Ground control to Major Tom, Clock Bar

The Clock Bar is located in the Westin St. Francis Hotel just off of Union Square. The Ground Control to Major Tom in the seasonal cocktail menu is a light, refreshing, tropical cocktail made with gin, cherimoya-ginger syrup, key lime, passion fruit and egg white. I think this was the first time I've had cherimoya. What is cherimoya? It's a fruit native to South America and has hints of tropical fruits like banana, papaya and pineapple. In researching the fruit, one website said that the custard like fruit actually tasted like bubblegum. Whatever the case, this cocktail rocked! The cocktail name was inspired by the Old Tom gin and the David Bowie song.

Clock Bar is also serving a $7 seasonal punch which on this day was a strawberry rhubarb. I'm headed back soon to taste the daily punch and some of the other seasonal cocktails.

Other Clock Bar drinks
Toco Toucan turns Twenty Five

The Skinny
Full bar and snacks nightly starting at 4pm
http://michaelmina.net/restaurants/locations/cbsf.php
Ground Control to Major Tom, $14
 

Read More

Toco Toucan turns Twenty-Five

I am usually not a gin drinker probably from a night of one too many gin and tonics in college.  But I ended up ordering from the specialty Nolet Gin cocktail list at the Clock Bar at the Westin St. Francis this summer.  The Michael Mina restaurants had their bartenders competing for the best Nolet Gin Cocktail from April 2011 to July 2011.  Of the four cocktails on the list, the cocktail named Toco Toucan turns Twenty-Five created by Suzanne Miller intrigued me just from the name alone.  So even though the cocktail was gin based, the other ingredients of sweetened coconut milk, orange flower water, and fresh orange juice were tempting me.  Then I imagined the drink served in a sherry glass with toasted coconut.  Even though this drink was gin based, I just had to have this drink.  All around from the name, to the presentation to the taste, this drink is a winner.

I just realized, this drink convinced me to try other gin based cocktails over the summer.  Now I wonder if it was the gin or the entire experience.  Just to make sure, I should walk into the Clock Bar soon to see if they can make this cocktail again.

I wonder which cocktail won?  Here's a link to the Michael Mina website with all the cocktails in the competition, the recipes and perhaps soon the winner:  http://michaelmina.net/beyond/lets-drink.php

The recipe per the Michael Mina website follows.

Toco Toucan Turns 25

By Suzanne Miller

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 oz Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
• 1 oz sweetened coconut milk
• 3/4 oz orange juice
• 4 dashes orange flower water

Rub lemon wedge over the outside of a sherry tasting glass, halfway down the glass. Rim the glass with toasted coconut. Shake all ingredients lightly over ice for six seconds. Double-strain into the coconut-rimmed tasting glass.

http://michaelmina.net/restaurants/locations/cbsf.php

Read More