SF Pub Crawling: Churchill

I love drinking in the afternoon—especially when the drinks are as good as yesterday’s session at Churchill. It was really a reprise of an earlier visit when I had ordered in the perfect sequence, and had so appreciated Pat’s ministrations behind the bar that I knew I’d be back soon.



First up was the Angostura-tinted classic Army Navy Cocktail, a happy land at the crossroads of lemon, almond and gin. This was followed by the Scotch Crusta, a tangy whisky lollipop that would be a good way for the people who don’t like scotch to change their minds.

For yesterday’s visit, I could stay a bit longer, and added the Farewell to Arms after a nice talk with Micah, another fine bartender, about agricole. The Farewell was made with La Favorite Cœur de Canne, a white I hadn’t had before that seemed less wild than, say, J.M. It gave the drink a lot of structure and worked well as a follow up to the scotch.



Many thanks to everyone at Churchill—a fun place to drink, and to people watch with all those windows looking out at a major transit hub.

This Drink’s In Love with You

There’s an imaginary cocktail bar in my brain called the 60s where I’m in Las Vegas with the Rat Pack, in Reno with The Misfits and with Dusty in Memphis.




This Drink’s In Love with You

• 2 oz brandy
• 1/2 oz white crème de cacao
• 1/2 oz lime juice
• 2 oz soda or to taste

Shake all except soda with ice and strain into a 12-oz glass. Fresh ice to fill, soda. Lime shell, mint garnish.
SOURCE: ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

This glass is one of a pair I received as a gift from the housemate from our local de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. The pattern repeats in oxidized metal all over the façade of the building.

Pisco Pilot

Now, folks—everyone should know that you shouldn’t drink and fly a plane. But you may be wondering what to do with your hands instead. Well I have the answer: paper planes. You can’t kill anyone in a paper plane. (Except if you try to get into one and go sailing out the window.) Maybe you haven’t made a plane in years. No sweat—you can find swell instructions from Alex’s Paper Airplanes. I found this site and knew I was in for hours of harmless cocktail time fun.

For a moment, I wondered if Alex would approve of having his planes plugged from a booze blog, but to my amazement and delight, Alex has a booze site too! How cool is that?




Pisco Pilot

• 2 oz pisco
• 1/2 oz maraschino
• 1/2 oz lemon juice
• 1/4 oz or less crème de violette (optional)

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
SOURCE: ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

This here’s the old Aviation with pisco instead of gin. Nice and bright with a little wine-like grape note. It works pretty well, though as usual, people will have different ideas about the amount of violette, if any. More candy than perfume here.

Trick Pony

She hides
The television
Says I don’t owe him nothing,
But if he comes back again
Tell him to wait right here for me
Or,
Try again tomorrow
I’m gonna kick tomorrow
I’m gonna kick tomorrow

—Jane Says, Perry Farrell/Jane’s Addiction

Trick Pony

• 2 oz Rittenhouse Rye 100 Proof
• 1/2 oz Amaro Nonino
• 1/4 oz Ardbeg Single Malt
• scant tsp simple syrup, 2:1
• 2 dashes Bitter Truth Xocolatl Mole bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
SOURCE: ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

Oregon Trail: Bar Crawling in Portland

I was back in Portland, Oregon for a long weekend again, and due to the constraints (that is, chaos) of the trip, the drinking was sort of haphazard. Like a visit there earlier in the year, there were no planned expeditions to bars carefully contemplated and chosen in advance. But urban drinking in general is getting pretty good and I didn’t have to think too hard. The job was made easier by all the spirit-forward cocktails defined by distinctive spirits. 23 Hoyt had a rich and good-looking Old Fashioned called Rum & Rye, these being Pampero and Old Overholt respectively. The Heathman Hotel’s O-N Negroni featured the assertive and elegant Organic Nation gin from Ashland. And the Living Room Theater, one of the most fun places to get a drink, had the Reel Martini, made with another Oregon craft gin, Ransom Old Tom from the city of Sheridan, which yielded not a Dry Martini but a real Martini nevertheless. The movie would’ve be fine without it, but after two, I was ready to like anything.