Eve's Abandon at RN74 in San Francisco

RN74 is a Michael Mina restaurant located in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco. I've had many memorable nights with good friends at RN74 since it first opened. In fact, I am surprised this is the first RN74 cocktail that I am posting. Earlier this particular evening, I attended the sneak peak at RN74 for The Company Bar and Kitchen which is slated to open late Summer. My research partner is a big whiskey drinker and opted for the Eve's Abandon cocktail. When I took a sip, I wanted to abandon my drink and have her's instead. I did like mine, but I liked the Eve's Abandon more.

The Drink - Eve's Abandon, $10
Applejack, Rye, lemon, mulling spice, egg white, whiskey barrel aged bitters

The Place - RN74
San Francisco, South of Market (SOMA)
Contemporary French
Daily lunch and dinner, weekday happy hour, full bar
www.rn74.com

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La Bonne Vie at Rickhouse in San Francisco

Rickhouse is located in Union Square in San Francisco. La Bonne Vie translates from French to English as The Good Life. I ventured off to Rickhouse a few weeks ago when it was unusually hot in San Francisco. Now that the San Francisco summer has begun with the fog and drizzle, today I am thinking about how lucky we were for that fabulous weather. I love the description in the cocktail menu for this drink, "We will save you any explanation as to why it is named so, but we can reveal that after a couple of sips,  you will stop wondering why." It's the good life when it's a beautiful day in San Francisco and you pass the afternoon away at Rickhouse. And with this drink, you get to chose the base spirit of gin or vodka.

The Drink - La Bonne Vie

Gin or Vodka, Fresh Lemon & Grapefruit Juice, fresh basil and bitters

The Place - Rickhouse

San Francisco, Union Square

Bar

Tuesday - Saturday

http://www.rickhousebar.com/

* Note a 2 drink minimum when you pay with a credit card.

Other Rickhouse Drinks
Campos Cooler

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Roffignac Cocktail at Hard Water in San Francisco

Hardwater is located in Pier 3 along the Embarcadero in San Francisco. As my research partner and I were drinking through Hard Water's cocktail menu, we were both intrigued with the red hembarig syrup. When we asked the server, they said it's a German syrup. Since neither of us had a drink with the ingredient, I knew I had to try the cocktail. I am so glad I did. This is a refreshing tangy cocktail with citrus hints.

Now a few weeks later since my visit to Hard Water, I wanted to find out more about the German syrup. There isn't much about it (not even in Wikipedia). Per the following article link, it's a raspberry vinegar syrup (Roffignac cocktail and the red hembarig syrup). Who knew such mystery could revolve around a cocktail?

The Drink - Roffignac Cocktail, $10
Rittenhouse 100 rye, lemon, grapefruit, red hembarig syrup, soda water

The Place - Hardwater
San Francisco, Embarcadero
Restaurant, full bar
Lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday
http://hardwaterbar.com/

Other Hard Water Drinks
Mint Julep

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The Lola at Blackbird in San Francisco

Lola is a Spanish form of Dolores. I had just seen my Lola Dolores the day before at her daughter's wedding a few weeks ago and was inspired to order this. I knew of the sexy and strong association with the name Lola. However, I didn't know about the Spanish origin meaning sorrow. This drink definitely has a strong spirit base from both the tequila and mezcal. But is also shows it's sexy side with white tea, King's Ginger and Grapefruit Bitters. This cocktail is definitely not for the weak at heart. This was my last drink of the evening from a Sunday crawl a few weekends ago. So can you guess what song was running through my head on the way to dinner at Kpop. Here's a hint, "Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl".

The Drink - Lola, $9
Altos Plata Tequila, Vida Mezcal, White Tea, King's Ginger, Grapefruit Bitters

The Place - Blackbird
San Francisco, Castro
Full Bar, happy hour, bar jars
Cash only

Other Blackbird drinks
Sumo Wrestler
Kokomo

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The Kokomo at Blackbird in San Francisco

Blackbird is a wonderful neighborhood bar located in the Castro in San Francisco. I spent a a few days in April in Hawaii. When I saw the ingredients in the Kokomo cocktail, I knew it would transport me to the island paradise. The rum, coconut water, orgeat and the tiki bitters teased me for a taste of the islands. As expected, this cocktail did not disappoint. Head to Blackbird for a Kokomo if you want to  reminisce moments from your tropical travels.

The Drink - Kokomo, $9
Rum, orgeat, coconut water, tiki bitters, nutmeg

The Place - Blackbird
San Francisco, Castro

Bar, happy hour

http://blackbirdbar.com/

* Note, Blackbird is cash only. 

Other Blackbird drinks
Sumo Wrestler
Lola

Other pictures from the visit

Our eyes were playing tricks with us

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The Sumo Wrestler at Blackbird in San Francisco

Blackbird, in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, was our 3rd stop on a bar crawl.  I haven't been to Blackbird since it opened in 2009. Within a nano second of viewing the cocktail menu, my research partner declared, "I want a Sumo Wrestler". Did I have the heart to tell it that Evan Williams was bourbon? Of course not because I wanted to try it too with the bourbon and yuzu(Japanese citrus). Wow, what a tasty cocktail. The yuzu adds complexity to this cocktail. You will find yourself pinned to  the floor in the doyho ring with one too many of theis delicious Sumo Wrestler. Trust me, it's hard to stop at just one.

I love the tag line on the Blackbird website, "Drink like a horse for the price of a bird". That about sums it up. It will not take me another three years to return to this place. I love everything about it: the drinks, the crowd, the vibe and the savvy bartenders.

The Drink - The Sumo Wrestler, $9
Evan Williams, Nigori Sake, Yuzu Juice and Yuzu Marmalade

The Place - Blackbird
San Francisco, Castro
Bar with bar jar bites
Cash only
http://blackbirdbar.com/


Other Blackbird drinks
Lola
Kokomo


Other pictures from the visit

 Hummus with crackers

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English Breakfast at Residence Bar in San Francisco

The Residence Bar is located in Duboce Triangle in San Francisco. It's tea time and my research partner is having an English Breakfast. Since this was an impromptu stop on a mini bar crawl, my partner was looking for something light. The cucumber lemon spa drink seemed like the perfect choice. But she'd never had Pimm's. I said "Order it! You'll love it." So did she like it? Yep, it was sipped away with the blink of an eye.

Now where are the dainty finger sandwiches, scones and crumpets to along with this afternoon tea?

The Drink - English Breakfast, $8
Pimm's, lemon soda, Cucumber Vodka, Cucumber Slice

The Place - Residence Bar

San Francisco, Duboce Triangle
Bar

* Note, cash only

Other Residence Bar Drinks
Riding with Death

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