LOWER HAIGHT’S New Cocktail & Food Pairing MAVEN

MAVEN, Lower Fillmore (598 Haight St. at Steiner, 415-829-7982)

Enter through a corner door to a restaurant lined with high communal tables, upstairs seating area, and a redwood bar backed by a stone wall overflowing with plant life. Formerly RNM, Maven is a sleek, new cocktail haven in Lower Haight. I knew the cocktails would be good, but I was pleasantly surprised at how strong the food is. Maven opened as a drink with food pairing concept, the menu listing three pairing columns. In the middle are generously-sized “small” plates, a couple entrees and dessert. To the left is a “distilled” column of cocktails, to the right, “fermented” beer and wine offerings.

While co-owners Jay Bordeleau and David Kurtz (Kurtz is also executive chef) have worked in numerous fine dining and popular establishments (like Michael Mina, Saison, Beretta), in keeping with the times, Maven is decidedly casual yet chic, an upscale bar with impeccable food. Sous chef Matt Brimer (formerly of Maverick) works with Kurtz on dishes more interesting than they read on paper.

Wise they were to bring on Kate Bolton (of Michael Mina) to helm the bar. Elegant restraint is something she honed during her days at Michael Mina working alongside Carlo Splendorini. Working my way through each of her balanced cocktails, there was little down time.

Jamie Pait (who worked in pastry at Slanted Door) made a slew of house syrups, like ginger and five spice, which Bolton uses in her recipes. Pait’s hazelnut orgeat simply rocks. Orgeat is a creamy, nutty almond syrup. With hazelnuts instead of almonds it is equally silky – fantastic even on its own. In Nauti’ Mermaid ($10), it adds sexy layers of nuttiness to Jamaican rum, lime, orange and coconut juices. Thai spirit shines in the cocktail’s vacation-like smoothness as it cools a dish of Monterey Calamari ($9) laden with Thai chilies, ginger, coriander. The calamari cleverly comes two ways: fried and grilled.

Another happy match occurs  in braised fennel and watercress ($9), again far more satisfying than it sounds. Grilled fennel works beautifully with creamy burrata cheese and charred cherry tomatoes (a twist on a Caprese) over grilled toast. Its cocktail match is International Mistress ($11), a soft but powerful mix of amaro (Nonino) and mezcal (Sombra), luxurious with orgeat and grapefruit, with just a hint of mezcal smoke. Also more exciting than the overwrought sliders category would suggest are Chinatown duck sliders ($9), like a gourmet Chinatown sandwich with tender duck, shiitake mushrooms, bitter greens and a smack of bacon. Its cocktail pairing is the 5 spot ($10), a bright blend of La Favorite rhum agricole, lime, maple, house ginger and five spice syrups, crowned with a Thai basil leaf.

Lush and subtle co-exist on the menu, while Bolton generally keeps cocktails light enough on alcohol so as not to overwhelm the food. Global Warming ($11) is a unique aperitif. Not only do you get dry riesling, but sake, even a splash of Ransom’s Old Tom Gin. Tart with lemon, a little scoop of absinthe sorbet permeates the drink as it melts. Brilliant. Its food spouse is a superior scallop crudo ($12), silken paired with hazelnut, shiso and tart apple.

Contrast raw scallop freshness with rich broccoli agnolotti ($11/$18), a pasta meaty with southern Tasso ham, savory with orange-hued mimolette cheese and cipollini onions. Its drink mate is a full-bodied, but not overwhelming, Hometown Vixen ($9). Bolton infused black pepper in Four Roses bourbon, mixing it with lemon and two house syrups: gomme and a luxurious roasted pistachio.

The only dish I wasn’t as taken with is still well-executed: seared arctic char ($23) swimming in smoked fume broth with carrots and turnips. There’s nothing wrong with the soft white fish – it just lacked the flavor punch found in its accompanying pickled PEI mussels. Its match was one of the best cocktails on the menu, Hibiki Highball ($12), showcasing Japanese whisky (Hibiki 12 year, in this case) with a giant ice cube, house ginger syrup, bitters and soda water. Wine and beer pairings are likewise thoughtful (e.g. Hennepin, Ommegang’s farmhouse saison beer, with a mushroom tart, or Poco a Poco’s funky, fun Chardonnay with the arctic char).

Dessert could easily be Beach & Hyde, an off-menu cocktail named after the cross streets of legendary bar, Buena Vista. Inspired by Buena Vista’s famed Irish coffees, the drink is Evan Williams bourbon, coffee brewed with cocoa nibs and vanilla, plus egg white and orange zest. If you want to actually eat dessert, you won’t suffer with dark Mayan chocolate in brownie-reminiscent slices, accented by black cardamom ice cream.

In fact, you won’t suffer here at all.  Whether in for cocktails, wine, beer, food, or all of the above, Lower Haight has itself a destination restaurant.

Gypsy Spirit Alive & Well at Gitane

While I miss the sophisticated, out-of-the-box cocktails of former bar managers Carlo Splendorini and Alex Smith at Gitane (they both continue to craft excellent drinks, Splendorini at Michael Mina, Smith at Honor Bar), I am pleased to say Gitane, one of the sexiest spots in all of SF, is still a drink-worthy location. I’d be remiss to not to likewise return to the Moroccan and Spanish-influenced menu that chef Bridget Batson has been rocking for years.

Sitting at Gitane’s bar under massive chandeliers and deep red tapestries, in a narrow, high-ceiling space, one feels tucked away in some secret European bordello. The tiny, upstairs dining room is equally seductive and intimate, with a view over the bar. Perched on velvety bar stool, I find an ideal locale for drinks, food and chatting with fellow diners.

Batson’s grilled calamari ($16) stuffed with bacon and onion, and her unparalleled lamb tartare ($18) with three spreads remain top dishes on the menu (see my Guardian review one year ago). Bastilla ($13) and chicken breast tajine ($22) are still Moroccan highlights. Bright and wintery, a citrics salad ($12) is tangerines, cara cara and blood oranges vivid on chicories with Serrano ham in a pumpkin seed pesto.

On the entrée front, Caille ($28) is a hearty quail overflowing with chorizo apple stuffing over celery root gratin in pool of cider jus. I can’t imagine doing much better for a simple meal than a coca (Catalan flatbread, $15-16) and a cocktail. The coca bread bubbles not unlike a blistered Neapolitan pizza crust. Go the vegetarian route topped with wild mushroom, drunken goat cheese, and oregano, or my favorite coca layered with Serrano ham, Bosc pears, manchego cheese, and thyme.

Keeping food pairing ever in mind, the current bar menu focuses on low alcohol cocktails. The bar is now helmed by Ramon Garcia who worked with both former bar managers. He maintains Gitane’s ethos, its continued sherry focus, its gypsy spirit (Gitane means gypsy, after all). Ramon assembled a new menu with spirits expert and Yamazaki Japanese whiskey brand ambassador Neyah White, who, even after all this time, I still miss behind the bar at Nopa.

There’s a lovely nod to cocktails created here in the past: two classic Gitane recipes are rotated regularly on the menu. The bulk of the new menu goes global, wandering gypsy-like with various bartenders from around the world, featuring their best sherry cocktails. In keeping with the gypsy theme, the bar will feature a different spirit every couple months from their extensive collection, showcasing cocktails and traditional serving preparations, like Italian amaro on the rocks in the Summer.

From the cocktail list, one of Neyah’s Nopa greats, a Sherry Shrub, is a mix of merely two ingredients: barbadillo manzanilla sherry and a seasonal fruit based shrub (aka a vinegar-based syrup), sour, vibrant, and palate-cleansing. I’m taken with Tokyo bartending legend Hidetsugu Ueno’s (of Bar High Five) dry, refined Bamboo, combining dry vermouth, amontillado sherry, and two 1890’s bitters recipes created by Louis Eppinger at the Yokohama Grand Hotel.

On a warmer day, I’d gravitate toward David Nepove’s (formerly of Enrico’s, USBG national president) Caipirinha Con Moras. Fruit will change seasonally, but his take on Brazil’s national cocktail mixes Pedro Ximenez sherry and shaved nutmeg with cachaca (sugar cane rum). Another refresher is the Jenibre Smash from New Orleans’ Chris Hannah (French 75 Bar): Dry Sack sherry, Canton ginger liqueur, lemon, sugar, and mint are served over crushed ice. It’s delicately bright and minty, going down all too easy.

Gitane boasts an Iberian (Spain, Portugal, France) heavy wine list, although California is nicely represented. Their sherry list is impressive, with plenty of Madeira, Port, brandies, and after dinner sips. An interesting companion to the hearty quail/chorizo entrée is a 2008 Domaine des Ouled Thaleb Benslimane Zenata ($12 glass/$35 carafe/$48 bottle), a 100% Syrah from Morocco.

It’s big and bold in keeping with warm Moroccan temperatures, but maintains just enough acidity to pair with food. It’s welcome given the strong Moroccan food influence. After dinner pleasures were strongest in an earthy, salty caramel Charleston Sercial Madeira ($15 glass), and Gutierrez Colosia Moscatel Soleado Sherry ($10 glass).

My favorite cocktail on the new menu is the oldest recipe from 1800’s San Francisco bartending legend, Cocktail Bill Boothby (who our educational spirits hub, The Boothby Center, is named after). The Boothby is essentially a Manhattan (bourbon, sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters) topped with sparkling wine. It’s lush, sexy and full bodied… not at all unlike Gitane.

THE LATEST in LA COCKTAILS

After years of hunting, the day finally came when I could find proper cocktails in LA, even if it was years behind NY or SF. I’ve covered LA cocktail bars in recent years as the quality has rapidly grown, with my latest visit yielding the most consistent drinks yet. Their cocktail renaissance is coming into its own, even if a local bartender at one of LA’s best bars bragged to me of “doing something really different” at his next cocktail competition with a more bitter profile vs. the sweet cocktails “everyone does”. Having judged numerous cocktail contests, I am glad that SF’s competition recipe standard has long been unique, bitter, herbaceous, spirituous or the like, veering away from too sweet. Sweet cocktails still may be preferred across much of LA’s expansive metropolis, but hopefully his statement means another taste standard is about to shift in the City of Angels.

There were a few letdowns, like Next Door Lounge in Hollywood, which is a fantastic space: roomy, mellow, old world, with comfy leather couches, friendly service, and classic Powell and Loy movies playing on a big screen. I absolutely loved the environment which it made it even more disappointing in sampling four expensive drinks ($12-14) to find them unbalanced and generally unappetizing.

Italian & Peruvian Pleasures

SOTTO, West Los Angeles

My favorite bartender and drinks this visit were Kate Grutman’s at Sotto. She exudes style and panache, while keeping customer service and comfort foremost. In a spacious building housing Picca Peruvian Cantina upstairs, Sotto’s low ceilings and buzzy vibe are the backdrop for Neapolitan pizzas and Italian pleasures like sardines or house lardo on toast (my Sotto food review next issue).

Both restaurants opened just under a year ago with menus created and bars managed by Julian Cox, well known for his cocktail menu at Rivera in downtown LA. He poured rare Italian amari from Sotto’s vibrant collection, while Kate served cocktails exhibiting restraint, balance, and sheer drinkability. At Sotto, amaro is king and in cocktails is given a range of interpretations.

I particularly adored Kate’s off-menu creation of Junipero gin, Suze, house sage and parsley bitters, Angostura bitters, and vermouth infused with pineapple and thyme. The drink hit all the right herbaceous, bitter, aromatic notes, shining as an aperitif or dinner accompaniment.

More amaro fun was had with a Carroll Gardens, typically made with rye, amaro, and maraschino liqueur. Instead, Kate used Averna, maraschino liqueur, and Cocchi for a bitter brightness. Menu stand-outs include a spiced Amaro Daiquiri: Fall Redux (rhum agricole, lime, Averna, allspice dram), a subtle, soft Smart & Fennel (London dry gin, lemon, house bitter orange marmalade, fennel-scented egg, fennel frond), a boozy but elegant Bicycle Thief (Scotch, Holland gin, vermouth, West Indian orange bitters), and a vivid Il Cavallo Bianco (reposado tequila, pineapple/thyme-infused dry vermouth, Cocchi, grapefruit peel).

PICCA, West Los Angeles

Upstairs from Sotto is the bustling Picca (my food review next issue). While impeccable Peruvian food is reason to visit, the bar is a destination on its own for South of the Border spirits. Mezcal, tequila, pisco and cachaca are showcased here. There are infusion shots ($6), like pisco with coconut, pineapple or Concord grapes, or mezcal with rocoto pepper.

Cocktails are once again by Julian Cox, while the friendly bartending crew exhibit a love for the spirits they work with. After two visits, my top drink is Zarate’s Tomahawk # 15 ($12). It utilizes my beloved mezcal, infusing it with rocoto peppers, shaken with lemon juice, agave, and huacatay (Peruvian black mint), topping it with a soft cucumber foam. Heat, citrus tart, pepper, smoke and silky sweet weave into a balanced whole.

Boots with Fur ($12) shows off Italia-varietal pisco in a Tiki-inspired drink. Brightly spiced with bonded apple brandy, lime, and ginger, orgeat and falernum offer texture and nuttiness. It’s served over crushed ice in a copper mug, the most playful presentation on the menu. Texture rules in Avocado Project ($12), blending fresh avocado with the excellent Banks 5 Island white rum, lime, agave, ascorbic acid for balance, and a bit of salt for a sweet, salty, vegetal imbibement.

A bartender said actress Frida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) was just in days before and they served her their Slumdog Chamomillionaire ($11). Subtle Quebranta pisco earthiness  marries well with red grape cardamom black pepper coulis, balanced by lemon and evaporated cane sugar. Picca’s bar menu is as lively and vivid as its food.

Rum & Cigar Havens

CANA RUM BAR, Downtown

Cana Rum Bar transports. Yes, you need a membership to enter, but it’s merely $20 for a whole year. I find this seemingly pretentious charge at the door actually keeps out “riff raff” (allow me to digress for a moment and explain my apparent snobbery. By riff raff, I mean vodka tonic partiers who ruin the setting at some of the more craft cocktail bars. There’s

nothing more frustrating for those of us who really care about quality and a relaxed space to imbibe than to have that space overrun by those uninterested in craft and there to get drunk – they can do so at any of the hundreds of bars and clubs around that cater to exactly that crowd. There’s far less quality cocktail havens than party dens, so even more reason we pine for a few civilized spots in which to savor a well-made drink and conversation).

Though I would normally find a membership fee pretentious, at this price – and most importantly, knowing mainstream LA clientele – I am grateful they are doing it. Don’t worry: the place is sans attitude. Mellow on my visit with roaring patio fireplace, embracing glow and cozy booths, they make many a night a party with funky DJs and celebrations like Bob Marley birthday.

General Manager Allan Katz knows his rum… and his cocktails. Though not an encyclopedic Smuggler’s Cove rum menu, rum geeks will delight in a well-curated menu grouped by island and continent. There are also tasting flights and cigar pairings.

I’m delighted with cocktails like Tennessee Isle ($12) made with Prichard’s Fine Rum, overripe mango-infused absinthe (subtle), and coconut Peychaud’s bitters.

Their menu describes it best: “This is what a Sazerac would taste like if the wicked witch of the west overtook Kansas and sent Tennessee to the Caribbean via flying monkey.”

On the low alcohol front is a Trader Vic recipe adapted by bartender Danielle, an Angostura Fizz ($13): a full shot of bitters with house pomegranate reduction, lemon, cream. It’s a bitter, frothy, elegant beauty. An Actual Apple Martini ($12) changes the game for a typically dreadful drink using apple-infused Plymouth and Death’s Door gins, Pommeau de Normandie (a marriage of Calvados and fresh apple juice), Dolin Dry Vermouth, and Bitter Truth Creole Bitters. No fake green apple pucker here.

In keeping with Cana’s vibe, the drinks are refined yet entirely approachable.

LA DESCARGA, Hollywood

La Descarga is mobbed when live burlesque and Cuban jazz are scheduled, while bartenders in the main bar seemed disinterested and “too cool” to engage. But in an open air back room (appears to be closed but is vented around the ceiling), I encountered two delightful bartenders who knew their rum. Only a couple basic cocktails are served in this room, otherwise, it’s straight rum and cigars. I truly appreciate that you can bring your own cigar or purchase one from their selection. In the main bar, I made my usual off-menu request and was served a Mr. Boston classic, the Chet Baker cocktail (named after the musician), using Zacapa 23 rum, Punt e Mes, Angostura bitters, honey.

Though I slipped away for live jazz in the body-to-body main room, Renaissance Man and I were more than content to linger in the cigar room over rum and a cigars, savoring La Descarga’s musty, Old World ambiance.

I was delighted with each rum pour selected by back room bartenders:

- A light brown Martinique agricole (French West Indies rhum made from sugar cane juice vs. molasses): lovely Clement Rhum Vieux exudes minerality with apple brandy and fig notes.
- Vascaya 21yr Cuban-style rum from Dominican Republic has whispers of vanilla cream soda.
- Pot-stilled beauty Plantation 1990 from Guyana is earthy, even slightly smoky, alongside vanilla and soft spice.

La Descarga evokes Old World Havana: divey, dim, a little run down. Despite the beautiful Hollywood crowd, this is not merely a hipster haven but a true rum bar.

Note: make a reservation (email via their site).

Along Hollywood Blvd.

LIBRARY BAR, Hollywood

Returning to Library Bar in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel confirms thoughts in my review last year: creative, farmers market cocktails remain impeccable, some of the best LA has to offer, but I missed the higher level of service given by Matt Biancaniello in prior visits. Clientele was as frustrating as before, asking for basic, vodka tonic-type cocktails or coffee, packing out the intimate, chic bar the longer we were there, turning it into a pick-up scene.

Despite these downsides, a full farmers market spread and bartender creations (be aware: there is no menu) resulted in more winning drinks. Simple and sweet, Barsol Pisco was perky with mint, agave, lime, and grapefruit.

Mezcal mixed happily with jalapeno heat, herbaceous thyme, and agave for gentle sweetness. Another creation of Basil Hayden bourbon with plump cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and lemon, defined “garden fresh”.

The best cocktail of the night was bartender Chris Hughes’ Controlada (he also provided best service of the night). Hughes blends five chiles with two of my top agave spirits: Del Maguey’s Chichicapa mezcal and Fortaleza Blanco tequila. Additionally, he adds ginger lemon honey, arbol chile-infused St. Germain elderflower liqueur, red and yellow peppers. It may sound like too many ingredients but balance is spot on. Spice, color and brightness shine, while the overall effect is vivacious and refreshing.

Just be ready for a NYC-priced bill of about $16 per cocktail at the end.

WOOD & VINE, Hollywood

Packed crowds mar the scene at  Wood & Vine – I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way for it. But if you’re in the area and on a mild LA night, Wood & Vine’s back patio and laid back staff are inviting.

Late night happy hours keep prices low and though there are only a few cocktails, there’s a solid spirits and beer selection and classic drinks like a Bee’s Knees or classic Daiquiri.

Their own creations vary in quality, from a Millennium, surprisingly delightful with softly bitter Cocchi, gin, and white creme de cacao, to a Kentucky Cashmere, with dominant spice from chai vanilla-infused bourbon, Jelinek Fernet, and chocolate chili bitters, which ultimately felt off balance.

DRINKS WITH A VIEW

HOTEL WILSHIRE ROOFTOP BAR, Mid-City West

Staying at the new boutique Hotel Wilshire was a welcome respite from busy LA streets.

Spending each sunset on their rooftop bar by the pool was a pleasure.

Surrounded by LA hills and high rises, it’s a gorgeous urban view and peaceful place from which to take in rosy-pink LA sunsets.

The drinks menu is fairly basic but there is care in the details. They make their own ginger beer, which is delicious on its own 0r makesa vivid Dark & Stormy, garnished with candied ginger.

Also of note, the hotel’s restaurant chef is Eric Greenspan of Next Iron Chef fame.

And you can’t beat that view.

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD

MUSSO & FRANK, Hollywood

Much has been said about Musso & Frank over the years. As LA’s oldest restaurant since 1919, it’s famous for grey-haired bartenders who make a mean martini, and for serving Hollywood’s elite through the decades, from Greta Garbo to F. Scott Fitzgerald.

This is not haven of cocktail perfection or experimentation. Thankfully. When I want an adorable, older bartender and a stiff gin martini the old school way, this is LA’s best.

SCIENCE OF COCKTAILS 2012

Though Science of Cocktails may be on hiatus next year due to the Exploratorium‘s big move to the Embarcadero, this year’s party is worth highlighting. Attending since the inaugural event three years ago (my review here), Science of Cocktails gets better each year.

I’m not sure if the new VIP area added much other than a bird’s-eye view from above with a few additional bites and drinks, the bulk of food being downstairs. Edible options were more enticing than ever in the uber-cool museum space (mini Reubens, sushi, Chinese dumplings, In-N-Out-inspired burgers with Thousand Island dressing). The cavernous space easily holds hundreds of people without feeling packed. Here one can interact with exhibits, kid-free, cocktails in hand.

Drinks were poured by some of the Bay’s best bartenders and distillers, sporting white lab-coats, delivering concoctions from test tubes, beakers and hand-crafted contraptions. Cocktails were served in pre-bottled, liquid nitrogen, jello, even powdered forms. Let us not forget the shiny, porcelain toilet spouting Speakeasy beer.

The biggest treat of the evening was a special barrel from distiller Dave Smith at St. George Spirits in collaboration with bartenders Darren Crawford (Bourbon & Branch) and Russell Davis (Rickhouse). The three of them call the endeavor the Manhattan Project, a tribute to Frank Oppenheimer, founder of the Exploratorium. He also worked on the Manhattan Project, producing the first atomic bomb, with its director and his brother Robert.

No bombs here, however. Only fine whiskey. Using St. George’s new Breaking & Entering Bourbon (B&E), the dynamic trio aged Manhattan cocktails with their own precise blend of vermouths (Punt E Mes, Dolin Rouge, Carpano Antica), serving a balanced, aged Manhattan. The unexpected came when they followed that up with a p0ur of B&E bourbon finished in the barrel used to age the Manhattan.

Whispers of spice and bitters from the Manhattan up the B&E whiskey experience. This beauty won’t be for sale but you might just see the like of it at special drink events such as this.

My favorite cocktail of the night was Christina Cabrera’s (Michael Mina) Roses Foxtrot. Made with Four Roses bourbon, Calvados apple brandy, Gran Classico, Benedictine, Angostura bitters, and her own cardamom pear syrup and coffee tincture, the pièce de résistance was a finish of thick absinthe foam and gently fried sage leaf. Lush and light, the absinthe foam endowed a creamy crown and anise spirit to the cocktail. I could eat the foam and softly sugared sage leaves all on their own (and did). As a whole, the drink melded into a textural, breezy pleasure.

Other highlights included Jennifer Colliau’s (Slanted Door) mocktails using her own unmatched Small Hand Foods line of gum syrups, grenadine and the like. Leave it to skilled hands to make some of the best drinks of a cocktail event sans alcohol (I was in love with her coconut water/orgeat drink).

It’s a long wait until 2014, but here’s to many more years of Science of Cocktails in the new Exploratorium.

Drinking Destination: EAST BAY

It’s true: the East Bay cocktail scene is growing by leaps and bounds lately, with a slew of new bars (many opened by San Francisco bar stars) popping up from Albany to Alameda. Two comfortable, new hang-outs just debuted January 3rd serving cocktails for the geek and casual imbiber alike. Both claim noteworthy bartenders covering various shifts. I spent an evening tasting through their menus, offering an early peek at cocktail stand-outs… plus more go-to spots around the East Bay.

Honor Bar

1411 Powell Street (between Hollis & Peladeau), Emeryville, 510-653-8667

Situated in a solo building (with parking lot) not far from Emeryville’s shopping center madness (and E-ville’s other shining bar beacon, Prizefighter, which opened at the end of 2011), Honor Bar serves gourmet pub food in a room glowing with vintage signs, a Creature from the Black Lagoon pinball machine, and granite red bar, the center around which the space flows. After passing through an entrance lined with cigar signs, records, even an owl, grab a beer from a tub of ice. It’s on the honor system so ask a bartender to add it to your tab (no surprise: this is already garnering early buzz).

Cocktail menu quality was pretty much guaranteed under bar manager Alex Smith who came from Gitane in SF. I’ve written about his exquisite drinks at Gitane few times, unsurprised to find his offerings at Honor Bar more casual but nonetheless sophisticated, easily exhibiting promise at this early date to be among the best cocktails in the East Bay.

While slurping oysters with St. Germain herb mignonette or dipping Kennebec fries ($3.5) in salt and vinegar aioli or serrano ham jelly, select from cocktails (all $10) grouped under “stirred” (spirituous) or “shaken” (mixed with other ingredients). I’m immediately won over by gently smoky, spicy, bright layers of the Porfiriato. Tequila, guajillo pepper-infused mezcal, Cocchi di Torino, Licor 43, and cinnamon bitters meld in a complex yet drinkable whole.

The spirit of tiki hovers over but does not overwhelm the bourbon-based Bleeding Monarch. Passion fruit lends a tropical air, orgeat adds texture, balsamico amaro and Campari finish with deliciously bitter undertones. Black Sabbath is as badass as it sounds: Laphroiag Scotch dominates with a rough and tumble, smoky presence, given nuance by Averna, absinthe, and orange bitters.

Smith’s established skill with sherry shows in Jenkins’ Ear, highlighting oloroso sherry with aged rum, Angostura bitters and cardamom-spice properties of Hum liqueur – no element out of balance. Dessert with a savory essence can be had in a Winter Flip. Whole egg softens brandy and tawny port, while Smith’s housemade Indian pudding is a cream base (rather than a thick pudding) for layers of spice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New Easy

3255 Lakeshore Avenue (between Lake Park & Trestle Glen), Oakland, 510-338-4911

In Oakland’s Grand Lake district, Easy Lounge closed, transforming into the New Easy. Big Easy inspiration is evident in upcoming Nola Sundays with BBQ, punch bowls (proceeds go to charities) and New Orleans tunes. The space is funky, eclectic, charming, with boozy quotes etched into one wall, stars painted on another, white lights draped over individual picnic tables. The small back patio is warmed by heat lamps and a skeleton gazing over cactus plants.

The welcoming neighborhood joint focuses on farmers market ingredients. Each Saturday they create a new menu of cocktails using ingredients from the big Grand Lake Farmers Market a block away. Summer-Jane Bell not only created the menu but was hands-on in space design elements, painting stars as she crafted the menu. Her winning bartender team includes Yael Amyra (Circolo, Burritt Room), Ian Adams (15 Romolo, Orson), David Ruiz (Mr. Smith’s), and Morgan Schick (Nopa, Michael Mina).

Bell’s menu is decidedly playful, reminiscent of American childhood… with booze. The festive theme starts as you receive Chinese take-out boxes of fresh-popped popcorn, while bites of mini sliders and grilled cheese sandwiches are passed around. I had the most fun with Mad Hatter ($10). Sailor Jerry rum and a spicy ginger soda are obvious mates, but the bright orange, creamy drink surprises with golden raisin puree and carrot juice. Bright and healthy, spice and sweetness (but not too much) make it a delightful alternative to an orange creamsicle.

Gift Horse ($9) was probably the most balanced, making fine use of Hayman’s Old Tom gin, which I haven’t seen much on cocktail menus in awhile. Dolin Blanc vermouth and Bell’s winter bitters made with a tequila base, unfold in floral, dry layers with notes of cranberry and fennel from the bitters. Winter Sideshow ($11) offers the spectacle, even if I prefer the former two drinks. The drink will change with the seasons, a base of Beefeater gin and pür Spiced Blood Orange liqueur the backdrop for Angostura-flambeed kumquats, flamed before you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cocktailing Around the East Bay

Oakland boasts the biggest concentration and range for East Bay cocktails, some of its consistent best at Adesso, casual drinks with bocce ball at Make Westing, elegant classic-style at Flora, pizza with cocktails at Marzano and Boot & Shoe Service, Miel for tequila/mezcal drinks, Conga Lounge and divey Kona Club for tiki kitsch.

Berkeley keeps it real with organic drinks at Gather, and artisanal cocktails at Revival Bar & Kitchen. The little island of Alameda hosts the beloved tiki gem, Forbidden Island, launched in part by tiki/rum expert Martin Cate who went on to open SF’s Smuggler’s Cove. Here, cheesy B movie nights, and live bands flow with Banana Mamacows. As mentioned above, Emeryville now has two destination-worthy bars for cocktail lovers: Prizefighter and Honor Bar.

Albany is blessed with three old school classics merely blocks from each other along San Pablo Ave.: the musty, tiki vibe of Club Mallard, the mid-century, retro swank of Kingman’s Ivy Room, and the edgy comfortability of Hotsy Totsy Club. Though none of these three are exactly craft cocktail bars, Hotsy Totsy comes closest, with house cocktail sodas, gracious bar manager Jessica Maria, and stellar guest bartenders like Scott Baird of The Bon Vivants, who bartends here weekly.

They’ve kept on longtime bartender Chet, in his 70′s, who has been tending there the better part of a couple decades. Their gorgeous, restored Wurlitzer jukebox is a treasure of rare and popular 45s, which you can play for free to your hearts content.

Hotsy Totsy encourages lingering with friends under pressed tin ceilings, rocking out to excellent tunes hand-selected by staff. Funky ’70′s garage sale paintings line the walls and hilariously creepy movies (like For Your Height Only starring Weng Weng) play silently on the flat screen, add to the edgy, blissfully divey, convivial spirit.

Fifth Floor COCKTAIL DELIGHTS

Food and wine are the draw at Fifth Floor (read here and here), but bartender Brian Means (formerly of Zero Zero) has created cocktails worth a stop all by themselves in the mellow lounge.

The unassuming Mr. Means creates some of the more promising recipes I’ve tasted from an up-and-coming bartender. As I judge multiple cocktail contests, his entries consistently exhibit a surprising level of sophistication, often placing high. He shakes (and stirs) with an unfussy hand, comprehending classic cocktail foundations, but varying off-path enough to keep it interesting.

Here are three of his cocktails I’d recommend, currently on the Fifth Floor menu:

Pink Elephant – Death’s Door (one of my favorite gins), with rosato vermouth, pineapple gomme syrup, orange bitters and smoked absinthe. Means doesn’t let the smoke overpower. Rather, it gives off a faint smoke aroma, hinting at brawn behind a delicate surface. Don’t judge it by its color.

Loretto Wrangler – Named after a key Kentucky bourbon town (home of Maker’s Mark, the Wrangler’s base spirit), Loretto Wrangler includes Cynar (Italian artichoke liqueur), Graham’s Six Grapes port, Dubonnet Rouge, and Bitter Truth chocolate bitters. It may sound like a lot of ingredients, but never fear.

Playing like a classic, spirit-driven whiskey cocktail, it unfolds with layers of bitter, sweet, boozy, and thanks to the choco bitters, meaty, goodness.

Spanish Maiden – El Tesoro blanco tequila and elderflower liqueur with a lemon twist makes for an obviously pleasing aperitif pre-dinner, right?

Add in a dash of sherry and this bright refresher takes on depth and dimension, if ever so subtly, while still remaining stimulating and light.

Pitch Black Amsterdam, a cocktail with a bruleed vanilla foam, being torched at Harry Denton's Starlight Room

Winter Sips: FOUR NOTEWORTHY NEW COCKTAIL MENUS

BURRITT ROOM, Downtown/Union Square
417 Stockton Street (near Sutter), 415-400-0500

I’ve covered many a Burritt Room cocktail creation since it opened with Kevin Diedrich at the helm (now bar manager at Jasper’s Corner Tap). Under new Burritt bar manager Joel Baker, I likewise expected approachable elegance, which Baker exhibited in his recipes since early days at Bourbon and Branch. It’s no surprise that in sampling all cocktails ($10 each) on his new menu, there’s not one slouch.

One really can’t go wrong on this menu (which will change roughly every couple months), but I will attempt to narrow down highlights. Japanese whisky fans should thrill to the Kurosawa Cocktail: Yamazaki 12 year whisky, Dry Sack 15 year Oloroso sherry, and Aperol combine over a perfect, large ice cube, waves of raisin richness issuing from the sherry. Balance reigns and Japanese whisky is given a proper showcase.

Lucia Bose may be the most accessible cocktail I’ve yet had featuring genever. Campari gives structure, while strawberry gomme syrup, lemon and still rosé wine give the rosy pink cocktail refreshing layers. Single Village Crusta, being true to its designation as a crusta, is rimmed in sugar, the sweet contrasted with creamy smoke of Del Maguey Chichicapa mezcal, rounded out by maraschino and orange liqueurs, lemon, Angostura bitters.

The herbaceous notes of Grass Roots make it another top pick. Beefeater gin, Amaro Montenegro and sweet vermouth offer subtle sweet notes, lime and rosemary lift it to a verdant, refreshing whole.

Desmond Dekker pays homage to Tiki drinks with Jamaican rum, Punt e Mes vermouth, allspice dram, demerara sugar, grapefruit, lime and grapefruit bitters. Though brightly sweet, the tart of grapefruit (even a tinge of bitter pith), give it complexity without alienating those wanting juicy and refreshing.

If you haven’t returned to Burritt Room in awhile, now would be a good time to do so. With news of Charlie Palmer taking over Burritt’s massive backroom for an upcoming restaurant, it seems Burritt will soon have a culinary partner to match its fine drinks.

AZIZA, Outer Richmond
5800 Geary Blvd. (at 22nd Ave.), 415-752-2222

I’ve said it before and am saying it again: Aziza has one of our city’s underrated bar programs. Run by Farnoush Deylamian with bar directors, Brian Galli, Christopher Longoria and Jordan Edwards, Aziza’s cocktail menu ($10 each) is grouped by spirit (from pisco to brandy), with ingredients listed rather than cocktail names and descriptions.

In the past, I’ve taken to the simple brightness of the gin cocktail with celery and sage. Recently, I’ve sampled eight more cocktails, each intriguing, and with as many incredible cocktail bars as I visit around the world, Aziza’s are unique to what one finds even at produce-driven bars anywhere.

Laphroaig and peat smoke play with such a gentle hand alongside Concord grape and elderflower that it is palatable to the non-Islay/peaty Scotch drinker (I had a few with me and they took to it). Red bell pepper shines with rye, given a mischievous bitter finish from Bonal and Cocchi Americano. Though a whiskey cocktail, it works as a pre-dinner aperitif.

Actual aperitifs charm, from calvados (French apple brandy) green with sugar snap peas and bitter orange, to cognac enlivened by fig and proscecco. Possibly my favorite is a blanco tequila (listed under the “agave” section) that could easily be too garden-heavy with wild arugula and turmeric root. Rather, it is earthy, green and bright.

If you have not explored Aziza’s notable cocktail menu paired with the best creative Moroccan food in our city, you might want to set a date.

STARLIGHT ROOM, Downtown/Union Square
450Powell Street between Post and Sutter, 415-395-8595

The revamped Harry Denton’s Starlight Room finally morphed into what I wished it would be: an elegant, velvet-couch lined lounge with a view over our fair city… which also happens to serve excellent artisan cocktails. As I wrote about in my preview of the bar menu before they re-opened, the win of bar manager Joel Teitelbaum’s multi-paged cocktail menu is that it appeals to the cocktail geek and the casual drinker alike. Exotic ingredients come in approachable presentations with a little something for everyone.

I sampled some new drinks on the just-released winter menu, taking to these two:

Winter Flip ($12): cinnamon-infused Quebranta single vineyard Encanto pisco is mixed with calvados (French apple brandy) and apple juice, for a brisk fall apple body balanced by earthy quebranta grape notes. Lemon juice rounds it out, whole egg makes it ridiculously light and frothy. So smooth, this one goes down all too easy.

Pitch Black Amsterdam ($12): Torres 10 yr brandy and Bols Genever set an earthy, sweet tone, Root liqueur gives it a decidedly root beer bent, while a splash of Frangelico hazelnut liqueur and Angostura bitters tie it together. The clincher is a bruleed vanilla foam on top. Yes, your bartender torches it in full view. A toasted marshmallow aroma greets you first, followed by a wintery liquid, robust yet smooth.

JASPER’S CORNER TAP, Downtown/Union Square
401 Taylor Street at O’Farrell, 415-775-7979

One of my regular watering holes since it opened this summer, Jasper’s Corner Tap just gained the bar talent of Enrique Sanchez (formerly of La Mar), on board its already all-star bartender line-up. They also have a few noteworthy winter cocktails on their latest menu.

I’ve sampled a good eight of the new additions, taking to the Orchard Malt Mule ($13), ginger beer brightening Glen Grant single malt and Belle de Brillet (a cognac pear liqueur), finished with apple cider, lemon, and allspice-infused honey. It’s a Scotch refresher artfully garnished with pear slices.

I’m also taken with the Great Pumpkin Fizz ($9): rum and Velvet Falernum get some fall love with maple pumpkin butter, lemon, cream, Fee Old Fashion Bitters. Vanilla and clove shine while egg white creates a soft texture.

There’s ever a friendly pour and bartender waiting when I arrive at Jasper’s.