barkeep

The Slow Food Bar

The Slow Food Nation Conference in San Francisco recently and spirits were nicely represented. The slow food movement is a reaction to fast food that champions sustainable, local ingredients. The showing was a nice change for distilleries, who have not been the most eco-friendly. On hand were several Bay Area producers including Square One Vodka, Anchor, George Spirits, and No 209 Gin.

A nice take away? Even large commercial distilleries are adopting sustainable processes. For … Read more

Caravella Venetia

It’s hot out, so we thought we’d share this refreshing, zesty cocktails from sponsor Caravella Limoncello. This cocktail is light, not heavy on the alcohol and full of lemony flavor.

Ingredients

1 ounce Caravella
½ ounce vodka
Tonic water

Instructions

Mix Caravella and vodka in a rocks glass over ice. Top with tonic water.

Courtesy of Caravella Limoncello.… Read more

How to Get a Bartender’s Attention

Ever have trouble getting a drink in a busy bar? If you look like me, the answer is yes. Good for us average folks, the guys at Ayslum.com have collected some helpful tips on getting and keeping a bartenders attention. Hating thirst, I have tested all of these, and they do work. So learn them, live them.

Here are our favorites:

    Know what you want. Important in any bartender interaction, even is the bar is

… Read more

Kahlúa Mocha Liqueur Review

I just got my hands on a bottle of the newest flavor from Kahlúa, Mocha. How did they not think of this until now?

What have we been missing? Chocolatey goodness combined with the rich coffee flavor of Kahlúa, that’s what. The chocolate flavor overwhelms the nose (in a good way) when taking in the liqueur with very of the bitterness of the alcohol.

The chocolate once again comes through strong upon tasting with just … Read more

September Is National Bourbon Heritage Month

In 2007 the U.S. Senate created National Bourbon Heritage Month. To be observed each September, the event celbrates Bourbon as America’s Native Spirit.

To Kick off the month, the folk at Wild Turkey Bourbon sent us their version of the classic Manhattan.

Wild Turkey Bourbon Manhattan 
Ingredients

1 parts Wild Turkey 101
1 ½ parts sweet vermouth
1 dash bitters

Instructions

Stir well with cracked ice and strain into a Manhattan or chilled martini glass. … Read more

Maker’s Mark Rocks the Vote

Maker’s Mark is covering the Election Season with a decked-out bus traveling the country. On the bus is a group of “journalists” chronicling the party through a blog and video reports from “Maker’s Mark News.” See the first installment below.

Check out the site to see when the bus rolls into your town. Unfortunately, they aren’t rolling through SF.

Maker’s Mark News, Videos and Humor… Read more

Convention Cocktails: Red or Blue?

It’s convention season! That special time that occurs every 4 years, where the nation’s political parties get together and confirm their nominees for President.

To celebrate, the ever-patriotic folks at SKYY Vodka & Cabo Wabo Tequila, created two cocktails for the occasion and rest of the election season. One red and one blue. No mixing!

Barack’s Rocks
Ingredients

    2 oz SKYY Infusions Citrus
    1 oz blue curaçao
    ½ squeezed lime
    3 oz Sprite or 7

… Read more

Cordial – Cocktail Words

The word cordial comes from the Latin word for “Heart” and was used to describe it. It also came to mean a strong medicine or drink. These days it also refers to liqueurs and, in many places, cordial is synonymous with liqueur. In other areas, fruit-flavored liqueurs are referred to as cordials, while those flavored with herbs remain liqueurs.… Read more

Caravella Cooler

It’s Labor Day weekend. Wow! This summer flew by. Having spent the better part of August in the hospital may have something to do with it. Luckily, here in San Francisco, summer begins on Labor Day! To help celebrate my getting back on my feet and this hot SF weekend, the folks at Caravella Limoncello—yes, they are a sponsor—have sent us a slew of cool cocktails. I choose this tall, easy party cooler to kick … Read more

Pick the Best Martini Glass

Bombay Sapphire, famous for its annual designer glass gift box, wants you to create their next signature martini glass. Don’t have a flair for design? You can help pick the winner by voting on your favorite.

The 1st-place winner from each country wins $3k and trip to London. In England, they’ll compete in the Designer Glass Competition Finals during the London Design Festival.

Enter and vote: Bombay Sapphire

Designer Glass Competitions – Pick the Best … Read more