender's Workbook for the Professional," which he wrote while recovering from a popped hernia caused by lifting a keg.
Chuck can easily recommend a drink for every day of the year for the next decade. So if you're still looking for a Halloween fix, try his favorite, a Licorice Stick. Include 1/3 ounce each of Anisette, Stoli and Triple Sec. How's about a Sweet Potato on Thanksgiving? It's easy. Just mix one ounce Jameson with 1/4 ounce of Grand Marnier in a shot glass. Catholics can feel guilt-free with unlimited Hail Mary shots: Chambord, Frangelico, Bailey's, Tuaca topped with whipped cream. And on New Year's Eve, while everyone in the world is sipping champagne, "Why not go directly for what everyone is looking for? A screaming orgasm," Davis says.
But as Davis' book denotes, the drink's official name is Screaming Multiple Orgasm. Big difference.
247 Powell St., San Francisco; (415) 397-1695.
pics
The Bartender Recommends - Expert advice on what's best to serve at the holidays - Delfin Vigil, SF Chron, Nov. 21, 2004
For those of you who are holiday phobic, thankfully there are plenty of ways to escape those awkward moments with the in-laws. Deck the halls with alcohol. Celebrate Hanukkah with bottles of gin, tonic and shots of vodka. In order to help you get the most mileage out of those holiday hangovers, we consulted five expert bartenders for tips on how to think when it comes to mixing holiday drinks. So before you raise a cup for the days of auld lang syne, here are some suggestions you ought to keep in mind..
Harry Denton's Starlight Room
Sure, everybody is wild about Harry Denton's Starlight Room. But Mr. Denton would like everyone to know that he's wild about his favorite bartender, Marco Dionysos. Dressed in a white tuxedo top and black slacks, Dionysos makes it crystal clear where his priorities are. "I'm a cocktail geek," he says. "I've accepted it."
Having tended bar at more than 10 joints in town, Dionysos has lost count of his cocktail repertoire. It makes sense considering that he invents new drinks every year. Like the Cunningham, made of Dewar's Scotch, cherry brandy, Benedictine orange and lemon juices. Served with brandied cherries and an orange twist, the fruity cocktail was kinky enough to be published in Playboy last May along with a picture of the cocktail geek himself. "I kept all my clothes on," he says. "My grandmother was so proud." What Mr. May likes most about the Cunningham is that you can still taste the alcohol beneath all of the fruitiness.
"If I drink something that tastes like a lollipop, I'll forget I'm drinking alcohol and end up curled up under the piano."
450 Powell St., San Francisco; (415) 395-8595 or www.harrydenton.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Buena Vista Cafe
Every year, Paul Nolan at the Buena Vista Cafe gets a request for an eggnog concoction. Unfortunately, it's usually from only one person. Sometimes it's the same guy. "One time, this fellow absolutely insisted, so I personally went out to the store and bought him some. But that was an exception," said Nolan, who has been bartending at the B.V. (allegedly the first place in America to serve an Irish Coffee) for 27 years.
In order to keep Nolan behind the bar, he'd like to suggest something equally as creamy and cozy. Give the Nutty Irishman a shot. The oxymoronically named drink is made of equal parts Baileys and Frangelico and prepared with a hand swirl over ice and strained into either a pony or shot glass. It's perfect for keeping the patrons/family feeling warm and fuzzy inside while keeping Nolan/you from going to the store outside in the cold.
2765 Hyde St., San Francisco; (415) 474-5044 or www.thebuenavista.com.
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Big Foot Lodge
During the past two years, there have been several Sasquatch sightings on Polk street. What witnesses describe is pretty ugly. "If you're looking to get tanked, say, to celebrate getting married, boom! Drink a Sasquatch," says Rebekah Bermudez who bartends at the Bigfoot Lodge. "Birthday boy? Boom! Try a Sasquatch."
Need a little inspiration for your holiday family reunion? Boom! Take on the Sasquatch. According to the description of the Wild Turkey-based drink mixed with bitters and ginger ale, "it's big, it's hairy and it will stomp your ass."
But if you're in need of a lighter kick in the pants, Bermudez recommends two of her favorites: The Toasted Marshmallow is a tall creamy drink that fits around the throat like a snug turtleneck sweater. "We light the marshmallow on fire," says Bermudez. "And any drink with flames has to be cool, right?"
Bermudez's all-time favorite is the Girl Scout Cookie, which (surprise) looks and tastes just like a Girl Scout cookie -- the Thin Mint kind. "Anything green is perfect for the holidays," Bermudez says. Ingredients include "real girl scouts who have been very bad and dirty," or the more pedestrian Bailey's, Creme de Menthe and half-and-half.
1750 Polk St., San Francisco; (415) 440-2355 or www.bigfootlodge.com.
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Trader Vic's
When Herb Caen said that the best restaurant in San Francisco is in the East, he was talking about Trader Vic's. So it should come as no surprise that the bar with the most beautiful view of the city is at Trader Vic's in Emeryville.
According to bartender Jim Shoemake, everything and everyone looks more beautiful and sounds a lot more interesting after a few of any of Trader Vic's trademark drinks. "Hot buttered rums are perfect for holiday drinking," says Shoemake, who has been tending at Trader's for four years. "It's been a classic holiday drink for a good reason. It's sweet, hot, tasty and has got a good amount of booze in it." The hot-buttered rum batter-based drinks need three or four whole cloves with one ounce of 151-proof Demerara rum mixed with boiling water, topped with a cinnamon stick.
And since it's the time of the season, don't forget to try one of Trader Vic's Zombies. "If you drink enough of them, you'll end up like a zombie," he says. "And that can come in handy during the holidays."
9 Anchor Drive, Emeryville; (510) 653-3400 or www.tradervics.com.
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Gold Dust Lounge
When it comes to being a San Francisco bartender, Chuck Davis wrote the book. It's 263 pages of nearly 1,000 drinks, and it's called "The New Standard San Francisco Bartender's Workbook for the Professional," which he wrote while recovering from a popped hernia caused by lifting a keg.
Chuck can easily recommend a drink for every day of the year for the next decade. So if you're still looking for a Halloween fix, try his favorite, a Licorice Stick. Include 1/3 ounce each of Anisette, Stoli and Triple Sec. How's about a Sweet Potato on Thanksgiving? It's easy. Just mix one ounce Jameson with 1/4 ounce of Grand Marnier in a shot glass. Catholics can feel guilt-free with unlimited Hail Mary shots: Chambord, Frangelico, Bailey's, Tuaca topped with whipped cream. And on New Year's Eve, while everyone in the world is sipping champagne, "Why not go directly for what everyone is looking for? A screaming orgasm," Davis says.
But as Davis' book denotes, the drink's official name is Screaming Multiple Orgasm. Big difference.
247 Powell St., San Francisco; (415) 397-1695.
pics
