Calypso, Cotogna

Cotogna is located in the Jackson Square neighborhood of San Francisco. It's one of my go to restaurant choices when friends want to meet for lunch. I hadn't been there in a while and my research partner for the day had never been. It's been so long, that I hadn't realized there was so much road construction in the area. So the place I normally don't have trouble finding street parking, it actually took me about 20 minutes to find it. Note to self, I should check the Department of Public Works website for construction. We were both anxious to have a drink after finding spots for our cars. But with many new interesting named drinks on the menu, we both had a tough time deciding. My research partner had the Calypso from the Apertivi section of the drink menu. Both of our initial reactions was the drink was refreshing. We both immediately thought of summer. This drink instantly had me dancing in my mind to a Calypso beat.

The Drink - Calypso, $11
Cocchi Americano, Prosecco, Sage

The Place - Cotogna
San Francisco, Jackson Square
Italian
Weekday lunch, dinner nightly, weekend brunch, full bar
http://www.cotognasf.com/

Other Cotogna drinks
Strait Breeze
Vodoo Child
Viceroy
Valentino
All Summer Long
La Capilla
Crystal Beach
Spezzatura
Chattanoga Girl

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Lazy Lover, Employees Only

 

Employees Only is located in the West Village neighborhood of New York City. They have such fun named cocktails on the menu such as Billionaire, Quiet Storm, and Mata Hari. From the Fancy Cocktails ($16) section of the cocktail menu, I originally overlooked the Lazy Lover cocktail because of the name. But upon reading through the menu again, the jalapeno infusion caught my eye. I normally would not like a lazy lover, but this one at Employees Only is a keeper. 

The Drink - Lazy Lover, $16

Leblon Cachaca, Jalapeno infused Green Chartreuse shaken with Benedictine, fresh lime juice and agave nectar

The Place - Employees Only

New York City, West Village
Dinner nightly, late night (until 3:30AM)

http://employeesonlynyc.com/

Other Employees Only drinks
Ready Fire Aim

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Satan's Circus, NOMAD

NoMad is located in the NoMad Hotel in the NoMad (North of Madison) neighborhood of New York City. I ended my lunch with Elaine, our NY correspondent, with the Satan's Circus. WOW, what a way to end an amazing lunch. This was definitely my favorite drink on this particular NYC visit. I loved the color, loved the spice and loved the bold flavor. If you have one to many of these, you will definitely end up as one of the cast of characters in Satan's Circus.

The Drink - Satan's Circus, $16
Rye Whiskey, Thai Bird chili-infused aperol, cherry heering, lemon
Recipe below as found in Bon Apetit website
Combine 2 ounces rye whiskey, 3/4 ounce Heering Cherry Liqueur, 3/4 ounce Chile-Infused Aperol (click for recipe), and 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice, cover, and shake until outside of shaker is frosty, about 30 seconds. Strain into a coupe glass.

The Place - NOMAD
New York City, Nomad (North of Madison Park)
Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner, full bar
http://www.thenomadhotel.com/#/dining/atrium

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Bluestem Smash, Bluestem Brasserie

Bluestem Brasserie is located in the South of Market (SOMA) neighborhood of San Francisco. With the Bluestem Smash, you get to pick your poison of vodka or whisky. Since I had a tequila drink earlier in the day, I decided to avoid getting "smashed" and opted for vodka (pictured above). This smash is refreshing. It reminded me of a lighter version of a mojito. They have a great deal at Happy Hour, beer on draft or select bottled beer, $3, wine by the glass $5, and this is all in support of UCSF Cancer Research. Way to go Bluestem.

At two different happy hours, I tried both versions of the Bluestem smash. I must admit, I loved the bolder flavor with the whiskey version. Stop by and give it a try.

The Drink, Bluestem Smash, $7 during Happy Hour, $11 all other times
St. Germain, Vodka or Whisky, seasonal fruit, lime, mint, and Sparkling Wine.

The Place - Bluestem Brasserie
San Francisco, South of Market (SOMA)
Lunch and dinner daily
Weekday Happy Hour 4pm to 6:30pm
http://www.bluestembrasserie.com

Other Bluestem Brasserie drinks
Blood Orange Margarita

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La Pina, NOMAD

NoMad is located in the NoMad Hotel in the NoMad (North of Madison) neighborhood of New York City. Our NY correspondent couldn't have a cocktail at lunch since she had to return to her job abter lunch, so she opted for La Pina from the Soft Cocktails (non-alcoholic) section. Both of our reactions, "Yum, sweet yet spicy." I can easily see this as a cocktail vodka or tequila. The 3 other Soft Cocktails (non-alcoholic) drinks looked interesting and fun too (Orange Julius, Gingered Ale, and Basil-Fennel Soda)

The Drink - La Pina, $9
Pineapple, Japaleno-infused agave, lime

The Place - NOMAD
New York City, NoMad (north of Madison Square Park)
Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner

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Blood Orange Margarita, Bluestem

Bluestem Brasserie is located in the South of Market (SOMA) neighborhood of San Francisco. It's been a while since I've been there. I had to organize a small happy hour event for a group and chose Bluestem Brasserie. The lounge offers the perfect meeting space and a good selection of happy hour drinks from $1 to $7. After having a delicious Blood Orange Margarita at Oola a few weeks ago, I just had to try Bluestem's version. What a beautiful color and equally delicious taste. It's really hard to drink just one.

Happy National Margarita Day! How are you celebrating?

The Drink - Blood Orange Margarita, $11
Tequila, Blood Orange, Lime

The Place - Bluestem Brasserie

San Francisco, South of Market (SOMA)
Daily lunch and dinner, full bar, happy hour
http://www.bluestembrasserie.com

Other pictures from the visit

Ruffled Espellete Potato Chips, $3

Honey Spiced Nuts, $3 and Feta and Olives, $3

Old Bay Chiccharones and Malt Vinegar, $3

 

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The Guillotine, Nopa

Nopa is located in the Nopa (North of the Panhandle) neighborhood of San Francisco. The name and the mezcal drew me to the Guillotine cocktail. MmmMmmMmm, what a bold smokey cocktail to sip the night away. Don't drink too many, otherwise you'll wish for a guillotine the next day. Just love this glass!

The Drink, The Guillotine, $10
Del Maguey Mezcal, Cynar, Dolin Dry Vermouth

The Place - Nopa
San Francisco, Nopa
Dinner nightly, weekend brunch
http://nopasf.com/

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Hot Lips, NOMAD

Nomad is located in The NoMad Hotel which is located in the NoMad (North of Madison) neighborhood of New York City. I had our NY correspondent, Elaine, chose a place for us to finally do some research together. I loved the drink names in the Classics (Morning Glory Fizz, Widow's Kiss), Aperitifs(The Haymarket, Star and Garter), Soft cocktails (non-alcoholic), Light Spirited (Argyle, Elefante) and Dark Spirited (Start me up, Fortune Teller) sections of the cocktail menu. I've had another cocktail called Hot Lips in San Francisco, so I wanted to see how this stacked up. My kind of cocktail, naughty and nice, a bit sweet with underlying smoky heat. We dined in the Atrium. I can't wait to return to try the ambiance in the other rooms.

The Drink - Hot Lips, $15
Jalapeno-infused Blanco Tequila, mezcal, vanilla, pineapple, lemon, cane syrup
From the Light-Spirited section of the menu.

The Place - NoMad
New York City, NoMad
Breakfast, lunch, dinner daily, full bar
http://www.thenomadhotel.com/#/dining/atrium

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El Burro Ruso, Tipsy Pig

The Tipsy Pig is located in the Marina District of San Francisco. I have always enjoyed the cocktails and food here. It's been awhile since I've been so I was glad to see a few of my favorite drinks still on the menu and then some new ones. El Burro Ruso is a twist on a Moscow Mule(vodka based). El Burro Ruso translates from Spanish to English as the Russian Donkey. The drink was light and refreshing. Since I love cocktails that pop with flavor, I do wish there was a bit more ginger flavor in the drink.

The Drink - El Burro Ruso, $10
Chinaco Bianco Tequila, King's Ginger Liquer, a squeeze of lime, ginger beer

The Place - The Tipsy Pig
San Francisco, Marina
Lunch Wed - Sunday, Dinner 7 days a week, full bar
http://thetipsypigsf.com/

Other Tipsy Pig drinks
The Chipotle Margarita
The Tipsy Tea

Wedge Salad with Arctic Char, $19

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Christmas Island, AQ

AQ Restaurant and Bar is located in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco. I had a difficult time deciding what drink to start off with for dinner. Both the cocktails on the Seasonal Cocktail and Originals section read so interesting. I asked our server what sweet woodruff tincture was. So without answering my question, he responded "THAT cocktail is amazing. We make all of our tinctures in house." With a response like that I had to order it. I loved this cocktail which reminded me of an Old Cuban (rum, champagne) without the mint.

What's sweet woodruff? In the Middle Ages it was used to help heal cuts and to help with digestive ailments. Today it's still used in herbal medicine.

I also didn't know where Christmas Island is located so I looked that up, it's part of Australia (hence the kiwi part of this cocktail).

The Drink - Christmas Island, $13  
White Rum, Kiwi, Champagne, Sweet Woodruff tincture

The Place
AQ Restaurant
San Francisco, South of Market (SOMA)
http://aq-sf.com/index.html
Dinner Tuesday - Sunday, Sunday brunch, full bar

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South for the Winter, AQ

I've been wanting to try AQ Restaurant in the South of Market (SOMA) neighborhood of San Francisco since it opened in late 2011. I just haven't been able to get one of those coveted reservations. Fortunately I was able to get a reservation the day after Valentine's Day this year. I had a tough time deciding if I should a cocktail from the Seasonal Classics menu or from the Originals menu. I ended up choosing the South for the Winter cocktail since I have a few friends who are heading to warm weather for the long weekend. When I showed a friend a picture of this cocktail, he said that's such a girly drink. I assure you that this drink is anything but girly with Mezcal and Absinthe. I'd head South for Winter anytime with cocktails like this!

The Drink - South for the Winter, $13
Del Maguey Mezcal, Creme de Cassis, Absinthe

The Place
AQ Restaurant
San Francisco, South of Market (SOMA)
http://aq-sf.com/index.html
Dinner Tuesday - Sunday, Sunday brunch, full bar

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Grasshopper, The Corner Store

The Corner Store is located in the Inner Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco. I've been wanting to try the Fountain Inspired shakes there for some time, but have always been distracted with cocktail offerings. Since it's National Chocolate Mint Day today, what better way to celebrate with a Grasshopper from the Fountain Inspired section of their drink menu? Two things I loved about this Grasshopper were the petite size (not a full size milk shake like other places) and that it isn't green like others I've had.

What drink did you celebrate with?

The Drink - Grasshopper, $10
Creme de menthe, cacao, absinthe, vanilla ice cream

The Place - The Corner Store
San Francisco, Inner Richmond
Lunch Tuesday - Friday, Dinner nightly, Weekend Brunch, Happy Hour
http://www.thecornerstore-sf.com/

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