Pimm's Cup, First Floor

The First Floor is located in the Notting Hill neighborhood of London. It's on the street where  Portabello Market takes place. On this crowded and dreary Saturday morning, the First Floor was a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of Portabello Market. It was literally jammed with wall to wall people trying to walk in both directions in no orderly fashion. It took me 20 minutes to walk 2 blocks just to get to the restaurant. First Floor's...

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El Diablo, Churchill

Churchill is located in the Castro/Market neighborhood of San Francisco. I've been wanting to try the cocktails at this bar since it first opened. But, I just haven't had the chance. I am so glad I finally did! The El Diablo is a colorful cocktail made with tequila, creme de cassis, lime juice and ginger. My research companion loved how the cocktail was served in a mason jar. Beware, it's easy to guzzle this refreshing cocktail quickly. On...

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Aromatic Randez Vous, Artesian

The Artesian Bar is located in the Langham Hotel just off of Oxford and Regent Streets in Central London, United Kingdom. I lived, worked and played in London for five years, ages ago. It was my first time back to the UK since I left. This time I went for more play than work. I was told by friends that the Artesian Bar serves the best cocktails in London. I absolutely agree. Every single drink I ordered was carefully crafted for taste and presentation....

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International Mistress, Maven

Maven is located in the Lower Haight neighborhood of San Francisco. The menu at Maven is broken down into Distilled (cocktails), Plated (food) and Fermented (Wine). From the Distilled section, The International Mistress is mysterious cocktail with  amaro (Italian liqueur, means bitter), mezcal (Mexican oven cooked agave), lemon, orgeat(syrup made from almonds, sugar, and orange flower or rose water), and grapefruit. At first you notice...

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El Verdad Amaro, Hotsy Totsy Cub

Hotsy Totsy Club is located in the city of Albany which is across the bay from San Francisco. El Verdad Amaro is an exquisite and spirited libation of Revolucion 100 proof tequila, Campari, Gran Classico and aztec bitters. I wanted to order another one because it was so delicious. But with a drink with truth (verdad translation from Spanish) in it's name, the serum worked and made me realize that it wouldn't be a wise idea given the...

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Divya, DOSA

Dosa has two locations (Fillmore and Mission districts) in San Francisco. Both locations serve South Indian cuisine and have delicious "Spice Route Cocktails". Whenever I go to either location, I always have a difficult time choosing a cocktail because every single one intrigues you. The Divya is a tempting tropical libation with Ciroc coconut Vodka, spiced pineapple nectar, and applejack brandy served over ice. The pineapple garnish completes...

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Diablito, Zero Zero

Zero Zero is located in the South of Market(SOMA) neighborhood of San Francisco. It is equally hard to figure out what cocktail to drink as it is what food to eat because everything sounds so good! The Diablito is a potion made with blood lime infused tequila, Aperol, pineapple, chili and ginger beer. The well chosen name, Diablito, in Spanish, translates to Little Devil. It's a little sweet and a little spicy. The ginger beer gives the right...

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Amargo Brulee, Reed and Greenough

Reed and Greenough is located in the Marina district of San Francisco. The Amargo Brulee is a delicious concoction of Campari, Fortaleza Anejo, lime juice, blood orange, and egg white. They ran out of blood orange and had to substitute with tangerines on the day I went. The finishing touch for this drink is the torch just like Reed and Greenough's Pisco Brulee (see the Pisco page for a picture of the brulee process). I initially thought the drink...

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Venetian Coast, Locanda

Locanda is an Italian restaurant located in the Mission District of San Francisco.  While the cuisine is inspired by the region of Rome, the cocktails are inspired by the Italian culture or other regions with drink names like Nonna del Diavolo (Grandmother of the Devil), Ciociaria (unbordered region in Central Italy) and Bellezza Rossa (Red Beauty). I chose the the Venetian Coast cocktail which is a colorful combination of tequila,...

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Promissory Note, Alembic

The Alembic is located in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. The two sections of the cocktail menu, The Canon and New School, are such an entertaining read. Since tequila has lately been my spirit of choice for cocktails, I quickly skimmed through the menu. I first ordered the Love in Vain cocktail from the New School section. But I was quickly disappointed when the bartender said that they are no longer serving that drink and...

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Lt. Col. Marcos Pontes, Coco500

Coco500 is located in the SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco.  Their cocktail menu is split into the "Originals", the "Classics" and the "Sober" sections.  I chose The Lt. Col. Marcos Pontes from the "Originals" section which is a delicious concoction of cachaca, kumquat, lemon and orange.  If you are as fortunate as I was to have my cocktails for the evening made by Miss Elaine, you get to know a little bit more about the drink....

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Shiso Bomb, Alexander's Steakhouse

Alexander's Steakhouse in the SOMA district of San Francisco is an Asian inspired steakhouse which also has some cocktails that are Asian influenced.  Per the cocktail menu, the The Shiso Bomb is a mixture of "Hanger One Kaffir Lime - Fresh Lime - Brown Sugar Ginger - Shiso".  Shiso leaves are rich in calcium and iron. It's used in Japanese cooking to spice dishes and add color.  There are different varieties of Shiso:...

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Margaritas, Centrico

Centrico is located in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City. Food Network's Aaron Sanchez is the chef at Centrico, a Mexican restaurant. The only cocktail to order at a Mexican restaurant is a margarita, but do I frozen, up or on the rocks? My dining companion and I decided on one frozen and one on the rocks. Both margaritas were delicious. The frozen Mango Margarita is made with fresh mango juice and tequila.  The Centrico...

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Deep South, Pican

Pican is located in downtown Oakland.  Per their website, they serve "California infused Southern Cuisine".  Besides an extensive bourbon list, the cocktail menu includes sections for Pican Signature Cocktails, Southern Twists and Classics.  I fancied a drink from the Southern Twist cocktail, the Deep South.  With Zappoan tequila, honey syrup, lemon juice and bitters, I felt like a kid at the county fair all over again.  This...

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Peach Margarita, Ago

Ago, an Italian restaurant specializing in Tuscan cuisine, is located in the West Hollywood neighborhood in Los Angeles. The restaurant is a partnernship between Chef Agostino Sciandri and the actor Robert Deniro. Given my weakness for tequila, I ordered the Peach Margarita. With premium tequila, fresh peach puree, and lime, this drink is simply refreshing. I must admit, I asked for an additional lime just in case the peach was too sweet....

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