Moscow Mule, Slanted Door

The Slanted Door is a modern Vietnamese restaurant and bar located in the historic Ferry Building located along the Embarcadero in San Francisco. Both the food and bar program are internationally recognized. I have never been disappointed with anything I have ordered here. The Moscow Mule continues the trend. The extra time to press ginger juice brings out the ginger zing better than using ginger beer which is used by most places for Moscow Mules.

Congratulations to Slanted Door for winning the Tales of the Cocktail 2012 Spirited Award for Best Restaurant Bar. Well deserved!

The Drink - Moscow Mule, $11
Hangar One Vodka, ginger juice, lime, soda

The Place - Slanted Door
San Francisco, The Embarcadero
Daily lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, full bar
http://www.slanteddoor.com/

Other Slanted Door Drinks
Agricole Rhum Punch

Other pictures from this visit

 

Fresh spring rolls

Read More

Lychee Wasabi Martini, Fifth Floor Cafe

The Fifth Floor is located in the upscale Harvey Nichols store in the Knightsbridge neighborhood of London. When I lived in London and had a client in Knightsbridge, I used to frequent the Fifth Floor Food Market and restaurants at Harvey Nichols. The Lychee Wasabi Martini contained the perfect combination of Asian influenced sweet and heat to re-energize me on a tourist packed queue filled day. Wish I could have stayed for another, but we had a post-lunch tourist agenda to keep to.

Harvey Nichols, just next door to Harrods, has several other dining establishments (Fifth Floor Champagne bar, Fifth Floor Restaurant, Fifth Floor Sushi) to get escape the hustle and bustle at Harrods.

The Drink - Lychee Wasabi Martini, 11.50 GBP
Lychee juice, lychee liqueur, citron vodka and wasabi

The Place - Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor Cafe
London, Knightsbridge
Daily lunch, afternoon tea and dinner
http://www.harveynichols.com/fifth-floor-london-restaurant

Other pictures from the visit

 Oyster Sliders

 Indonesian Shrimp

 Chicken Caesar Salad

 Fish and Chips

Lucky Charms for 7.50 GBP, nearly $10?

Read More

Jalapeño Margarita, Brooklyn Heights Wine Bar

Brooklyn Heights Wine Bar is on the corner of Cranberry and Henry in Brooklyn borough of New York City. Don't let the pretty pink color of the Jalapeño Margarita fool you into thinking this is just another sweet fruity margarita. This cocktail is the real deal made from scratch. Bartender Brian's house made jalapeño infused tequila puts a bit of a heat on making for a unique and appealing twist on a classic margarita. 

Brooklyn Heights Wine Bar also touts a great selection of great wines and a respectable food menu.

The Drink, Jalapeño Margarita

Jalapeño Infused Tequila, Luxardo Triplum, Fresh Lime and Blood Orange. 

The Place - Brooklyn Heights Wine Bar

New York City, Brooklyn Heights

www.brooklynheightswinebar.com

Hours of Operation:
12pm - 11pm   Mon - Thurs
12pm - 12am   Friday
11am - 12am   Saturday
11am - 10:30pm   Sunday:
* Kitchen closes 30 min before bar
** Small plate items only from 4 pm - 5:30 pm (5 Sun)

*** Written by Drinks in the City correspondent Steven Ballinger.

Read More

Street Beat, Jones

Jones is restaurant, bar, outdoor dining space located just 3 blocks from Union Square in San Francisco. Since there are few outdoor drinking spaces in San Francisco, I've been wanting to check it out since it opened. Luckily this summer has found me in the Union Square neighborhood pretty regularly. The cocktail menu is such a fun read with Signature Cocktails ($15), Jones Cocktails ($10), and Classic Cocktails ($10). With tequila and jalapeno as two of the ingredients in the Street Beat cocktail on the Jones Menu, I knew what I had to try. Also, the fun name and description for this cocktail in the menu convinced me, "Don Julio Tequila, agave syrup, hash jalapeno and cucumber with lime juice join forces to form a dance party in your mouth. Give it a whirl. See how it moves you." I like when what you read is what you get!

It used to be rare to find tequila based spicy cocktails. I'm so glad it's been on about 50% of the cocktail menus I've opened this summer. I'll be back to Jones soon to try some of the other fun named cocktails, Kensington Zinger, Don't Call me Barbie, First Glance, or the Cherry Berry Sour. But on a windy and chilly day, I'll sit indoors next time, although the bar stools don't look as comfy as the outdoor seats.

The Drink - Street Beat, $10
Don Julio Tequila, agave syrup, hash jalapeno and cucumber with lime juice join forces to form a dance party in your mouth. Give it a whirl. See how it moves you.

The Place - Jones
San Francisco, Union Square
Tuesday - Saturday 5pm-midnight/2am, Sunday brunch, full bar
http://620-jones.com/

Read More

Emperor Norton's 2nd Mistress, Elixir

I've been wanting to try Elixir in the Mission District of San Francisco for ages. Luckily I was in the neighborhood on a Wednesday afternoon and was able to pop in. The cocktail menu is such a fun read, but given the number of great drinks page after page (Spring Produce Cocktails, Elixir Classics, Ritual Cocktails, Golden Gate Cocktails and Classic Cocktails), it was definitely difficult to narrow down to a few choices. I guess the bartender could tell I was overwhelmed with all the amazing choices. So he took charge and said "Here are some of my favorites." Of the 4 given to me, I chose the Emperor Norton's 2nd Mistress as it was one already on my shortlist of 10 to try. Also given that there have been other Mistress Cocktails (International Mistress from Maven and Diego Rivera's Mistress at 25 Lusk), I knew that this choice was meant to be. You can not go wrong with bourbon, strawberries and Tuaca. Refreshing, comforting and bold all at once. So glad I found the recipe on-line to enjoy at home!

The Drink - Emperor Norton's 2nd Mistress, $10

Cyrus Noble Bourbon, Tuaca, Fresh Strawberries; Shaken and Served tall, with a fresh strawberry 

The recipe is included in H's pinterest photo of this cocktail, pinterest recipe and on the Elixir menu

Recipe per the Elixir Spring Produce Cocktails Menu

1.5oz Cyrus Noble Bourbon

.75 oz Tuaca

Strawberries (California local strawberries start coming in mid-June and thrive for a few months, so this drink will be at peak flavor all summer!)

In a mixing cup muddle 3 strawberries to juice. Add Bourbon and Tuaca and fill with ice. Shake hard to dilute and Hawthorne strain over fresh ice (allowing for bits of strawberry) in 10.5oz Old Fashioned. Slice one strawberry half way and place on rim to garnish.

The Place - Elixir
San Francisco, Mission
Weekday 3pm - 2am, Sat noon to 2am, Sun 11am to 2AM, full bar
http://www.elixirsf.com/

The bar

Read More

Arbutus Aperitif, Arbutus

Arbutus is a restaurant located in the SOHO neighborhood of London. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed when I found out my friends had made pre-theater reservations at a restaurant that only served wine and beer. I was resigned to the fact that I was going to have some wine at dinner when I saw their signature aperitif at the top of the menu. I'm so glad that I gave the Arbutus Aperitif a try. What a surprisingly elegant and refreshing cocktail with only 3 ingredients, blood orange, pomegranate and campari. I will need to give this a try at home.

The Drink - The Arbutus Aperitif, $8

Blood orange, pomegranate and campari

The Place - Arbutus

London, SOHO

Daily lunch and dinner, pre-theater specials, beer and wine

http://www.arbutusrestaurant.co.uk/

Other pictures from the visit

 Kingsdown Still Water

 Market Vegetable Soup (part of Pre-Theatre Prix Fixe)

 Steak and Potatoes

 

 Scottish Beef and Pappardelle (Part of Pre-Theatre Prix Fixe)

 

 Pork Belly and Lentils

 

Cheeesecake and Yorkshire rhubarb (part of Pre-Theatre prix fixe)

Read More

Chili Season, Alexander's Steakhouse

Alexander's Steakhouse is located in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco. It's been a while since I've been to Alexander's so I was excited to try a few of the new cocktails on the Alexander's Originals Menu. With tequila, chili and pineapple gum syrup, I knew that I was going to give the Chili Season a try. As the server mentioned, the cocktail is perfectly balanced. Although I must admit since I like spicy cocktails, with a name like Chili Season, I wish there was a bit more kick of heat to this drink.

The Cocktail, Chili Season, $14
Milagro Blanco, Combier Liqueur d'Orange, lime juice, egg white, angostura Orange and chili pepper tincture.


The Place - Alexander's Steakhouse
South of Market (SOMA), San Francisco
Dinner nightly, full bar
http://www.alexanderssteakhouse.com/sf_site/san_francisco_information.html

Other Alexander's Steakhouse Drinks
Shiso Bomb
Mayan Calendar

Read More