A Lover's Game, Ice Cream Bar

The Ice Cream Bar in Cole Valley in San Francisco takes you back to the good old soda fountain days. I chose a drink from the Crush part of the menu (fruit based sodas). A Lover's Game crush has muddled raspberries, house chocolate syrup, soda and love. The soda jerk recommended that I drink my crush straight, without the straw since it changes the flavor profile of the drink. Loved every sip which gets sweeter, more chocolatey and richer as you drink. I can't wait to try other drinks on the menu and for the The Ice Cream Bar to get their liquor license!

Restaurant Specifics 
7 Days a week

http://theicecreambarsf.com/
A Lover's Game, $8

Skip the line in front for the ice cream and head to the back to order your drink from the soda jerk working at the soda fountain.

Other Ice Cream Bar drinks
Valentina (non-alcoholic)

Other pictures from the visit

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Absinthe Lemonade, Absinthe

The Absinthe Lemonade at Absinthe in San Francisco in Hayes Valley is not your typical lemonade.  How could it be with a mixture of lemonade, ginger beer and cranberry?  For an adult version of this drink, order the Citron Lemonade that adds vodka to the mix.

The Skinny
Closed Mondays, lunch, dinner, full bar

http://www.absinthe.com/

Other Absinthe drinks
Galapagos
Sazerac
Mata Leao 
Citron Presse (non-alcoholic) 
Citron Lemonade 

Other goodies during this visit:

Steak Frites 

 Croque Monseiur

Sazerac

Market Pasta(Dungeness Crab Parpardelle)

French Dip

 Chocolate Pot de Creme

Lemon Tart

 Grapefruit Sorbet

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Luxury Mojito, Nihon

Hands down, my favorite place for happy hour and a mojito (Luxury Mojito) has always been Nihon in the SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco. The Luxury Mojito is a decadent Japanese twist on the classic mojito. It's made with silver rum, nigori sake, mint, lime, sugar, and topped with champagne.  Unlike most mojitos, this isn't a sweet cocktail.

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Pomegranate Margarita, Tropisueno

The Pomegranate Margarita at Tropisueno in SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco, is not your typical pomegranate margarita.  This cocktail special of the month has El Jimador tequila, pomegranate puree and  rhubarb bitters.   The rhubarb bitters ground any sweetness that you would taste.  Absolutely delicious.

Happy National Margarita Day!
Restaurant Specifics
Lunch, Dinner, full bar
http://www.tropisueno.com/
Pomegranate Margarita, $11

Other cocktails from Tropisueno:
Tropisueno

Other goodies during the visit:

Platanos Fritos...YUM!

Pomegranate Margarita

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Sazerac, Absinthe

I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate Fat Tuesday than to have a Sazerac at Absinthe in Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco. Here's the cocktail ingredients and story per the Absinthe menu, "Rye whiskey, a dash of Peychaud's bitters, & a touch of sugar.  Stirred & served in a coupe glass rinsed with Pernod absinthe, with a lemon twist. A classic Absinthe cocktail from Famous New Orleans Frinks (1940). by Stanley Clisby Arthur."

How are you celebrating Fat Tuesday?

Restaurant Specifics
Closed Mondays, Lunch, Dinner, Full Bar
Sazerac, $9

Other Absinthe drinks
Galapagos
Absinthe Lemonade (non-alcoholic)
Mata Leao 
Citron Presse (non-alcoholic) 
Citron Lemonade 

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Dawa Cocktail, Laurel Court Bar in the Fairmont Hotel

Within a week of reading an article about the Dawa cocktail, I was pleasantly surprised to find it on the cocktail menu at the Laurel Court Bar in the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. The Dawa cocktail with vodka, brown sugar and lime is reportedly the most popular cocktail in Kenya. Dawa means "medicine" or "magic potion" in Swahili. Do the medicinal qualities come from the lime, vodka, brown sugar or a combination of all three? There are several variations of this cocktail which I'll try at home (mainly crushed ice and honey instead of brown sugar).

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Margarita, Zuni Cafe

Zuni Cafe in San Francisco serves one my favorite margaritas in the city.  I love the simplicity of this tart margarita that's made with fresh squeezed lime juice, silver tequila, and Cointreau. Zuni serves it with different options:  up, on the rocks, salt and no salt.  With National Margarita day coming up on Wednesday 2/22/2012, make a margarita at home or go to your favorite place to celebrate.

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Pina Caliente, Poquito

The Pina Caliente cocktail at Poquito in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco was a pleasant find.  Given the name, I was expecting a strong spicy zing. The Pina Caliente, a concoction of arta tequila, chili, lime and pineapple, is a well balanced mild spicy drink with a hint of sweet.  I could have bitten into the jalapeno garnish, but I wasn't brave enough at the time.  I will definitely return to nibble on the jalapeno garnish with this cocktail and also to try some of the other Latin cocktails on the menu.

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Sex in the Snow, Hobson's Choice

At Hobson's Choice in the Haight, there are 3 drinks of the month for February.  The Sex in the Snow, is a variation of the classic Sex on the Beach.  The concoction of the vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry and orange juices and a touch of crème de Cacao as their menu says is "Even more fun than the beach!"  I agree.

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Stone Rye, Pican

The cocktail menu at Pican in Oakland is divided into Pican Signature, Southern Twist and Classics.  Since I've been wanting to try a Rye cocktail, I chose the Stone Rye from the Southern Twist portion of the menu.  I was pleasantly surprised with this concoction of Redemption Rye, rock candy syrup, Cherry Heering and egg whites.  The Cherry Heering (a Danish cherry liqueur) not only adds a hint of cherry to the drink, but creates a beautiful pink hue.  Despite the rock candy syrup and the Cherry Heering, this drink is not noticeably sweet.  The rye grounds the cocktail.  The cherry on top was the perfect sweet ending.  As I told the server, this is my kind of drink. 

Happy Valentine's All!

Restaurant Specifics
Lunch and Dinner 7 days a week, Full bar
http://www.picanrestaurant.com/
Stone Rye, $10

Other Drinks from Pican
Deep South

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Between the Sheets, Hobson's Choice

When I walked into Hobson's Choice, I was greeted by the bartender wearing a t-shirt with Between the Sheets printed on the front. When I found out it was a drink on the cocktail menu, I knew I had to give it a try. Per the cocktail menu, Between the Sheets is "A classic, made with Silver Rum, Brandy, Triple Sec, sweet & sour and a sugared rim. With a name like that, it's gotta be good!" Although it's on the sweeter end of what I normally would drink, I enjoyed it.  Researching the history of this cocktail classic was even more fun. Also known as the Maiden's Prayer, this cocktail dates back to the 1930's and created most likely in Paris (Harry's Bar) or perhaps in London.  

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5 spot, Maven

The 5 Spot at the Maven, in the Lower Haight District of San Francisco, definitely hits the spot.  The combination of aged rhum, lime, ginger, maple, thai basil, and five spice give the drink an intriguing aroma, visual punch, complex flavor and frosty chill.  As you contemplate the deliciousness of the drink, you definitely feel like you are soaking in some ancient wisdom.  Was the name inspired from the 5 spice or from stimulating your 5 senses?  Hmm...

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Bacon Bloody Mary, Paul K

I just read that a new restaurant has signed a lease for the Paul K restaurant space in Hayes Valley.  So before Paul K closes, I want to share some of my favorite drinks that I've had there over the years.  The Bacon Bloody Mary is brunch in a glass.  How else would you describe this version of a bloody mary that is made with maple bacon infused vodka and a tomato juice house mix? 

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The Risk Taker, Trademark

The restaurant I originally wanted to go to didn't have their cocktail menu available. So I found myself walking down Belden Alley in San Francisco's Financial District on a sunny winter day. When you walk down Belden Alley, you feel like you are in a touristy European alley. All the hosts/hostesses are encouraging you to dine at their establishment. I chose Trademark not only because,  I went to an unforgettable party at it's predecessor, Voda, but because I wanted to try The Risk Taker after I perused the menu.

The Risk Taker (the only drink noted with a spicy pepper on the menu) is a silver tequila, pear liqueur, jalapeno, lime, grapefruit, concoction with a sweet chipotle rim. The bartender did warn me that it was spicy. I thought to myself, I love spicy drinks, bring it on! To date, this is one of the top two spiciest drinks I have ever had. It wasn't the chipotle rim, but the jalapeno infusion. How spicy?  It's so spicy that your lips are burning after 2 sips of this cocktail and at 3 - 4 sips your tongue is burning too.  If you fancy spicy drinks, you'll keep on drinking because of the captivating spicy heat.

Are you a Risk Taker? If so head on over to Trademark for this cocktail.

Restaurant specifics
Lunch 5 days a week, Dinner 6 days a week
http://www.trademarksf.com/index.html
Happy Hour (aka Closing Bell) 2:30 - 8
The Risk Taker, $10

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Mescal por mi Amante, Wo Hing General Store

Mescal por mi Amante, translates from Spanish to English as Mescal for my Lover. What a perfect name for this sexy drink at Wo Hing General Store in the Mission District of San Francisco. This strawberry infused mezcal, lemon, egg whites, agave nectar, and angostura bitters concoction makes you want to slip into something more comfortable with it's luscious smoky heavenly flavor. 

If you've been reading the blog, I've been working for over a year on "breaking out of my cocktail comfort zone" as prescribed in, http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2012/01/02/55-break-your-cocktail-comfort-zone.  Now that mescal and egg whites are checked off the list with this drink, the last thing is a rye cocktail...Any suggestions?  If not, I may end up back at Wo Hing for the Laughing Water cocktail.

Restaurant Specifics
http://wohinggeneralstore.com/
Lunch and Dinner seven nights a week
Mescal por mi Amante, $10

So that you are always left wondering, Wo Hing General store changes up your cocktail experience for the same drinks by serving them in different glasses.  The first time I had the Mescal por mi Amante, it was served in this stunning glass below.  Some of their glassware is definitely a conversation starter.  I love the gold with the turquoise.

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