The Bitter Truth at Spruce in San Francisco

The reality of living in a wonderful foodie and cocktail city is that I rarely make it to some of my favorite restaurants, like Spruce, as often as I would like. It's been over a year since my last visit. Each of the cocktails on the menu looked so inviting. I settled on the Bitter Truth. After which, I wished I had the the time to sip my way through the cocktail menu. I hope it won't take another year for me to return.

The Drink - The Bitter Truth, $10
Square One Botanical, Aperol, lemon, grapefruit, agave nectar, Peychaud's Bitters

The Place - Spruce
San Francisco, Presidio Heights
Lunch and dinner, full bar
www.sprucesf.com

Other Spruce drinks
Pharoah's Gold
La Fresa Fresca

Hierba Dulce

Othe pictures from the visit

Delicious dessert

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Commodore 64 at S+R Lounge in San Francisco

In the 80's, The Commodore 64 was the buzz of the computer industry. I don't think I was fortunate enough to ever use one. S+R Lounge pays tribute to the to this computer on their Remedies section of the menu. Let this Commodore 64 take command as you sip your worries away.

The Drink - The Commodore 64, $12
Vodka, White Vermouth, and Orange Bitters

The Place - S+R Lounge

San Francisco, South of Market (SOMA)

Hotel Lobby bar

Snacks and full bar

http://www.viceroyhotelgroup.com/zetta/dining_and_nightlife/salvage-rescue-lounge

Tip - You can head here for pre or post Cavalier (restaurant next door) dinner drinks. Or for some fun on the second floor with games like pool and soccer ball plinko.

Other S+R Lounge drinks

The Valley
404
Angel

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Bloodhound at Bloodhound in San Francisco

I've been wanting to check out Bloodhound since it opened. Luckily I thought of it when I had to meet some friends nearby. I can't believe it's taken me this long to take a trip to his hunting lounge. Their cocktails are categorized by Spirituous, Citrus Based and Old Fashioned. I started the night (or late afternoon) with the signature drink from the Citrus based section of the cocktail menu, the Bloodhound. The fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and the campari (for the added color and alcohol) were nice touches to the classic Greyhound. Bonus, you get to pick your poison (vodka, gin or tequila).

The Drink - Bloodhound, $9
Vodka (or gin or tequila), campari, grapefruit juice

The Place
San Francisco, South of Market (SOMA)
Bar
Open daily 4PM to 2AM
http://www.bloodhoundsf.com/

Other pictures from this visit

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Razzle Dazzle at Trick Dog in San Francisco

On my first trip to Trick Dog, I wasn't looking for any Razzle Dazzle, but surprisingly I literally found it. When my research partner saw it on the now retired Pantone menu, they said "I just have to order it. I'm not looking at the rest of the drinks on the menu...just yet." What made it special? The Trick Dog Spring Cordial, of course.

The Drink - Razzle Dazzle
Hangar One Vodka, Trick Dog Spring Cordial, strawberry, lime (served up)

The Place
San Francisco, Mission
Bar with food
Open daily 3PM to 12AM
http://www.trickdogbar.com/

Other Trick Dog drinks
Pantone
Grandma's Sweater
St. Elmo's Fire

Other pictures from the visit

Irresitable Thrice Cooked Fries

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One Big Cosmo at MKT in the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco

MKT is located in the Four Seasons Hotel in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco. I was never a big fan of Cosmopolitans. After seeing the picture of this drink in Alcademics, I knew that I wanted to give the Cosmo a try. The cranberry ice ball definitely makes a statement when it arrives. Our server told us to have it sit a bit for more of a cranberry color and flavor. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't a sprinkle of lime zest on my cocktail like Alcademic's photo. But that's just about the looks. This One Big Cosmo is refreshing and ice cold.

The Drink - One Big Cosmo
Hangar 1 Straight & Lime, Qi White Tea, Cranberry Ice Ball

The Place - MKT
San Francisco, South of Market (SOMA)
Hotel restaurant/bar
Open daily
http://www.fourseasons.com/sanfrancisco/dining/mkt_restaurant_bar/

Other MKT drinks
Some Like it Hot

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Redford Lemonade at Redford in San Francisco

Redford is a new place bordering the Tenderloin and Nob Hill neighborhoods of San Francisco. I love the wood floors, the cozy wood bar and the exposed brick walls. Luckily when we walked in there were two free seats at the bar. I decided to start the evening with the signature Redford Lemonade. If you're like me, you'll opt for the bourbon based Redford Lemonade instead of the vodka as the base spirit. I can imagine sitting on a front porch sipping the Redford Lemonade all day and into the night.

FYI, their food is delicious too.

The Drink- Redford Lemonade, $11
Vodka or Bourbon, lemonade, ice

The Place - Redford
San Francisco, Tenderloin/Nob Hill
Bar with a kitchen
Open daily 5pm-closing, happy hour
http://www.redfordsf.com/

Other pictures from Redford

 Vegetarian Flatbread Pizza, $12

A taste of the Fried Chicken...it's finger lickin' good

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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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Chinese Mule, Hakkasan San Francisco

Hakkasan is a restaurant located in the Financial District in San Francisco. When I heard that Hakkasan was opening a San Francisco outpost, when I was in London last Spring, I made sure that I checked out the restaurant. After my dining experience there, I didn't know how they could replicate the experience in San Francisco and curious how they would set prices for their cocktails. While several reviewers have called Hakkasan overpriced Chinese food, I am a big fan of Hakkasan San Francisco's food, cocktails, decor and service. I know several people that would be turned off from the Chinese Mule drink because of the cilantro. I must admit I am a big cilantro fan. Hakkasan's spin on the classic Ginger Mule is refreshing and herbaceous. I also loved the pop from the ginger and ginger beer.

Yes, I'm a little late for posting this, but this was my drink on 12/12/12 at 12/12. 

The Drink - Chinese Mule, $12

Hangar One Vodka, Masumi Okuden junmai sake, cilantro, ginger, ginger beer

The Place - Hakkasan

San Francisco, Financial District

Cantonese Chinese cuisine

Open daily lunch and dinner, full bar

http://www.hakkasan.com/sanfrancisco/

Other Hakkasan drinks
Rhubarb Margarita(London)
Virgin Hakka (London)

Other pictures from the visit

 Love the bar!

 Love the woodwork!

 Love the stitching!

 Pan fried Shanghai dumplings

Shrimp Curry

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Something with Vookah, Alchemist

Alchemist is located 2 blocks from AT&T Ball Park in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco. I've been looking forward to having drinks at Alchemist for some time. The cocktail menu is a fun read. We started our visit with the Something with Vookah. Even before we took a sip, we were practicing our Russian accent. It's funny how cocktail names can start a great conversation. I just love how in the moment some cocktails. I can say our Russian accent improved with each sip and each order of this drink. Even as I write this, I am remembering the conversation and all the laughs that started from this refreshing drink. I loved the aroma from the thyme and the pop of texture from the ginger beer. Tres has usually been my go to place for a pre-game margarita. But with the variety of cocktails at Alchemist, I will definitely be going here.

The Drink - Something with Vookah, $11
Vodka, elderflower liqueur, lime, thyme syrup, ginger beer

The Place
San Francisco, South of Market (SOMA)
Bar, open Monday - Saturday
http://alchemistsf.com/

* It's on the 2nd floor of the building. With their street signage, it's hard to miss. They don't serve food, but with Root (a new Thai restaurant) downstairs, it's easy to grab a bit before/after a visit to Alchemist.

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Spiced Pear, Old Ebbitt Grill

The Old Ebbitt Grill is located in downtown Washington DC. It's about a five minute walk from The White House. The Spiced Pear at The Old Ebbitt is made with St. Germain Liquer, Absolut Pear Vodka and Lime Juice. It's light, sweet, bright and full of pear flavor makes one of this old establishments (around since 1856) signature drinks quite "pearfect"!

The Drink - Spiced Pear
St. Germain Liquer, Absolut Pear Vodka and Lime Juice

The Place - Old Ebbitt Grill
Washington DC, downtown
Upscale American saloon cuisine
Daily breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night, full bar
http://www.ebbitt.com/ 

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Blessed Monk, Amber Dhara

Amber Dhara is a bi-level Indian restaurant located in the Mission District in San Francisco. Monks are known to be wise, right?. And this Blessed Monk is no different. This herbal aryuvedic citrus drinks is wise to include coconut water to combat the impending dehydration. Did it work? You try!

With aryuvedic (Indian traditional medicine) cocktails such as this Blessed Monk, a Cocky Sultan and a Belly Dancer, Amber Dhara has all the makings for a fun night.

The Drink - Blessed Monk, $11
Hanger 1 Buddha's Hand Citron Vodka, Fair Goji liqueur, lemon basil, lemongrass, Malabar peppercorn, coconut water

The Place - Amber Dhara
San Francisco, Mission District, Valencia
Indian restaurant
http://www.amber-india.com/Indian-Restaurant-Valencia-San-Francisco/

Other Amber Dhara drinks
Cocky Sultan
Belly Dancer

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Bluestem Smash, Bluestem Brasserie

Bluestem Brasserie is located in the South of Market (SOMA) neighborhood of San Francisco. With the Bluestem Smash, you get to pick your poison of vodka or whisky. Since I had a tequila drink earlier in the day, I decided to avoid getting "smashed" and opted for vodka (pictured above). This smash is refreshing. It reminded me of a lighter version of a mojito. They have a great deal at Happy Hour, beer on draft or select bottled beer, $3, wine by the glass $5, and this is all in support of UCSF Cancer Research. Way to go Bluestem.

At two different happy hours, I tried both versions of the Bluestem smash. I must admit, I loved the bolder flavor with the whiskey version. Stop by and give it a try.

The Drink, Bluestem Smash, $7 during Happy Hour, $11 all other times
St. Germain, Vodka or Whisky, seasonal fruit, lime, mint, and Sparkling Wine.

The Place - Bluestem Brasserie
San Francisco, South of Market (SOMA)
Lunch and dinner daily
Weekday Happy Hour 4pm to 6:30pm
http://www.bluestembrasserie.com

Other Bluestem Brasserie drinks
Blood Orange Margarita

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Celery Gimlet, Saxone + Parole

Saxone + Parole is located in the NoHo (North of Houston) neighborhood of New York City. I just love when you go to a place and are trying to figure out what to have for a second drink since everything looks so good. I had to ask for the server's help. She said, since you like savory drinks, I recommend the Celery Gimlet. I was not disappointed. The Celery Gimlet popped with unique flavors.

I had to look up the verjus ingredient since I hadn't heard of it before. I could have asked when I ordered, but I forgot. With my smartphone, I was able to find out that verjus is unripened grape juice usually found in Syrian and Persian cuisine.

The Drink - Celery Gimlet, $14 a glass/$52 pitcher
Spring 44, green chartreuse, st. germain, fresh celery, salt, verjus

The Place - Saxone + Parole
New York City, Bowery(aka NoHo)
Daily dinner, weekend brunch, full bar
http://saxonandparole.com/ 

Other Saxone + Parole drinks
Bowery Fix

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Greyhound, Reed and Greenough

Reed and Greenough is a sleek and stylish cocktail lounge located in the Marina District of San Francisco. It's one of my favorite places for a cocktail in that neighborhood. Sometimes with all the flashy ingredients and cocktails on a menu, you just really want to have something simple and comforting. That's a Greyhound for my research partner that day.  With a nice boost of Vitamin C and a low glycemic effect (doesn't make your blood sugar spike as much as orange juice), the freshly squeezed grapefruit juice is revitalizing. The thick wedge of grapefruit garnish just makes Reed and Greenough's Greyhound a winner.

The Drink - Greyhound, $9
Vodka, grapefruit juice.

The Place - Reed and Greenough
Tuesday to Sunday 5pm to midnight, happy hour daily
Reed and Greenough

Other Reed and Greenough drinks
Pisco Brulee
Amargo Brulee
Southern Gentleman
Strawpeno

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Homefront, Churchill

 

Churchill is a bar located in the Castro/Market neighborhood of San Francisco. A well-lit bar by day transforms into a low-lit sexy bar at night. All their cocktails captivate you. The rosemary syrup in the Homefront cocktail instantly charmed me when I read it on the menu. It's a perfect light and refreshing cocktail for Indian Summer in San Francisco.

With farm to table all the rage for foodies, I was pleasantly surprised to see on the Hangar One website the term "farm to glass". I am not a connoisseur of spirits. But I do enjoy learning about the nuances on how brands source and distill their spirits. In this case, Hangar One Straight is made from grapes, specifically viognier. Check out the Hangar One website for a well illustrated fun read.

Happy National Vodka Day!

The Drink - Homefront, $10
Hangar One Straight, Dolin Blanc, Rosemary Syrup, Lemon, Soda

Civilians at home for a nation at war.

The Place - Churchill

Castro/Market, San Francisco

Bar, open daily 4pm-2am. Happy hour daily until 7pm.

http://churchillsf.com/

Other Churchill drinks

El Diablo

Farewell to Arms
Jalapeno Business

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Espresso Martini on the Rocks, Vdara Pool

There were too many cocktails on the sweet side on the Vdara Pool menu. I was worried about a sugar rush and really wanted something with caffeine too. The bartender suggested a Vodka and Red Bull. I didn't want that much of a energy rush (Red Bull has 80 mg of caffeine per can and Espresso has anywhere from 40-75 mg of caffeine per ounce). So the bartender obliged and made me an Espresso Martini on the Rocks. The caffeine and ice hit the spot!

The Drink - Espress Martini, $10
Espresso, kahlua, vodka 

The Place - The Vdara Pool
Las Vegas, Vdara Hotel and Spa
Cafe
Daily 8AM - closing, full bar
http://www.vdara.com/dining/pool-cafe-vdara.aspx

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Frozen Grasshopper, Holsteins at the Cosmopolitan

Holsteins Buns and Shakes and a casual Hamburger and Milkshake restaurant in the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas. The extensive beer, wine and cocktail menu is amazing. Given that Holsteins is all about burgers and shakes, I opted for a shake. The Bamboozled Shake menu is candy shop favorites (reeses, almond joy, pop rocks), morning favorites (Captain Crunch), county fair favorites (peaches n cream and cotton candy) and dessert favorites (ice cream, cakes, cookies, key lime pie, smores). With such a fun sweet menu of shakes, I ended up ordering the Frozen Grasshopper. All the other ones looked like too sweet. I knew with the peppermint in the Grasshopper would compliment the sweetness. This was so good. I don't typically order grasshoppers or drinks with Creme se Menthe. I loved the garnishes and texture in this cocktail. 

Next time, I will have to try their wonderful list of cocktails, perhaps the Hot Rita featured cocktail with reposado tequila and jalapenos or something sweeter on the Adult Vitamins (juice and spirit) menu like the XXX or the Tropical Splash.

The Drink - Grasshopper Shake, $11
Peppermint, Chocolate, Crème De Menthe, Van Gogh Chocolate Vodka

The Place - Holsteins

Las Vegas, Cosmopolitan

Lunch and dinner daily

http://holsteinslv.com/

Other pictures from the visit

 Decadent Philly Cheez Steak Spring Rolls, $11

 Pizza Rice Balls, $13

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Coconut-Basil Cooler, NOLA

NOLA is a New Orleans style restaurant located in downtown Palo Alto. Since I wasn't going to be able to make it to Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans this year, when I found myself in Palo Alto, I knew that I had to go to NOLA for a NOLA fix. The drink menu is a bit overwhelming with sections like "rum luck", "tequila:30 (as in what time is it?)", "bluegrass state cocktails", "gin soaked" and "shaken, not stirred". Since it was full blown summer heat in Palo Alto, I wanted more of summertime drink, so I went for an uncharacterisic sweet drink, The Coconut-Basil Cooler. This drink was absolutely refreshing. I never knew that coconut and basil would go so well together in a cocktail. I must experiment more at home! I can't wait to return and try some of their other cocktails.

The Drink - Coconut-Basil Cooler, $8
Skyy coconut vodka, muddled fresh basil, hand squeezed lime juice, housemade basil simple syrup, sparking soda, shaken ice cold and served on the rocks

The Place - NOLA
SF Bay Area, Palo Alto
New Orleans cuisine
Weekday lunch, daily dinner, Saturday brunch, full bar
http://www.nolas.com/index.html

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Pan Pan Passion, Bar at the Vdara

The Bar at the Vdara is the Hotel Vdara's lobby bar along the Las Vegas Strip. If you want an escape from casinos, the Vdara is the place to stay since they don't have a casino within the hotel and smoke free. If you need your casino fix, both the Bellagio and Aria are just minutes away. Although I tend to stay clear of bottled flavored vodkas, I couldn't resist the Pan Pan Passion cocktail with passion fruit. Since most of the bars in Vegas are high volume, I can't expect many of these bars to make house made infusions. However, the Housemade Pan Pan soda caught my eye because I had no idea what it was. You can read through page after page on google search and not find what pan pan soda is. So I'm glad I asked. When the server told me it's a soda with coconut juice and coconut creme, I knew this was a cocktail to try. If I end up at the Bar Vdara on another visit, I will be sure to ask for an extra bit of ginger juice to lighten the sweetness of the passionfruit vodka. I can only imagine this drink with some fresh passion fruit in it.

If you need a break from the Las Vegas indulgence, Bar Vdara has a few low calorie (aka skinny) cocktails on the menu ranging from 92-130 calories too.

The Drink - Pan Pan Passion, $14
Skyy passionfruit vodka, fresh ginger juice and housemade Pan Pan soda

The Place - Bar Vdara
Las Vegas, Vdara Hotel
Hotel Bar
Daily 11AM either to 1AM to 2AM
http://www.vdara.com/

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Watermelon Caipiroska, Lemongrass at the Aria

Lemongrass is a modern Thai restaurant in the Aria Resort and Casino along the Las Vegas Strip. What I found on several of my visits to Las Vegas is that most of the cocktails anywhere you go tends towards the sweet. I truly wanted to stay away from the flavored alcohols in favor of fresher infusions and juices. Perhaps it's because I knew a lycopene fix from the watermelon would help my sun drenched skin or I was just looking for something sweet and refreshing from the desert sun, I chose the revitalizing Watermelon Caipiroska. Next time I'm there and I need a caffeine fix, I will be having the Chai Spice with rum and coconut milk! It sounds absolutely uplifting and divine.

The Drink - Watermelon Caipiroska, $12
Grey Goose Vodka, Fresh Limes and Fresh Watermelon Juice

The Place
Las Vegas, Aria
Daily 11AM to 2:00AM
http://www.arialasvegas.com/en/dining/restaurants/lemongrass

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