Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Plaj

Plaj is a Scandinavian restaurant located at the Inn at the Opera in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco. One of our beer researchers is currently on holiday in Scandinavia and passed by 9 Fiskargatan in Stockholm. So I figured it was perfect timing to share the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo drink which is found on the Plaj list (pronounced play), aka the cocktail menu. This snowy white  cocktail is delightfully good. It's neither sweet nor savory, but with pure ambrosial flavors.

The original Swedish title for the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" book is "Män som hatar kvinnor". It was interesting to see that the English translation is "Men who hate Women".

The Drink - Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, $10
Bols Genever Danish Gin, eldeflower liqueur, egg white, angostura bitters

The Place - Plaj
San Francisco, Civic Center
Dinner nightly
http://www.plajrestaurant.com/ (note at time of publication, this website was still under construction)

Other Plaj drinks
The Plajer 

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Wonderlust, Absinthe

Absinthe Brasserie is located in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco. As I've previously mentioned, this is one of my favorite cocktail spots in San Francisco. My research companion that afternoon is not particularly a fan of cocktails because they tend to be sweet. I decided on the Wonderlust since it had the Creme de Violette that I loved in Skool's Empress Elizabeth cocktail. The ingredients in this drink really intrigued me. I loved the the spice from Bols Genever, the smoothing quality of the pineapple gum and the kick from the Absinthe. Since it wasn't sweet, I encouraged my friend to give it a try. We both loved the licorice flavor in the drink. A cocktail visit to Absinthe is not complete without trying a cocktail with Absinthe in it.

I love how the Absinthe cocktail menu on the bar menu is now separated into categories: Champagne, Aperitif, Stirred, Shaken and Long. But it doesn't make it any easier to choose which cocktail to enjoy.

If you're unfamiliar with Bols Genever, it's a gin-like spirit that can only be made in the Netherlands. It's protected just like Champagne.

The Cocktail - Wonderlust, $12
Bols Genever, Small Hand Foods Pineapple Gum, Creme de Violette, lemon juice and a dash of Absinthe

The Place - Absinthe Brasserie
San Francisco, Hayes Valley
Lunch and dinner Tuesday-Friday, weekend brunch, dinner Saturday, full bar
http://www.absinthe.com/

Other Absinthe Drinks
Citron Lemonade
Mata Leao
Galapagos
Absinthe Lemonade (non-alcoholic)
Sazerac
Citron Presse

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