In frozen dessert news, there's a "1930's-inspired ice cream and artisanal soda shop" cleverly called Ice Cream Bar, opening in Cole Valley around the end of January. Judging from Eater's preview of the place, Ice Cream Bar will hit all the right buzzword buttons by harking back to a simpler time when booze was illegal, sodas were medicinal and milkshakes weren't just made by throwing ice cream in a blender. more ›

You there: what are you still doing at work? Why are you not out in Union Square wandering the streets with a seasonal coffee drink and a pint of peppermint schnapps? (It makes the rush of consumerism that much more bearable.) Are you just avoiding the inevitable drive home to the in-laws' house? Are you polishing off that bottle of whiskey you've been hiding in your desk drawer, at least? more ›

San Francisco's Beer Week returns for ten days in February 2012 and thanks to the overwhelming, sloshy success of last year's festivities at YBCA, this year's opening day event will be making a change of venue to the larger, more accommodating Concourse Pavilion at 8th and Brannan in SoMa. Since the first day of festivities tends to be the most popular and brings with it some exclusive tasting opportunities, in-the-know beer nerds, hop fiends and malt mavens are lining already lining up for early bird tickets to the marquee event which promises "newly minted nanobrewers* pouring alongside legendary craft brewing pioneers." more ›

Over in Portrero Hill, photographer Bhautik Joshi snapped this Laverne & Shirleyesque shot from inside the Anchor Brewery, home of 10 noted beers. We can only imagine how many times factory employees have placed a white glove atop a bottle of beer. Because we'd get fired for doing it every single day. more ›

Controversy erupted during our Pick San Francisco's Best Bar poll. Union Square's Jasper's questionably pulled ahead in the high-end bar category during the last hours. Like, literally, within the poll's last few hours. Which is to say, we smell PR rat. Or some sort of rat. Nevertheless, they are hereby disqualified. (If you can't trust an unscientific poll on a wildly popular blog, what can you trust!?) Jasper's is a fantastic place and we cannot recommend it enough, but it just open. Their fan base simply is not yet that large. Nice try. more ›

What with S.F. Blackout Week S.F. Cocktail Week a few days away, we thought it fitting to ask the city's biggest booze fans (i.e., SFist readers) to reveal their favorite watering hole. Call us pinko commie tools, but we still believe in the bar or restaurant as a whole rather than glorifying the star chef or, as in this case, the bartender/mixologist. Which is why we're asking for you to tell us your favorite bar in San Francisco -- your single favorite gin joint right now. You can't pick just one, you bemoan? Fine. You can pick two. But that's it. more ›

San Francisco loves a little tipple here and there (as if you hadn't noticed). And since we've ridden out this fancy cocktail movement until reaching a critical mass of artisan shakers and perfect-ice-cultivators, it makes sense that we'd celebrate that strong livered culture with a whole week of sloshy events. Thus: next week, from September 19th - 25th, the Barbary Coast Conservancy of the American Cocktail hosts the fifth annual San Francisco Cocktail Week which involves a lot of post-secondary cocktail education and a slew of cocktail friendly dinners. more ›

In the realm of mundane news that may actually affect you, Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 39 in to law yesterday, banning the production and sale of beer infused with caffeine in this great state of California. The ban goes in to effect starting January 1st, 2012 and follows City Attorney Dennis Herrera's ongoing war on sugary caffeinated booze. more ›

Ohio University topped this year's list of America's Top Party Schools by Princeton Review. The Athens-based institution of higher learning landed on the the party school list 12 times since 1997. This is the first time it's reached the top. (So... kudos?) While no Bay Area schools made the esteemed list (nerds!), one California college did manage to crack the top 20. Can you guess what it is? The entire depraved list is as follows: more ›

While we sadly bid farewell to the beloved Red Vic tonight, we gladly welcome a new addition at one of the city's favorite independent movie houses: As the boozegazers in the Mission report today, the Roxie on 16th street has applied for a full-time, on-sale beer license. Meaning upcoming screenings of Happy will get that much happier and lines at the Roxie's tiny restroom facilities will get that much longer. more ›

In an effort to curb violence at the Pink Saturday festival in the Castro, the city has banned booze at the annual precursor to the Pride Parade. Last year, if you recall, a 19-year-old male was killed and two others injured at Market and Castro by a gunman more ›

Just in time for San Francisco Gay Pride, Absolut Vodka has introduced a "limited" SF edition. Following on the heels of New Orleans, Loas Angeles, Boston, and (oddly enough) Brooklyn flavors, San Francisco is the fifth city to receive the company's boozy bottle honor. But does it taste good? Normally, flavored vodka taste like corn syrup-tinged diarrhea. (Some might say the same about plain vodka, but those types are usually pretentious mixologists. You need to ignore those people.) In an effort to review the allegedly hella-SF booze, we demanded a PR representative to deliver a free bottle of Absolut SF to our front door posthaste for immediate tasting. more ›

Oh boy, oh boy: Leah Garchik and Paolo Lucchesi will make cameo appearances Wednesday night behind the bar at Traci Des Jardins' Jardinière. It's all part of the restaurant's monthly guest-bartending series. See, noted lady-about-town and SF Chronicle columnist Garchick will serve an (organic) umbrella-adorned (!) tequila cocktail called the 25th Palm for $9.00 a pop, while Inside Scoop editor Lucchesi assists Garchik with any and all mixology/sidekick needs. (We except wisecracks galore, Paolo.) more ›

Each year SFist makes it a tradition to post your much-loved Bay to Breakers Liquor Store Map -- by way of Joe Kukura of Exercising While Intoxicated, of course. And here it is. Beautiful, isn't it? Also, for further alcoholicky ease, make sure to download the booze map on your iPhone today. more ›

Of course, says Joe Kukura of Exercising While Intoxicated, one should conceal sweet nectar while running this month's Bay to Breaker's race. Even though getting lit could land you in pretend jail (or, far worse, land you and your naked butt a cameo appearance on SFist), it might also result in loads of good times. For those of you who plan on imbibing during next week's zany race on May 15th, Kukura suggests the following: more ›

After turning his nose up at trend-piece drink Four Lokko, City Attorney (and mayoral candidate) Dennis Herrera now sets his anti-fruit-flavored-alcohol-seeking laser beams at Pabst Brewing Company’s Blast by Colt 45, a barfy booze beverage arguably aimed at the underage youth of America. "Herrera joined 17 attorneys general, including California’s Kamala Harris, in penning a letter asking Pabst to discontinue the malt beverage, which is 12 percent alcohol and comes in grape, strawberry lemonade, strawberry watermelon and blueberry pomegranate flavors," reports The Examiner. Which, yeah, that sounds gross. (While we're on the subject of banning vile alcoholic concoctions, does this mean we can do away with White Russians at local bars? Because dairy and vodka should never mix.) more ›

Last year San Francisco's No. 209 Distillery, makers of some of the finest gin this side of the Prime Meridian if you don't mind us saying, produced a limited run of Kosher for Passover Gin at their Pier 50 distillery. And thus, the chosen people who choose the heavy stuff no longer had to suffer Manischewitz at the dinner table. This year, they've knocked out an even bigger run of bottles, so you shouldn't have to wander the deserted aisles of BevMo too long to find one. (In fact, we checked with the artisanal beverage purveyors at Cask and they've already got a stock of the stuff.) Distilled from sugar rather than the usual grain spirits, the Rabbi-approved formula of No. 209 might throw off the balance of your crisp martinis a little bit, but it's better than pissing off the big guy upstairs, right? Depending on how you take those martinis, you might need to go in search of some kosher vermouth as well, but around here we maintain that vermouth is for suckers. [NYTimes] more ›

Bender's, the Mission's favorite glamour trap, offers patrons $6 for a Tecate and a shot of tequila tonight from 10pm - 2 am. What's more, free horror films will play on the wall. Eeps! Bender’s, 806 South Van Ness Avenue (at 19th Street), SF. [Broke-Ass, via Eater] more ›

Returning to San Francisco after a 14 year absence, Rye's Rhachel Shaw spent time in Los Angeles working at Barkeeper in Silverlake, Malo Cantina on Sunset Boulevard, and Caña Rum in Downtown L.A. So, you know, she knows her stuff. And, seeing as how SFist errs on the side of silver linings, we're sure glad she moved back to the Bay Area before Elizabeth Taylor's death. See, Shaw came up with a fittingly boozy yet divine tribute called White Diamonds. more ›

SFPD has alerted the media that they'll be setting up a DUI checkpoint out in this Richmond this Saturday night at Geary Blvd and 9th Ave. There's always a tiny moral quandary whenever we post these announcements, but if you absolutely must venture to or from the avenues to get hammered tomorrow night, why don't you just take the 38 instead? It'll be an adventure. more ›

The recent trend in high-end cocktails (in vulgar parlors: mixology) has made us long for the halcyon days of kegstands and saki bombs. For many, like San Francisco bartenders, it's gone too far. While barrels of artisan know-how has been imparted since the cocktail trend started a few years ago, aimless snobbery also ran amok. more ›

Today, Feb. 22, is National Margarita Day. We wish you all an evening filled with salt-rimmed pleasures! What's more, according to Good Vibrations, today is also Lady Porn Day. We wish you all an evening of, well, unsalted-rimmed pleasures. (Ow!) Celebrate accordingly. And, of course, beware: one observance could easily lead to the other. [Laughing Squid, SFGate] more ›

At 10 am today, tickets for Burning Man, the popular gala in the desert, will go on sale. While ticket prices can seem, well, price - they run anywhere from $210 to $320 - the event organizers do have a low income program available, which you can apply for on January 26. more ›

Paolo Lucchesi reminds us that, glory be, House of Shields returns tonight. The much-admired SoMa/downtown watering hole, if you recall, closed earlier this year. Horrifying on many levels, yes. Fortunately, the century-old bar opens again for business, starting at 4 p.m. "Pretty much everything about the restored version and the Dennis Leary era of San Francisco’s classic century-old saloon was shared on Monday, so please to refer there for all the background, from the painstaking restoration process to Eric Passetti’s beverage program to the absence of televisions." Check it out, then head down to 39 New Montgomermy (at Market). more ›

Swirl Wine Bar, which has gained a solid reputation for serving excellent varieties of grapes and spirits (and then some), will throw what promises to be an authentique champagne party on Thursday. The Castro wine bar's Champagne Holiday Party will feature esteemed Veuve Clicquot. Yes, real-life, actual champagne, folks. They've promised "no Loire Sparklers, no Prosecco, no Cava, and not a California wine in sight." Just real champagne made in France -- and the good stuff, to boot. more ›

Going in at 2323 Market, where Earthtones once called home, this looks like it's going to be the most fun jewelery store ever. more ›

Mayor Gavin Newsom vetoed the fee on alcohol, Supervisor John Avalos' plan to charge booze wholesalers to help cover the city's costs to care for dunkards. The mayor's office sent out a press release with the following title, "Mayor Vetoes Unnecessary Alcohol Fee to Protect Jobs, San Francisco's Economy, which in part read: more ›

Every second, give or take, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors think of some new tax that will ruffle the feathers of its citizenry. Here's one folks are savoring like a fat Jolly Rancher: Supervisor John Avalos has proposed a booze tax as a means to payback the $17.7 million (or $18.1 million, per SF Appeal) "San Francisco spends yearly on emergency room visits, prevention programs, a sobering center, Fire Department ambulance transports and other costs linked to excessive drinking." more ›

Did you know that today is National Rum Day? That is to say, August 16th is the day that honors the bottle of booze always left untouched at house parties. But fear not the rum, fellow drinkers! Over at Smuggler's Cove (that artisan Hayes Valley cocktail spot that looks like The Pirates of the Caribbean ride threw up all over the walls) will serve Appleton Estate Reserve daiquiris, mai tais, old fashioneds, bombos and planters punch tonight, all going for $6 a pop. Be sure to check it out. Smuggler's Cove (650 Gough Street at McAllister) Update: Will open to public at 9:30 p.m. [via Eater] more ›