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| Trouble Waters at 15 Romolo |
Later that evening, we decided to check out a couple bars in North Beach after dinner. We went first to
15 Romolo, the entrance to which was up an alley around the corner from a couple strip clubs. A friend used to frequent the place, but he hadn't been in awhile. Again, Saturday nights are typically among the times I avoid when going out given the hoi polloi, but my short time there necessitated braving the crowds. Unfortunately, it seemed like there was some kind of event at the bar, a huge crowd of very drunk individuals. We somehow managed to nick a couple seat at the corner of the bar, which allowed us to order a couple rounds of drinks. The
Troubled Waters with Oxley gin, Campari, lemon juice, Angostura, and a vanilla+cardamom syrup was refreshing enough, continuing my apparent habit of starting the post prandial tippling with a Campari and citrus combination. It did not seem to me that the Oxley gin was really necessary in this drink, and something with a bit more backbone could have been better. Second was a
Buffalo Nickel with bourbon, Root liqueur, ginger syrup, coffee tincture, and bitters. My impression of the drink was dominated by the sassafras from the Root, with very little recollection of any influence from the coffee tincture. By this point, however, a group of sloppy gentlemen had positioned themselves next to us and after a couple spilling incidents, we decided to take our leave. Also, the bartenders seemed to be physically scrambling to and fro down the length of the bar. My overall impression was that this bar could be nice on a quieter night, but at least, at the time we chose to visit, the quality to execute was simply getting overrun.
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| Comstock Saloon |
Next, we moved down the street a couple blocks to
Comstock Saloon. While the rest of my group found a booth, there was a single seat at the bar that I quickly took for myself. Compared to the relatively revelrous atmosphere at the previous establishment, the saloon was lively in a more restrained sense. The décor certainly took a vintage bent with many charming touches, such as the antique ceiling fans. I asked for a drink featuring genever and received a cocktail containing the requested genever along with Carpano Antica, cherry Heering, and absinthe. The drink remained nameless, but as I sipped on it, the idea that flitted about my mind was "Blood of Breda." The Heering and vermouth combination makes me think of the blood portion of the classic Blood and Sand, while both the Heering and the genever has Dutch roots. For one reason or another, Velázquez's masterpiece,
The Surrender of Breda, entered my mind, which depicted the surrender of the city of Breda to General Spinola who commanded the Spanish besiegers. The city was one that changed hands many times over the course of the Eighty Years War, and the Spinola siege was also depicted by Arturo Pérez-Reverte in
El sol de Breda as one book in the Alatriste series. The added fact that Spinola was an Italian from Genoa, the southerly neighbor of Savoy, from where Carpano is derived, made the name rather relevant in my mind. A brief detour into history aside, my second drink contained rye, Cynar, Punt e Mes, and "tinctures." Again unnamed, it was a nice and bitter digestivo to end the evening.
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| Alembic |
The following night, I spent half the night hanging out with a friend at the dive bar where he works. After sipping a scotch-style single malt from St. George spirits in nearby Alameda, we decided to attempt a Mr. Bali Hai with the ingredients on hand. The results were.. ahem, interesting. For more serious drinking, I adjourned to
Alembic, a bar I had first heard about through Erik Ellestad's Savoy Stomp as playing host to Savoy nights. Recalling that a friend had told me some time ago that her "new" favorite drink was the
Vice Grip, I had to try one before I forgot. Made with Araku coffee liqueur, brachetto d'acqui, and a porter foam, it would have made a great dessert drink on which to end the night, rather than begin it. Deciding I wanted something stiffer to follow, I next ordered a
Vow of Silence containing rye, Bénédictine, crème de griotte (cherry brandy), and bitters. The name of the cocktail I assume refers to the Order of St. Benedict after which the liqueur was named, even though it isn't actually produced by monks. However, the name did get me thinking about a liqueur actually produced by monks, Chartreuse, leading me to request bartender's choice featuring this spirit. To my slight disappointment, the drink I got in return was another
Last Word, popular as they seem to be. By this point, the bar was finally emptying out, which allowed me to sit briefly at the bar and strike up a conversation with Danny Louie. For my last cocktail of the night, he made me an
añejo old-fashioned with Partida añejo tequila. Although a straightforward drink, the bartender's technical skill shone through, and it ended up being a rather contemplative way to end the evening.
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| Smuggler's Cove |
On Monday evening, we thought it finally possible to get a seat at
Smuggler's Cove, having driven by on a couple occasions earlier that weekend and seeing a line out the door. Intuition proved correct, and we quickly found seats in front of Steven Liles. Tiki master Randy Wong had been unequivocal in reminding me that I had to check this place out while in town, so I certainly had high expectation. I started with a
Dead Reckoning, which I thought I had seen before in Beachbum Berry's
Remixed as a creation of bar owner Martin Cate. There was no mistaking the drink for tiki, but a few subtle layers of complexity made it stand out. I continued with a couple more classic tiki drinks: the
Hell in the Pacific and the
Jet Pilot. The
Jet Pilot being one of Steven's recommendations, I further pushed him to make me something of his own designed. He replied with a
Bulkhead featuring a house blend of El Dorado rum, apricot liqueur, oloroso sherry, falernum, and orange bitters. Lacking any juice, it was moving into the realm of late evening drinks, and as I have weak knees for anything containing sherry these days, this drink hit the spot. I wanted to end the evening on one of the excellent sipping rums among the collection for which the bar has a reputation. Steven picked the
Plantation Guadaloupe 1998 Reserve for me, which is produced by Pierre Ferrand, the cognac house. I noted the presence of passionfruit, a bit of lychee, other juicy fruits, and a noticeable hogo. Smuggler's Cove lived up to expectations, and it certainly made me wish that Boston had a dedicated Tiki/rum bar.
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| Jet Pilot in foreground at Smuggler's Cove |
On my way to the airport, we decided to stop by
Heaven's Dog, as I had been informed via Twitter that Erik Ellestad would be tending bar that night. I must admit a unabashed admiration for Erik, and his blog detailing his attempt to recreate every drink in the weighty Savoy Cocktail Book was one of the first resources I had discovered when I first entered the world of cocktails. Therefore, much credit must go to him for reeling me in and laying the foundations of what is current one of my chief passions. When we arrived, there was a bit of an after-work crowd, but we had no problems finding seats in front of Erik. Putting ourselves more or less entirely in his hands, the first drink I received was a
King Cole, a Savoy cocktail, appropriately. It is essentially an old-fashioned with fernet instead of bitters. Next, Erik made a
Brooklyn variant that he had tinkered with to replace amer picon with Cardamaro. At this point, Trevor Easter, another bartender arrived behind the bar. He contributed his own twist of the Brooklyn by making a
Wall Street, which involved Old Bardstown bourbon, Punt e Mes, Nocino della Cristina, Luxardo maraschino, mole bitters, and allspice. What was especially interesting to me was the use of nocino for a decidedly more nutty element compared to the usual Brooklyn's more citrus/bitter bent. At this point, continuing with the nocino thought, I also introduced Erik and Trevor to the
In Vida Veritas that Misty Kalkofen of Cambridge's Brick and Mortar made me a couple weeks prior. For my last drink in San Francisco, Trevor took a rather experimental tack, making a cognac-based
Sazerac, but one topped with a whipped cream flavored with absinthe instead of the traditional rinse. Despite being a little rushed to make my flight, it was certainly time well spent!
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| Sazerac with absinthe whipped cream at Heaven's Dog |
Thanks to all my friends who showed me around the city, as well as all the gracious bartenders who were so accommodating and put up with my banter. I cannot wait to make the trip west again soon, provided my wallet and liver have sufficiently recovered, of course. Cin cin!
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