SFist Drinks: A New-School Cocktail Glossary

alembic-promissory-note.jpg
The Promissory Note from The Alembic (photo credit: Jennifer Yin)
A couple months back we attended a panel discussion that included local cocktail blogger and booze aficionado Camper English (he of Alcademics fame), and as a hand-out Camper prepared a locally-based glossary, if you will, of cocktail style varieties which included Bay Area venues where one might sample examples of these styles.

While the glossary provided here is less detailed than Camper's original, it still borrows heavily from his taxonomy and definitions (contact him if you're interested in having him present the full lecture), and we hope it will help you to navigate the landscape of the vibrant cocktail culture here in San Francisco -- a culture which many touted as the most exciting and sophisticated in the country. These definitions overlap a bit and remain slightly vague, but we mean here to provide a loose guide for those not yet familiar with the broad variety of mixology happening in your backyard.

East Coast Style in SF
Definition: Spirit-driven, few fresh ingredients, interesting liqueurs and combinations as inspired by NYC bars like Little Branch, Milk & Honey, and Death & Co.
Local Venues: Bourbon & Branch, The Alembic and others.
Example: The Naughty Sun Dress from Bourbon & Branch
West Coast Style
Definition: Seasonal, fresh-ingredient focused, fruit-forward and often including fresh herbs as well.
Local Venues: Range, Cantina, Cyrus (Healdsburg)
Example: The Autumn Apple Cocktail from Cyrus

Classic Traditional
Definition: Cocktails from the canon, unaltered and usually spirit-driven.
Local Venues: Bix, Tipsy Pig, Bloodhound, and many others.
Example: The Aviation - gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, creme de violette
Muddled Classics
Definition: A classic drink with something fresh muddled into it.
Local Venues: Americano, Four Seasons, Waterbar
Example: Waterbar's Strawberry Daiquiri - Rum, triple sec, fresh strawberry puree and lemon juice.

Neo-Classic
Definition: New spins on classic recipes.
Local Venues: Spruce, Rickhouse, Blackbird and others.
Example:The Improved Sunrise from Rickhouse
Eco-Sensitive & Unprocessed
Definition: Organic, local produce and liquor, simpler sweeteners
Local Venues: Camino (Oakland), Beretta
Example: Camino's unnamed cocktail with fresh lime, locally distilled gin and absinthe, and locally made gum syrup.

Culinary - Food Pairing
Definition: Food flavors used in order to pair drinks with food.
Local Venues: Conduit, Dosa, Aziza and others.
Example:The Smokin' Stoned Fruit from Reza Esmaili of Conduit
Culinary - Infusions/Kitchen Technique
Definition: Drinks that incorporate back-of-house chef's techniques like gastriques, shrubs, complex syrups and non-standard infusions.
Local Venues:15 Romolo, Fish & Farm, NOPA
Example: Strawberry Gin Shrub from NOPA

Latin-Inspired
Definition: Drinks that are fruit-forward and based on Latin-American classics including rum punches, margaritas, caipirinhas, mojitos, pisco punches, etc.
Local Venues: Cantina, Pisco, and many others.
Example:The Five-Spice Margarita from Cantina
Tiki
Definition: Multiple-rum-based drinks hearkening back to 1950s/60s tiki bar culture, re-embracing island flavors with fresh and homemade ingredients.
Local Venues:Smuggler's Cove (opening soon), Rickhouse, Forbidden Island (Alameda)
Example: Forbidden Island's Sidewinder's Fang - amber rum, 5-year Demerara rum, lime juice, orange juice, soda water, passion fruit syrup



PREVIOUSLY: The Spruce Goose from Spruce
The Autumn Apple Cocktail from Cyrus
Seven Decades of Cocktails from Gourmet
The Pisco Sol from Pisco Lounge
The Five-Spice Margarita and Laughing Buddha from Cantina
The Improved Sunrise from Rickhouse
The Grape Drink from Blackbird
Smokin' Stoned Fruit from Conduit
The Promissory Note from The Alembic
Blackberry Shrub
Strawberry Gin Shrub from NOPA
The Naughty Sun Dress from Bourbon & Branch
Gitane's Castillan Cup
Tales of the Cocktail
The Sexy Saint at The Four Seasons
A Roundup of Cocktail Blogs
The Rio Grande Cocktail at 15 Romolo
Old Sydney Town Punch at Elixir
The Vicious Circle from Range
Thirsty Bear's Strawberry Rhubarb Manhazarac
Rock & Rye from Rye
The Black Lavender from Alicia Walton at Elixir
Boulevard's Biscaccianti
DOSA's Batsman

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