Tag: Cocktail

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Halloween Pop-Up at Livermore’s Fat Pigeon

The Fat Pigeon seems to be the Tri-Valley’s go-to venue for cocktail pop-ups, previously hosting Miracle at Christmas, Golden Girls, and Alice in Wonderland themes previously. Since spooky season is upon us, there’re now running a Halloween theme.

The setup includes a special cocktail menu including low ABV and mocktail options, plus fun and fairly elaborate decor. There are no special costumes or wildly immersive soundscapes, though, just fun drinks in a welcoming venue.

I enjoyed the 13 Stabs Later, a refreshing drink with soda and blood orange apéritif that leans fruity. Meanwhile, Mrs. Mai Tai tried the Offering which is a clarified drink including bourbon and pumpkin spices. It’s served with a Biscoff cookie which you’re supposed to take a bite of before taking a sip.

13 Stabs Later

The highlight for us was the Spooky Tini Flight, with an okay Espresso Martini but amazing Bad Apple and Pumpkin Spice variants. The little tiny martini glasses are a fun delivery method and we enjoyed rotating the display to get to our favorite item.

Spooky Tini Flight

As pop-ups go, Fat Pigeon seems to have the format and execution locked in. The atmosphere is fun and the quality cocktails offer something for nearly everyone.

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Classic Cocktails at Nightcaps at Rosetta

Nightcaps at Rosetta is the cocktail-focused evening storefront for Livermore’s Rosetta Roasting cafe that includes a different theme each day. We visited on Sinatra Saturday with menu items including a Manhattan, Gimlet, Negroni, Martini, Whiskey Sour, and Dark Daiquiri.

Revolver and Sepia Spice Martini

My choice was the Revolver, an early 2000s cocktail by Jon Santer at Bruno’s in San Francisco, which has bourbon, coffee liqueur, and orange bitters. This was really great and had a fragrance that reminded me of vintage bars I’d visited in the past. Meanwhile Mrs. Mai Tai tried the Sepia Spice Martini and the Autumn Orchard Sidecar – both leaned a little lighter with mild spice flavors. I’m a sucker for a sidecar and this version tasted pretty good to me.

Autumn Orchard Sidecar

Nightcaps serves savory bites and desert, so we tried a bit of both. The artichoke beignets were really good and the brie and pear fillo rolls were even better. We indulged with two deserts including a Manhattan cheesecake that was amazing. But the star of the show on the food side was the pistachio ricotta cake that was so light in body, yet still also had an amazing flavor. I would come back just for that Ricotta cake.

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John Caine’s Famous Cosmopolitan by John Caine

Another classic cocktail, this time the Cosmopolitan at the At Water Tavern in China Basin. We had a nice dinner before a concert at nearby Chase Center, but in reviewing the menu on the venue’s website I saw an entry titled “John Caine’s Famous Cosmopolitan by John Caine.” That seemed, well, it seemed really unusual. Who is John Caine and why does his name appear not once but twice next to the Cosmo?

Intrigued, I ordered the Cosmo and asked the server who John Caine is. She answered and told me he was the owner of the restaurant. Later, Caine himself popped by our table to say hello and told us that he brought the Cosmo to San Francisco from Cleveland in the late 1980s and he’s even included in the Wikipedia entry for the cocktail. Apparently he had been told about the cocktail by gay men who had visited New England where cranberry juice was prevalent and so it was natural to add it to a Kamikaze cocktail to get the pink color that the drink is famous for.

Pondering the cocktail while drinking it, I wondered what the big deal is since the lightness of the flavor profile wasn’t really doing anything for me since I’m used to bolder flavors from tiki drinks or spirit-forward classic cocktails. But I acknowledge that for many the lightness is a feature, not a bug, and the Cosmo falls into that class of cocktail. It’s pretty.

Reviewing the physical menu at At Water, it just says “John Caine’s Cosmopolitan” – slightly more modest – and the list of ingredients which say Hanson vodka, cranberry, and lime. Hanson is vodka made from grapes in Sonoma and there are several expressions including lemon and mandarin that would be more suitable to the IBA specified recipe that includes Absolut Citron, but the expression isn’t noted. Notably absent is Cointreau, a key component of the now-standard Cosmo recipe, though upon tasting the drink it does appear that Caine prefers it dryer.

At Water is adjacent to Oracle Park Lot A and is a great option before or after an event in the area. Or just an excursion to try a bit of cocktail history.

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The Fink: Celebrating Two Years as Napa’s Premier Cocktail Destination

We’ve loved The Fink ever since it opened in downtown Napa, with a travel themed cocktail menu and an elaborate nautical interior. Sunday was a celebration of the venue’s second anniversary which included some cocktail specials and a tiki themed celebration in conjunction with the upcoming 25th anniversary of Tiki Oasis. Guests were given 2 year buttons, a wonderful touch.

Namesake owner Judd Finkelstein played his usual host role and then changed outfits to perform with his hapa-haole band the Maikai Gents. Introducing the band, Tiki Oasis founder Otto Von Stroheim noted that the band has played more Tiki Oasis events than any other and it was easy to see why with the band playing an energetic set. The performace also included Finkelstein’s wife and daughters singing along for a spell. Longtime Tiki Oasis performer King Kukulele also dazzled the audience who are familiar with his big personality and wild antics.

The mad rush of tikiphiles and Napa locals was immense at the 3 pm opening, so the staff had to work to keep up with so many cocktail and food orders. On tap was a special cocktail called the FinkelGrog, created by Smuggler’s Cove’s Martin Cate. Meanwhile, I ordered some Crab Rangoon and Napa’s best Mai Tai, followed with a New York Sour featuring Judd’s Hill red wine.

The Fink trying to steal my drink

The event did not have a cover charge, but guests were offered the option to donate to Be Kind, a non-profit spotlighting the power of kindness to strengthen community, founded by Finkelstein daughters Talulah and Ruby.

The Fink remains a gem of a venue, a classy place run by the region’s premier hospitality host and family.

Otto Von Stoheim
King Kukulele
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The Wooden Pearl

The Wooden Pearl is a new restaurant and cocktail bar now open in the Anaheim Packing House, with an enclosed space that’s fairly immersive considering its location in a food hall. We went in for cocktails and enjoyed the vibe and shells placed as decor.

My cocktail was That Koko is So Hot Right Now, described as “Blue Steel? Le Tigre? No. KOKO” and contains Mijanta Blanco Tequila, Yuzu, Lactose, Guava, and Strange Water Sparkling Coconut. It’s served on fire, though without the extravagant display common at tiki bars, and I sure love a good Zoolander reference. Even better was the taste, tropical and refreshing.

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Eleven Twenty Two Speakeasy in Paso Robles

Even though Paso Robles is a wine town, there are some great cocktail options including the speakeasy Eleven Twenty Two Cocktail Lounge, located behind the rear patio of Pappy McGregor’s Pub. Entrance is on Railroad Street, with a convenient alley next to Pappy’s being a convenient cut-through. This small classic cocktail bar doesn’t take reservations, so we joined the line hoping to get in.

There are no cell phones allowed to be used inside, and once you step through front door into a library style foyer they drop the phone into a bag that you keep with you. Next, you enter the space and are seated at the bar or one of the cozy booths. Inside there are many bottles of whiskey in all forms, with just a few other spirits, so this is a great option for bourbon and scotch fans. Music was jazzy including a number of tunes from Nouvelle Vague, a French group that does Bossa Nova versions of New Wave tunes.

There’s a non-alcoholic Orange Julius on the menu, available optionally with spirit added. We opted for the straight version and while it was reminiscent of the real thing it wasn’t nearly cold or sweet enough.

For our two cocktails we were both completely blown away at the flavors and complexity on display from very different formats. I had the Strawberry Coconut Daiquiri that exploded with flavor even from a tiny sip. Not too much strawberry or coconut, but just enough to elevate this perfectly balanced cocktail.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Mai Tai had the Clarified Grasshopper with vodka, menthe pastille, creme de cacao, Coco Puff cereal milk, and ringed with a Chocolate Dipped Rim. This too had so many layers and the chocolate rim provided a long finish as well. I’m not always a fan of clarified cocktails but this would get me to switch teams, it was just that good. Mrs. Mai Tai was inspired and drew a photo since we couldn’t take photos.

The service inside was serious but with the requisite wink and nod to provide the indication to the customer that they are supposed to be here for a good time. Eleven Twenty Two is a must visit if you’re in the area and a perfect nightcap if you’re in town for the Cane Tiki Room like we were.

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Elevated Dining and Drinks at The Pressroom San Jose

Owned by the same restaurant group as Dr. Funk, The Pressroom is located around the corner from San Pedro Square in downtown San Jose and serves elevated California cuisine. The venue spans two buildings at the corner of Santa Clara and N. Almaden Ave, drawing inspiration as being the location for The Mercury News starting at turn of the 20th Century. A main bar is located in the portion of the restaurant adjacent to Almaden featuring greenery and large open windows. A separate dining space called the Editors Room is also available for private parties and the wood-lined Bar Mercury is a bar within a bar.

The bar team from Dr. Funk developed the cocktail menu featuring some newspaper-inspired riffs on classic cocktails. We absolutely loved the New York Sour riff called City Beat that takes inspiration from the Eastern Sour by adding orange oleo saccharum to the Whiskey Sour template and featuring a rich pinot noir float. The Byline Fizz also features wine with a delightful blend of strawberry-infused tequila, lemon, honey, and a sparkling wine float. We thought the cocktails were really great and priced in line with other downtown San Jose venues. All cocktails are half priced during Happy Hour, 3-5 pm weekdays.

City Beat and Byline Fizz

We enjoyed our dinner early on Friday, featuring fresh and inspired ingredients. I loved the Thai Steak Salad including the fresh and toasted coconut, while Mrs. Mai Tai loved the Lemon Ricotta Agnolotti topped with parmesan cream. The menu has some vegan dishes, but leans into some beef and steak options – though we’d have liked to see more appetizers to choose from. The Pressroom is also open for lunch including sandwich options with their brunch featuring a fun tabloid-style menu. We did find the venue and music to be fairly loud and very bass-heavy even during a relatively slow portion of service.

The Pressroom is a great addition to downtown San Jose’s restaurant scene, combining visual and cultural nods to the past with a menu that propels diners into the future.