Chinese Mule, Hakkasan San Francisco

Hakkasan is a restaurant located in the Financial District in San Francisco. When I heard that Hakkasan was opening a San Francisco outpost, when I was in London last Spring, I made sure that I checked out the restaurant. After my dining experience there, I didn't know how they could replicate the experience in San Francisco and curious how they would set prices for their cocktails. While several reviewers have called Hakkasan overpriced Chinese food, I am a big fan of Hakkasan San Francisco's food, cocktails, decor and service. I know several people that would be turned off from the Chinese Mule drink because of the cilantro. I must admit I am a big cilantro fan. Hakkasan's spin on the classic Ginger Mule is refreshing and herbaceous. I also loved the pop from the ginger and ginger beer.

Yes, I'm a little late for posting this, but this was my drink on 12/12/12 at 12/12. 

The Drink - Chinese Mule, $12

Hangar One Vodka, Masumi Okuden junmai sake, cilantro, ginger, ginger beer

The Place - Hakkasan

San Francisco, Financial District

Cantonese Chinese cuisine

Open daily lunch and dinner, full bar

http://www.hakkasan.com/sanfrancisco/

Other Hakkasan drinks
Rhubarb Margarita(London)
Virgin Hakka (London)

Other pictures from the visit

 Love the bar!

 Love the woodwork!

 Love the stitching!

 Pan fried Shanghai dumplings

Shrimp Curry

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Earl Grey MarTEAni, Pegu Club

Pegu Club is located at 77 West Houston Street between W. Broadway and Wooster St. in SOHO Manhattan. Walk too fast and you will miss the unassuming entrance to it's location on the second floor. Owner Audrey Sanders is considered a master of modern mixology and Head Bartender Kenta Goto was named American Bartender of the Year at the 2012 Tales of the Cocktail. Pegu Club boasts a seasonal menu of original and innovative libations such as the Earl Grey MarTEAni. Earl Grey Tea infused Gin, Lemon Juice, Raw Egg Whites and a touch of Simple Syrup transforms English Tea Time into a delightfully exotic cocktail. "Thank you Sir I'll have another."

The Drink - Earl Grey MarTEAni, 
Earl Grey Tea infused Gin, Lemon Juice, Raw Egg Whites, simple syrup

The Place - Pegu Club
New York City, Manhattan, SOHO
212-473-PEGU
Open
Sunday-Wednesday 5:00pm until 2:00am
Thursday-Saturday 5:00pm until 4:00am
www.peguclub.com

*Written by Drinks in the City San Francisco correspondent, Steven Ballinger.

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Berry Royale, The Campbell Apartment

The Campbell Apartment is located in the Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Per their website  "Formerly the luxurious office and salon of '20's mogul Jown W. Campbell, this fully refurbished place revives the lifestyle of that storied era." The Berry Royale cocktail was the perfect drink to start the evening. I just love vitamin cocktails that are made with antioxidant rich fruit. I look forward to enjoying a drink at the Campbell Apartment in NY for my next visit this summer. How could I not go with a tag line on their website "Cocktails from another era". However, I will make sure I wear appropriate attire. Per their website, "Proper Attire Required. Absolutely no Athletic Shoes, T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, Baseball Caps, Shorts or Torn Jeans".

The Drink - Berry Royale
Champagne, blackberry-raspberry purée and maraschino liqueur

The Place - Campbell Apartment
New York City, Midtown
Open daily noon to closing (midnight, 1am, or 2am depending on the day)
www.hospitalityholdings.com

Written in collaboration with Drinks in the City NY correspondent, Elaine Chin.

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Milk Tea, Boba Guys

Boba Guys is located in the Mission District of San Francisco. With the boba craze, we've tried several times to try their boba. First time we tried to go, it was already closed. The second time, they ran out of boba. The third time there was no line, there was boba and there were seats at the counter. Score! While they may be serving the most expensive boba tea in the city, you have to think about the love that they put into their drinks with organic milk, organic tea, homemade syrup and Grade A boba. My research partner said the best milk tea in San Francisco so far (we must admit we haven't been to Tpumps yet). I'll definitely return, most likely on a Sunday, when they are experimenting with new flavors and also have boba cocktails. I'm can't wait for the Boba Guys to open their own location in Mission. For now, they are at pop up locations and Suika on a limited schedule.

On a side note, while I do love the Black Pearl at E&O Asian Kitchen with the dense Creme de Violette poured down the side to be the pearl. I'd love to see a boba pearl in there instead.

The Drink - Milk Tea, $4
Strauss Creamery organic milk, homebrewed Five Mountains organic heirloom tea, homemade syrup and Grade A boba

The Place - Boba Guys
San Francisco, Mission
Snack Bar at  and other pop up locations
Monday to Friday 11:30am - 2pm, Sat/Sun12pm to 4pm
http://bobaguys.com/

Other pictures from the Boba Guys

Pork Curry and Rice, $8

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Black Pearl, E&O Asian Kitchen

E&O Asian Kitchen (formerly known as E&O Trading Company) is a restaurant located a block from Union Square in San Francisco. As the name suggests, this Asian inspired restaurant also serves Asian inspired cocktails. With a name like the Black Pearl, how could I not try this cocktail first? The coconut water (great for hydration) and creme de violette(color) ingredients also hooked me in. I was also curious what they would use for a black pearl. You will have no trouble quickly getting to the sunken treasure at the bottom of the glass. So what's the black pearl? You'll need to go to find out.

This marks the 300th drink in our collection.

The Drink - Black Pearl, $12 

Matusalem rum, coconut water, velvet falernum, creme de violette

The Place - E & O Asian Kitchen

San Francisco, Union Square
Restaurant, Asian
http://www.eosanfrancisco.com/
Open daily for dinner, lunch (Monday to Saturday), happy hour (*including Saturdays*), late night (Thursday to Saturday), full bar

Other pictures from the E&O visit

 Indonesian Corn Fritters

Shiitake Dumplings (reminds me of the EOS days on Carl and Cole)

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Meyer Lemon Crusta. Zero Zero

Zero Zero is located in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco. I've seen the Meyer Lemon Crusta cocktail pop up on our Facebook feed for Zero Zero. I'm so glad I finally made it in to try this delicious aromatic cocktail. I don't know what I was expecting, but this drink experience exceeded it. A perfectly balanced smooth drink to welcome the day.

So what's a Crusta? It's a style of cocktail that was invented in New Orleans in the 19th century. It's been credited to be the father of the margarita, sidecar and I've read in other sites, that a Crusta cocktail can also be presented with sugared rim and the addition of a lemon peel lining the lip of the glass (usually served in a glass with a smaller opening). Here's a link to an entertaining writeup of the cocktail evolution found in Esquire Magazine.

The Drink, $11
Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Meyer Limoncello, Pierre Fernand Dry Curaçao

The Place - Zero Zero
South of Market, San Francisco
Lunch and dinner 7 days a week, brunch
http://www.zerozerosf.com/

Other Zero Zero cocktails
Diablito
Torosian Heat
Peach Pimm's

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Ballad of the Woman Warrior, M.Y. China

M.Y. China is located in the Westfield Shopping Center in the South of Market (SOMA) neighborhood of San Francisco.  M.Y. stands for celebrity Chef Martin Yan. Both the food and the cocktails are equally tantalizing here. With the Ballad of the Woman Warrior cocktail, I was intrigued with the Creme de Violette liqueur. I've only had a few cocktails with this liqueur. However, I've been impressed with the presentation of all of them. (See drinks with Creme de Violette). This cocktail teases you with it's color. The light pop of the gin flavor goes well with the pop of color from the violette and the pink flower. How could something so pretty be so good and bad at the same time? One too many of these and you will be singing I am a Warrior by Patty Smyth.

The Drink - The Ballad of the Woman Warrior, $13
Right Gin, Creme de Violette, lime juice

The Place

San Francisco, South of Market (SOMA)

Restaurant, full bar

Daily lunch and dinner

http://mychinasf.com/

Other M.Y. China drinks

Fire in the Wok

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