Tag Archives: bitters

Jamaican planter’s punch – Smuggler’s Cove

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Jamaican planter's punch - Smuggler's Cove

“Where it all began – the heart of the exotic cocktail as enjoyed for centuries in Jamaica. This follows the traditional Caribbean formula: 1 of sour (lime) 2 of sweet (sugar) 3 or strong (dark Jamaican rum), and 4 of weak (ice), with allspice liqueur and Angostura bitters for spice.” $12
Smuggler’s Cove, San Francisco CA

Just in time for Friday happy hour, lol! I love most of the drinks at Smuggler’s Cove, but this didn’t do it for me. I think the allspice liqueur was a bit too much.

Cliff House Totem Pole

Cliff House Totem Pole, Point Lobos Avenue.

Bourbon Street old fashion – Bourbon Street Bar & Grill

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Bourbon Street old fashion - Bourbon Street Bar & Grill
Bourbon, muddled clementine and cherries with simple syrup and cherry bitters. Happy hour $5
Bourbon Street Bar & Grill, San Diego CA

Geezus, this drink was WAY too sweet! I took a couple sips then requested that they add some soda. And isn’t it called an “old fashioned”? I was not impressed…

University Heights neighborhood sign
University Heights neighborhood sign.

Cocktails – M.Y. China

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Monkey King cocktail - M.Y. China
Monkey King. St. George’s B&E bourbon, creme de peche liqueur, gum, forbidden bitters, ginger and ginseng tincture. $12
M.Y. China, San Francisco CA

I’ll admit that the Monkey King cocktail was delicious and neatly made, but you’d expect that for a small $12 cocktail. The service, on the other hand, was a mess!

Old fashioned cocktail - M.Y. China
Old fashioned cocktail. Bourbon, bitters, sugar, citrus. $12

Bart rider
Random guy on Bart with a dog carrier on his back with a full sized bulldog inside. Oh, the things you see on Bart…

Cocktails – Tsunami

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Divisadero cocktail - Tsunami
Divisadero: rye, campari, carpano, fresh orange. $10
Tsunami, San Francisco CA

Wow, I really am becoming a whiskey drinker, lol! I think my favorite of these drinks was the Tsunami Old Fashioned. It tasted great and went down smoothly.

Tsunami old fashioned - Tsunami
Tsunami Old Fashioned: bourbon, aromatic bitters, orange bitters, cane sugar, orange essence. $10

Bulleit manhattan - Tsunami
Bulleit Manhattan: bourbon, sweet vermouth, bitters. $10

Cocktails – AQ Restaurant

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Bison Rose cocktail - AQ Restaurant

Bison Rose: Zubrowka bison grass vodka, cocchi americano, meyer lemon rosemary shrub. $13
AQ Restaurant, San Francisco CA

Ugh! We were SO excited to go to this restaurant and it was a major FAIL! The service was cold and robotic. The only person who asked us about our dinner was the busser when he cleared our entree plates. There was absolutely no joy in this restaurant. These cocktail were ok, but each a little off. I enjoyed the glassware and the stirrer/straw for the bison rose cocktail , but the flavor tasted somehow dull despite the promising ingredients. The old fashioned was the complete opposite where they probably swabbed the entire glass with citrus and pummeled the lemon twist against the sides to produced the overpowering citrus odor emanating from the this cocktail. It made me nauseous. That’s the first time I’ve ever reacted like that to an old fashioned – gross!

Old Fashioned cocktail - AQ Restaurant
Old Fashioned: Eagle rare bourbon, winter bitter, sugar, twist of lemon. $12

Cocktails – Wayfare Tavern

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Briar Patch cocktail - Wayfare Tavern

Briar Patch: rye, rhubarb, lime orange bitters. $11
Wayfare Tavern, San Francisco CA

Noms! We went to Wayfare Tavern with my roomies and had a fabulous time. The service was amazing and I loved the drinks. Dare I say, I loved them more than the food? It’s true. The drinks are expertly made. Although, you really can’t beat their popovers (more to come about that).

Pomegranate Fizz cocktail - Wayfare Tavern

Pomegranate Fizz: vodka, pomegranate, ginger rosemary syrup. $11

Sazerac cocktail - Wayfare Tavern

Sazerac: rye, herbsaint, peychauds, sugar. $11

Cheese plate – Maven

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Cheese plate - Maven
Delice de bourgogne (triple creme cow’s milk cheese), petit agour (sheep’s milk aged cheese), roaring forties (blue cheese) with pears, pistachios and honey. $16
Maven, San Francisco CA

Wow, this was A LOT of cheese! We were having a four-course tasting menu but we weren’t sure how much food it would be so we ordered this cheese plate early on to supplement our meal. Boy, we wish we hadn’t. No, the cheese was amazing but we were SO full that we really didn’t need anymore food. We tried our best ot eat as much of it as we could though. I think the roaring forties blue cheese with the honey on top was my favorite. NOMS!

Four Roses Manhattan - Maven
Four Roses Manhattan. $9

Artic char – Maven

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Artic char - Maven
Fried brussels sprouts, white beans, red verjus, golden raisins, dill. Bloomspot 4-course chef’s tasting menu with cocktail pairings for two.
Maven, San Francisco CA

I love how crispy they fried the skin on the char. The brussels sprouts were delicious and the shallot(?) compote on top was also yummy. A successful dish.

Bitter Brother in Law cocktail - Maven

Bitter Brother in Law Cocktail: pisco, vermouth, elderflower, gentian, Peruvian bitters.
Why the bitter in-law gotta be latino?! 😉

Cocktails – Salt Kitchen & Tasting Bar

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Bass Solo cocktail - Salt Kitchen & Tasting Bar
Bass Solo: rye whiskey, dry vermouth, trio of bitters. $9
Salt Kitchen and Tasting Bar, Honolulu HI

I really liked this restaurant in the Kaimuki neighborhood of Honolulu. I would have never found this place, but my friend who lives on the Island invited us out for dinner. I’m glad he did because this restaurant had a really cool vibe and kinda reminded me of a typical neighborhood SF restaurant. The food was delicous and these cocktails were tasty too!

Mexican martini - Salt Kitchen & Tasting Bar
Mexican Martini: tequila, elderflower, fresh lime, olive. $9

Sunset at Waikiki Beach
Sunset at Waikiki Beach. Ah, makes you want to move there!

Cocktails – Hattie’s Hat

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Rye Hook cocktail - Hattie's Hat

Rye Hook: Ballard street twist off the pretentious Manhattan made with Old Overholt sweet vermouth and bitter served up. $7
Hattie’s Hat, Seattle WA

We slipped into the bar area late one night and grabbed seats at the counter. They have an extensive cocktail menu – heck yeah! I tried a couple whiskey drinks and was happy. 🙂

One-Legged Duck cocktail - Hattie's Hat

One-Legged Duck: Bulleit bourbon, fernet, galliano, orange bitters. $8

Orange squid bike rack
Orange squid bike rack, Seattle waterfront.