Tag Archives: vermouth

Maker’s Manhattan – Trax

Posted on by
Reply

Maker's Manhattan - Trax

Maker’s Mark bourbon, sweet vermouth, bitters. $7.50
Trax, San Francisco CA

I’ve often heard my New York friends refer to San Francisco as a drinking town, and I think they’re probably right. Our bars are generally more crowded at any time of day than anywhere else I’ve visited. And people are actually drinking and not just hanging out. Don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I’d rather walk into a occupied bar than an empty one.

Konjac petioles

Speckled pink konjac petioles (Amorphophallus konjac, Araceae), Castro.

Limoncello mascarpone cake – Fishermen’s Grotto

Posted on by
Reply

Limoncello mascarpone cake - Fishermen's Grotto
A sweet and tart lemon creation. Two layers of sponge cake filled with mascarpone and topped with vanilla shavings. $8.25
Fishermen’s Grotto, San Francisco CA

Noms, what a great combination! This cake wasn’t overly sweet and it had a great lemon taste – perfect! The sponge cake was moist and super flavorful.

Crown Royal Manhattan - Fishermen's Grotto
Crown Royal Manhattan cocktail. $9

Steamed crabs
Steamed crabs ready for purchase, Fisherman’s Wharf.

Manhattan rye – Region

Posted on by
4

Manhattan rye - Region

Templeton rye whiskey, antica formula, morello cherry juice. $10
Region, San Francisco CA

Boy, do they like to keep this place dark! I guess it’s to create a cool, hip atmosphere but it seems too much when it’s early on and SO bright and sunny outside. This cocktail was OK, but perhaps with too much cherry juice.

Stranded jellyfish
Stranded jellyfish at Fort Funston.

Cocktails – Tsunami

Posted on by
Reply

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

Cheese plate – Maven

Posted on by
2

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

Posted on by
Reply

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

Posted on by
2

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 – Staple & Fancy

Posted on by
Reply

Southern key cocktail - Staple and Fancy
Southern Key: bourbon, cointreau, bonal gentiane-quina. $9
Staple and Fancy, Seattle WA

Old pal cocktail - Staple and Fancy

Old Pal: Canadian whiskey, dry vermouth, campari. $9

Mmm, I’m really getting into different whiskey drinks. Another sign that I’m getting old, lol! These were delicious and reasonably priced.

Olympic Iliad sculpture, Alexander Liberman
Olympic Iliad sculpture, 1984, Alexander Liberman, Seattle Center. Steel cylinders painted an industrial red.

Cocktails – Hattie’s Hat

Posted on by
Reply

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.

Eureka Manhattan – Eureka Restaurant and Lounge

Posted on by
1

Eureka Manhattan - Eureka Restaurant and Lounge
Eagle Rare 10 year single cask bourbon, Cinzano red vermouth, bitters. $11
Eureka Restaurant & Lounge, San Francisco CA

Nothing beats a neatly made Manhattan! I haven’t always enjoyed bourbon cocktails, but now they’re one of my favorites.

Flowering maple (Abutilon pictum, Malvaceae)
Yellow flowering maple shrub (Abutilon pictum, Malvaceae), 17th Street. I love the green and gold variegated leaves on this plant.