Bay to Breakers

If there is anything that is undeniably quintessential San Francisco it is the third Sunday in May, otherwise known as Bay to Breakers.

In its 101st year (1912 was the first one when it was known as the "Cross-City Race") this years Bay to Breakers will most likely push the limits of what the city wants to be a calm foot race across the city. But every year it turns out to be anything but that. The course is packed with over 60,000 participants dressed in costumes (and sometimes nothing at all). Even though in recent years there have been several attempts at curbing the party atmosphere of the event, it has yet to work. The die-hard runners usually complete the course in 45 minutes, but everyone else revels in the various costumes and enjoy a few cocktails along the way. The party tends to culminate in the Panhandle.

This being one of the best Sunday Fundays of the year, I wanted to share with you my recipe for Sangria which has become a staple for my Bay to Breakers experience. It is easy to make a large batch of the drink and share with your friends on the course or at pre-party (which usually starts around 6am).

Sangria:

Base:

• 4 orange
• 40 strawberrys (chopped)
• 5 pears (chopped)
• 2 limes
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 bottle of triple sec
• 1 bottle of brandy 

You will also need:

• several bottles of a red wine of your choice
• soda water 

In a large container, juice 2 of the oranges and the two limes. Add the sugar, strawberries, pears, and the last of the oranges. Pour equal parts of Triple Sec and Brandy (I usually make a large batch and just use the all of the 2 bottles). Let the mixture sit over night or for few hours to let the fruit soak and excrete all of its natural goodness.

When you are ready to drink, fill a glass with ice and as much of the base as you would like (remember that it is straight alcohol and the fruit has also absorbed the alcohol, so use your best judgment). Then add a red wine of your choice and top with soda water.

What is your favorite drink for Bay to Breakers?

What are your costume ideas?

Mine: my friends and I are going as the 1%

Drink Reponsibly and Have Fun!!!!

The Manhattan

 Latest installment where I discuss how to make a Manhattan. More videos to come....

Happy Drinking!!

The French 75

Since I have been discussing brunch, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite brunch cocktails: The French 75.

It's history has been widely disputed. Undisputedly created at the New York Bar in Paris, France, the dispute is over what city made it popular: New York City or New Orleans.

My personal opinion: New Orleans. New Orleans is a city that is rich with cocktail history. No. I am not talking about the "hand grenades" in the French Quarter. I am referring to New Orleans creating such famous drinks as the Sazerac and other classic cocktails. Check out this article from iheartnola.com for more on the history of the French 75.

New Orleans and the French 75

Now....here is the recipe for the French 75:

In a champagne glass:

1 ounce Gin
3/4 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce lemon juice
Fill with champagne

Be warned: limit yourself on this one, especially in the morning on an empty stomach. These can get you into some trouble.

"Sunday Funday"

For most San Franciscans Sundays are comprised of rolling out of bed to brunch with friends (and many of them include specials like bottomless mimosas & 2 for 1 Bloody Mary's), and then hanging out in Dolores Park. Brunch has become just as trendy as skinny jeans (although I am glad that skinny jeans are on their way out) and finding the right spot to soak up the alcohol from the night before while still enjoying some day drinking, can be quite a task. Here are a few of my favorites that offer great food, ambiance, and great drink specials.

Luna Park (694 Valencia St. @ 18th st.): Probably my favorite brunch spot in San Francisco, probably because of its close proximity to Dolores Park and amazing drink specials. Brunch features a tasty menu that includes a delicious warm goat cheese fondue and Florentine Benedict. Paired with a bottomless Sangria or Mimosas for $13 and 2 for 1 Bloody Mary's Luna Park makes for a great Sunday mid day treat. I should also note that brunch is served 7 days a week (even the bottomless drinks).  Luna Park also often features coupons and other specials through sites like Scout Mob. Last time I was there I made a reservation on OpenTable.com and I received 20% of my check. Gotta love that.

Lime (2247 Market st. @ Sanchez): Probably the best way to describe Lime is "a party at 1pm." After sitting in the ultra modern lounge for some grub and the ubiquitous bottomless mimosas (they also have some of the best mojitos in San Francisco), it can feel like it is 12:30am on a Friday night, with other patrons dancing on their chairs to songs being played by the DJ. Definitely a good spot for people that want to keep the party rolling from the night before. Below is a video I came across on YouTube that pretty much sums up the experience at Lime for Brunch.
Saturday: 10:30am -3:30pm
Sunday: 10am - 3:30pm

 

Absinthe Brasserie (398 Hayes St. @ Gough St.): If a party at brunch is not your thing, there are plenty of great San Francisco restaurants that feature a fantastic brunch menu. Absinthe is one of those. Rated one of the top 100 restaurants in the Bay Area, their menu features a Dungeness Crab Omlette, cinnamon sticky buns, and an amazing selection of imported cheese. Their bar menu has a list of champagne cocktails. My personal favorite: the aptly named "Death in the Afternoon" with is made of Pernod Absinthe & Champagne.


There are plenty of other great places to visit on weekend mornings. Visit any of these great spots to share a meal with some good friends and have a few good laughs. There is nothing like brunch and some day drinking to brace you for the onslaught that will be Monday.

Bar Agricole

South of Market St. (SOMA) is known for its industrial warehouses, bums, and the leather daddy scene. Now, this booming part of San Francisco can say it is farm fresh. Bar Agricole features hand-crafted bio-dynamic cocktails made from farm fresh ingredients grown on the premises. Co-owned by famed bartender Thad Volger who opened famous San Francisco bars like Bourbon & Branch and the bar at The Slanted Door, opened this bar to celebrate his favorite liqour rhum agrigole (click the link to read a little more about that). Here is their most recently posted drinks menu:

Thad has brought the art of classic hand made cocktails to a new level. What goes into our drink has become just as important as what goes into our food and there is no city like San Francisco that has been quick to embrace this concept. This being Thads third San Francisco venture it is safe to say he knows how to create a bar scene. Heavily influenced by the bar scene in Havana, Cuba where he lived for several years, when asked what kind of bar he loves the most he responded with:

"I really love the bars in Havana. I just love them. They’re just timeless and stunning. Not like what we’ll do here but they just have such a strong sense of place. I’d like to create something that has such a strong place. That’s our strength [here in SF]. We don’t have the labor pool or technique of New York, but we have a sense of place and quality of ingredient."

Visit Bar Agricole at 11th st. btwn Folsom & Harrisson and see this "strong place" that Vogler created. Kind of a diamond in the rough, Bar Agricole is one of the finest examples of California Cuisine paired with California cocktails.

Gross sugar water = sweet and sour

Sweet & Sour juice is disgusting. It's basically tart sugar water. I suppose they could call it sweetened lemon and like juice, which is what it technically is. Problem is most places don't make it fresh. It usually consists of synthetic sugars and other ingredients I can not pronounce the name of.

Using the juice of 1/2 a lime, 1/2 a lemon, and between 1/2-1 ounce of simple syrup (or even agave nectar) usually does the trick. Next time you have a Long Island Iced Tea substitute the sweet and sour with the recipe above and it's like being 21 again.

Perhaps the cocktail that frequents sweet and sour the most is a margarita. Once you have a margarita with fresh ingredients you will never again want one made with sweet and sour. The recipe is just as easy:

• 1 ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 ounce of agave nectar (make sure you test the agave first to figure out how sweet it is, it can vary)
• 2 ounces of tequila 

Fresh ingredients, like in cooking, is pivotal to a tasty cocktail. Many bars in San Francisco freshly squeeze all their juices for their drinks including orange and grapefruit.

Here is one of my favorite cocktail recipes that includes freshly muddled ginger:

• 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 ounce freshly squeezed pomegranate juice
• 4 thin slices of peeled ginger (muddled)
• 1/2 ounce of simple syrup
• 2 ounces of vodka

It turns out quite tasty and the crushed ginger gives the drink some crunch.

More to come on fresh ingredients and where to find the freshest drinks in San Francisco.

The Daquiri

To stay in  the theme of Cuban cocktails, I wanted to talk a little bit about the Daiquiri. No not the frozen strawberry one your mom drinks with her girlfriends. I am talking about the classic Daiquiri that, like the Mojito, was made famous in Cuba. This drink was first made famous at the swanky El Floridita in Havana, Cuba. It was Ernest Hemingways favorite (there is actually a life size statue of him at the bar drinking one). He loved it so much that there is one named after him: the Hemingway Daiquiri.

Traditionally, a daiquiri is served chilled and up. Here is a recipe for it:

• juice of one lime
• 1/4 once Luxardo Maraschino
• 1/2 once simple syrup
• 2 ounces of aged rum
• shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

The Hemingway Daiquiri is the same as listed above, except add 1 once of grapefruit (I also like to subtract the simple syrup when having a Hemingway).

The drink originates from a beach near Santiago, Cuba and was actually invented by a group of American miners in about 1900 in a bar named Venus. The drink remained a local favorite until 1909 when an admiral in the US Navy enjoyed it so much he introduced it to his friends back in D.C. It really picked up steam when in the 1940's when there was a ration of vodka and whiskey during the war. Roosevelt's Good Neighbor policy, which opened up trade with Latin America, made rum easily accessible. It was during this time that rum, in general, became increasingly popular in USA. 

Ernest Hemingway's signature in El Floridita.