398 HAYES ST., S.F., 415-551-1590
Why: It’s a stylish modification of the rye whiskey and anise classic.
Bartenders: Marcovaldo Dionysos and Jeff Hollinger
Inventor: Antoine Peychaud, New Orleans, 1830s. In creating a vehicle for his own bitters, Peychaud mixed them with cognac and sugar and supposedly served the mixture over ice in a rocks glass. Absinthe Brasserie & Bar’s version—established by founding bar manager Marco Dionysos—has been on the drink menu since the restaurant opened in 1998. Hollinger, a fan of champagne saucers, began serving Absinthe’s sazeracs in them last year.
2 ounces Wild Turkey
101-proof rye whiskey
½ ounce simple syrup
5–7 dashes Peychaud bitters
Herbsaint liqueur
Put first three ingredients in ice-filled mixing glass. Stir for 20 to 30 seconds. In a chilled coupe glass, add 3 dashes Herbsaint and spin the glass until it’s coated. Dump out excess. Strain rye mixture into coupe and then zest a lemon strip over the top. Twist lemon into drink. (See method for making simple syrup in the basil gimlet recipe.)
Tips: “Be reserved with the simple syrup and aggressive with the bitters,” says Hollinger. “The bitters make the drink. It should have a pinkish tone from them. Oh, and never shake the fucking drink.”
FEBRUARY
Añejo daiquiri at Coco500
500 BRANNAN ST., S.F., 415-543-2222
Why: For once, fiddling with a classic resulted in a drink that might—blasphemy alert—be better than the original.
Bartender: Scott Baird
Inventor: Jennings Cox, Daiquiri, Cuba, 1896. Cox ran out of gin while hosting a group of prominent Americans, so he mixed rum with lime juice and sugar, creating the first daiquiri. Over the years, lighter rums have unquestionably been the rums of choice for the drink. Baird, in a smart leap of faith, altered over a cen tury of tradition when he made his with aged rum.
1¾ ounces Pampero Aniversario rum
¾ ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
4½ teaspoons ground organic evaporated cane sugar
To make ground sugar:grind organic raw sugar (avoid turbinado and other dark varieties) in a standard coffee grinder until it turns into a fine, soft powder.
Add sugar and lime to a mixing glass and stir with a bar spoon for approximately 20 revolutions. Add ice and rum and shake hard for 10 full seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
Tip: “When I say shake hard, I mean it,” says Baird. “Don’t throw your back out, but use two hands and give the cocktail a healthy mix.”
MARCH
Plymouth gin martini at Bix
56 GOLD ST., S.F., 415-433-6300
Why: Sharp, bracing, and totally satisfying, it’s the ideal prelude to a meal.
Bartender: Doug “Bix” Biederbeck
Inventor: Multiple possibilities in San Francisco or New York, somewhere between 1850 and 1912. The earliest version of the martini, the “fancy gin cocktail,” was introduced in the 1850s and featured Old Tom gin and orange curaçao. Other tales claim that either Jerry Thomas of San Francisco or Martini di Arma di Taggia of New York’s Knickerbocker Hotel mixed the first martini, made with dry vermouth and gin, sometime around 1912. The martini served at Bix is modeled after the dry martini that was de rigueur by 1960.
2 ounces Plymouth gin
A generous dash of Martini & Rossi dry vermouth
Fill a metal shaker with ice. Add the gin and vermouth, shake, and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with olives, onions, or a twist.
Tips: “If you want olives in your martini, be sure you rinse them first to get rid of some of the brine,” says Biederbeck. “Be sure to use a metal shaker—it conducts temperature better. And I’m dead-set against birdbath martinis; a big martini is dead by the time you finish drinking it.”
APRIL
Old-fashioned at the Alembic
1725 HAIGHT ST., S.F., 415-666-0822
Why: The old-fashioned is a misunderstood classic; this is a superb, back-to-basics rendition.
Bartender: Daniel Hyatt
Inventor: Pendennis Club, Louisville, Kentucky, 1880s. The original old-fashioned was built on nothing more than whiskey, sugar, bitters, and a twist of lemon. Different camps argue that muddling an orange slice and maraschino cherry creates either the ideal version of the drink or an embarrassing bastardization. Hyatt prefers his old-fashioned in the style of the original—stripped down and unfussy.
Superfine sugar
Angostura bitters
2 ounces Elijah Craig
12-year-old bourbon
1 lemon
Place a scant bar spoonful of superfine sugar in a rocks glass, and add 2 dashes of bitters. Add a teaspoon of water and swirl to dissolve the sugar. Add bourbon. Add four or five ice cubes and stir. Zest a lemon twist over the glass, toss it in, and serve.
Tips: “When you zest the lemon, be sure to do it over the drink,” says Hyatt. “You want the oils to get in the drink and flavor it.
MAY
Aperol sour at Bourbon & Branch
WWW.BOURBONANDBRANCH.COM
Why: Perfect for kick-starting spring, it’s a stellar melding of old and new.
Bartender: Todd Smith
Inventor: Todd Smith, San Francisco, 2006. Smith hosted a party to celebrate the release of Italy-produced Aperol (a milder version of Campari) in the States. The Aperol sour was created for the event.
1½ ounces Aperol
¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
¼ ounce simple syrup
Most of one egg white
Combine all ingredients in a chilled mixing glass. Add ice, and shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or serve over ice. Garnish with a lemon twist. (See method for making simple syrup in basil gimlet recipe.)
Tips: “It’s best to keep all equipment in the freezer—glasses, strainers, and shakers,” says Smith. “That way you get as little dilution as possible."
JUNE
Italian lemonade at Farallon
450 POST ST., S.F., 415-956-6969
Why: A simple and, as far as we know, completely original drink that begs to be drunk to excess anytime, but especially on those rare scorchers in the city.
Inventor: Patrick Dunne, San Francisco, 2003. After falling in love with limoncello (the concentrated lemon liqueur from Italy), Dunne struggled to build a cocktail that could support the beverage’s sweet, citrusy intensity. Dunne kept it simple, pairing limoncello with sweet vermouth plus a hit of lemon juice and ginger ale.
1½ ounces Caravella
limoncello
1½ ounces Noilly Prat
sweet vermouth
1½ ounces lemon juice
Ginger ale
Fill a 12-ounce bucket glass to the rim with ice. Add the limoncello, vermouth, and lemon juice, and top with ginger ale. Garnish with a twist of lemon.
Tips: “Two things—don’t overdo it with the limoncello, and don’t be afraid of the vermouth,” says Dunne. “The equal portion of vermouth balances the drink and makes it a well-rounded cocktail.”
JULY
Basil gimlet at Rye
688 GEARY ST., S.F., 415-474-4448
Why: Rye’s take on the classic gimlet has gotten more press than Madonna’s adoption trials, but we can’t help ourselves—its basil version is a perfect cocktail.
Bartenders: Jon Gasparini and Greg Lindgren
Inventor: Unknown. After Greg’s wife, Shelley (sommelier of A16 fame), tried a basil gimlet in New York, she returned to San Francisco infatuated. Gasparini and Lindgren tweaked the recipe to mirror the Bay Area’s obsession with local products.
2 ounces No. 209 gin
Half a lime
½ ounce simple syrup
5 basil leaves
To make simple syrup, bring 2 cups water and 1 cup sugar to a boil in a saucepan. Simmer for roughly 15 minutes. Keep refrigerated.
Gently muddle basil, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup in a mixing glass with a wooden muddler. Add ice and gin. Shake vigorously, and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a basil leaf or lime wedge.
Tip: “You could make it with vodka, but it’s far more interesting with gin,” says Gasparini. “Also, if the basil sits around for a day or so, it doesn’t have the crisp freshness critical to the drink’s success.”
AUGUST
House margarita at Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant
5929 GEARY BLVD., S.F., 415-387-4747
Why: The proportions highlight the most important part of the drink—the tequila.
Bartenders: Julio Bermejo and his father, Tommy
Inventor: Unknown, between 1930 and 1940. Most cocktails have a few origin stories. The margarita has about five. The traditional recipe features an orange liqueur, often triple sec or Cointreau, and Rose’s preserved lime juice. Julio and Tommy Bermejo came up with Tommy’s reinvention of the classic recipe in 1985, complementing the tequila with fresh lime and agave nectar.
2 ounces Herradura Plato tequila
1 ounce agave nectar
1 ounce hand-squeezed
lime juice (about 1 large lime)
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.Add tequila, agave, and lime juice. Shake until thoroughly combined. Pour into glass.
Tip: “For the least amount of pulp, it’s best to squeeze the limes with a handheld citrus juicer,” says Julio Bermejo.
SEPTEMBER
Irian Jaya at Cyrus
29 NORTH ST., HEALDSBURG, 707-433-3311
Why: Chili peppers, Kaffir lime leaf, and candied lemongrass. On paper, it reads like a nightmare. In the mouth, it’s a revelation.
Bartender: Scott Beattie
Inventor: Scott Beattie, Healdsburg, 2006. The drink mirrors the complex flavors of Indonesian food, and Beattie named it after the western half of New Guinea, home of the world’s largest gold mine.
First, make the candied lemongrass:
3 stalks lemongrass
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
A few Kaffir lime leaves
Cut the lemongrass into thin rings, using only the whitish part. Boil the sugar and water, and add the lemon grass and Kaffir lime leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool.
¾ ounce Hangar One
Kaffir lime vodka
¾ ounce straight vodka
4 Kaffir lime leaves sliced into thin strips
5 fresh Fresno red chili rings (be aware that the seeds are what make this drink spicy)
10–15 pieces candied
lemongrass
½ ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 ounces ginger beer
Add all ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice, shake well, and dump everything in a tall glass. Top with ginger beer.
Tip: “For a striking presentation, use lots of ice so the elements have something to cling to,” says Beattie. “The drink should be sweet, sour, spicy, and refreshing.”
OCTOBER
Tarragon-cardamom caipirinha at Aziza
5800 GEARY BLVD., S.F., 415-752-2222
Why: The national drink of Brazil, known for its rough charms, gets fancified without losing its edge.
Bartender: Farnoush Deylamian
Inventor: Unknown, Brazil, year unknown. When limes and raw sugar were added to Brazil’s most popular spirit, cachaça, the caipirinha was born. The drink has hit the States like a tropical storm over the last decade, and to complement the flavors of Aziza’s California-influenced Moroccan food, Deylamian incorporated tarragon and cardamom pods into the drink, adding fragrance
and kick.
8 ice cubes
1 lime, halved and cut into
8 cubes
12 tarragon leaves
10 cardamom pods (available at Indian grocery stores)
2 tablespoons sugar (preferably organic turbinado)
2 ounces cachaça
In a shaker, muddle together the ice cubes, lime, tarragon, cardamom pods, and sugar until all the ice is crushed and mixture is almost liquid. Fill the shaker a third full of ice—don’t add too much. Add cachaça and shake well. Pour into a rocks glass and serve.
Tips: “Soak the cardamom pods in the cachaça for about an hour—the longer the better,” says Deylamian. “You’ll release the oils in the cardamom into the cachaça, giving a more intense cardamom flavor."
NOVEMBER
The Graduate at Range
842 VALENCIA ST., S.F., 415-282-8283
Why: Familiar meal enders like Benedictine and madeira mixed with a slug of whiskey: think of it as the after-dinner Manhattan.
Bartender: Thomas Waugh
Inventor: Thomas Waugh, San Francisco, 2006. A regular at Range, who’s fonder of mixed drinks than of wine, asked for a cocktail to pair with his bittersweet chocolate soufflé. Sometimes the best ideas strike when you’re under pressure.
1½ ounces blended scotch whiskey (ideally White Horse)
1 ounce madeira
½ ounce Benedictine
Dash each of Fee Brothers orange, old-fashioned, and Angostura bitters
1 orange
Add whiskey, madeira, Benedictine, and bitters to a mixing glass. Add ice and stir slowly for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Cut a piece of orange peel approximately the size of a quarter. Armed with a lit match, squeeze the orange peel so that its oils ignite. Drop the orange peel into the glass and serve.
Tips: “The whiskey shouldn’t be high-end—using a single malt would be just plain silly,” says Waugh. “And if the idea of flaming orange peel is too intimidating, just squeeze the peel and drop it in the drink instead.”
DECEMBER
Sidewinder’s Fang at Forbidden Island
1304 LINCOLN AVE., ALAMEDA, 510-749-0332
Why: Two kinds of rum and a glut of fruit juice make a damn tasty beverage, turning our rainstorms into tropical showers.
Bartender: Martin Cate
Inventor: Unknown, San Mateo, 1964. A scholar of all things tiki, Forbidden Island’s Cate resuscitated a classic that was the house specialty at the Lanai restaurant on the Peninsula.
1½ ounces fresh lime juice
1½ ounces fresh orange juice
1½ ounces passion-fruit
syrup (Trader Vic’s or Monin)
1 ounce dark Jamaican rum (preferably Coruba, but Myers’s is OK)
1 ounce 80-proof Demerara rum from Guyana (such as Lemon Hart)
2 ounces seltzer water
Combine all ingredients in a blender with 2 cups of cracked ice. Blend for 2 seconds and pour entire contents into a large goblet. Over the glass, peel a very long spiral of orange peel. Garnish with a mint sprig and the orange spiral so it hangs down the side like a snake.
Tips: “It’s extremely important not to overblend; this is not a frozen or slushy drink,” says Cate. “By just quickly pulsing the blender, you are partly crushing the ice, mixing, chilling, and appropriately diluting the drink in one quick step.”
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