Tag: Cocktail

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Elevated Cocktails at Alter Ego in Downtown San Jose

Alter Ego is a dimly lit speakeasy style lounge with cocktails and small bites located inside Still O.G. on First Street in downtown San Jose. Reservations for two-hour seatings are essential later in the evenings, but we arrived promptly at opening and it didn’t really fill up until about 90 minutes later.

Cocktails at Alter Ego lean on classics, though there is a little bit of something for those who enjoy tropical cocktails or cane/agave spirits. I thoroughly enjoyed the vibrant flavors of the Easytiger served on crushed ice with “Amaro, Railla, Allspice, Almond, Lemon, and Tobacco Bitters.” I followed up with the Paper Plane riff called Dogfight that is made with Bourbon, Amaro, Aperitivo, Lemon Essence, and Orange Bitters and comes with a little paper airplane as a garnish.

Easytiger
Dogfight

Mrs. Mai Tai’s Annabel Lee features a smoke bubble and the Pisco Sour riff has Bolivian Brandy, Pommeau, Aperitivo, Smoked Pineapple, Chili, Tamarind, Egg White, and Lime – plus a stencil on top that reveals itself when the bubble bursts. Julie loves coffee drinks so the Kyushu Coffee was right up her alley and very rich, featuring Shochu, Coffee, Kuromitsu, Black Sesame, Heavy Cream, and Salt. You can see these look great and use a lot of really interesting ingredients. We saw several other cocktails with inventive garnishes and glassware.

Annabel Lee

Alter Ego also serves gastronomical small plates, quite well executed and featuring a symphony of flavors well beyond typical bar fare. I loved the rich Guinea Fowl with truffles and the Scallop dish with just the right amount of chili spices.

The elegant vibe inside Alter Ego is relaxing and dark, and there’s no sound bleed from Still O.G. on the other side of the curtain. Our cocktails were fantastic and the staff did a wonderful job preparing everything and being responsive for additional orders. Nice to see old friends Ken and Paul still doing the amazing cocktail thing at a different venue in downtown San Jose.

Annabel Lee
Kyushu Coffee
Scallops
Guinea Fowl
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Tipsy Putt On the Green

The cocktail shows that this isn’t our usual haunt, but we had a great time doing the mid-week suburban drinks and golf thing in downtown Sunnyvale. Tipsy Putt has a nine-hole traditional mini golf setup, plus a nine-hole 1-2 Putt tabletop format. It’s all indoors and there is a large selection of beer and cocktails on tap, plus pretty good bar food too. There are several Tipsy Putt locations in Northern California and there are leagues and trivia events as well.

The On the Green cocktail seemed appropriate and it was nicely matching my ball, too. It contains Midori, of course, plus vodka and lemonade and turn out to be not too bad and certainly helped me get into the mood. Thanks to Michael and Holly for invite, Tipsy Putt was a lot of fun.

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Witchy Good Time at The Cauldron 

We enjoyed the ambiance and cocktails at The Cauldron Spirits and Brews, a witch and black cat themed bar and restaurant located across the street from Knott’s Berry Farm. This was a perfect starter before our evening at Knott’s Scary Farm last Saturday, with many of the guests as elaborately dressed as the staff! Wearing black would be a smart choice.

The main room features ornate decor with a few special effects. Not too dark and spooky but plenty nice to get you in the mood. We were seated on the enclosed patio that has conservatory vibes and the music was dark leaning classic modern rock for the most part.

I enjoyed a pumpkin ale and others tried the cocktails with thematically appropriate names. Mrs Mai Tai enjoyed the Knotty Kid Martini that is a lemon drop riff featuring Boysenberry Cotton Candy. The cocktail even featured a ghostly apparition!

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The Formosa Cafe Still Delivers Hollywood Charm

We made our second trip to this longtime Hollywood restaurant and had a grand time once again. The Formosa Cafe is noteworthy for fine Chinese food and cocktails, with an immersive interior and slick graphic design aesthetic. We were seated again in the old rail car – same booth as last time. It’s a fun space but the small table meant we had to do some table Tetris to fit things together.

We loved all the food we ordered, including the Orange Chicken and Chow Mein. The Shrimp and Pork Shu Mai from the happy hour menu were delightful, and we again enjoyed the Soup Dumplings. The portions are fairly large, so if you’re local you have the advantage for taking some home. There’s a bunch of glassware, mugs, and more available for purchase too.

Cocktails were once again a highlight, including a nice Mai Tai with light and dark rums and a hint of pineapple. The Cider House Punch has spiced rum and and a spiced apple syrup but was a bit spicy for me. Mrs. Mai Tai had the gin-based Secret Garden and the Cold Brew Martini and both were great, in fact this was her favorite Espresso Martini variant so far.

We found the service to be quite attentive and it is just so cool hanging out in an old but well-maintained restaurant with so much history. The decorative elements and lighting are very immersive and it’s a hoot to see the photos of Hollywood stars on the walls or to pass by the booth where they filmed L.A. Confidential.

Mai Tai
Cider House Punch
Shrimp and Pork Shu Mai
Pot Stickers
Orange Chicken
Soup Dumplings
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Miracle Holiday Pop-Up at Brewsters Petaluma

Had a fabulous lunch with friends at Brewsters Beer Garden in Petaluma. This vast space was completely covered in holiday decorations and despite the name does have a strong cocktail program as well. So, the inclusion of the cocktail-focused pop-up from Miracle is not unexpected.

Saturday was unusually warm, which might have swelled the crowds and made it seem like everyone in the city was at Brewsters. But the effectiveness of the staff meant that our drinks and food came out quite quickly and prepared expertly. The food here leans on brisket and ribs, plus salads and sandwiches.

Brewsters does Miracle a little differently by including a couple of original cocktails on their menu that aren’t seen at other Miracle pop-up locations. We really loved Cappy’s World Famous Eggnog. Normally “world famous” in the title is a red-flag but indeed this was some really great nog, and plenty boozy thanks to the Smith & Cross overproof rum. There’s also The Krampus featuring Tequila, Sherry, and Mezcal – and served in a unique Krampus mug that’s also for sale. Miracle cocktail favorites are available too, including the wonderfully spicy and completely delicious Carol Barrel.

As with other Miracle locations, mugs, glassware, and other merch is for sale. You can even buy to-go bottles of Cappy’s World Famous Eggnog.

Brewsters has been doing Miracle for several years and have the routine down pat. Be sure to check out now through January 2nd, reservations recommended.

Cappy’s World Famous Eggnog
Carol Barrel
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Craft and Classic Cocktails at Livermore’s Nightcaps at Rosetta

Finally made it out to check the cocktail offerings at Nightcaps at Rosetta in downtown Livermore. This is a coffee place named Rosetta Roasting during the day and transitions to a cocktail/desert (and yes, coffee) place during the evening. The back portion is dimly lit to set the mood. We think this would be a great place to hit before or after dinner.

There are plenty of classic cocktails on the menu, such as a Bee’s Knees, Martini, and Whiskey Sours. There’s even a nice 1944 Mai Tai that is prepared well and features traditional flavors. It didn’t bowl me over but for the venue and clientele it is perfectly reasonable.

We didn’t partake but there were a whole series of pies and cheesecakes that looked fabulous, and we could see the coffee being prepared as well as the cocktails. There’s also a small retail component with holiday offerings right now. Check it out next time you’re in downtown Livermore.

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Miracle Holiday Pop-Up at the Fat Pigeon Livermore

The Fat Pigeon is the new name for the former Beer Baron in Downtown Livermore, newly reimagined as a cocktail bar. And just in time for the grand opening it’s doing the Miracle Holiday Pop-Up to acquaint guests. As such, the holiday decor was at a basic level and definitely not overflowing like places that have been doing these pop-ups for years. Nonetheless it was totally festive with music and plenty of good cheer from the guests.

That good cheer was put to the test due a staff member arriving late and also to an imprecise order for tables to be serviced (guess which table seemed to be in the black hole?). These issues can arise anytime but obviously when places are new and also super busy.

This year’s Miracle offerings were just as nicely varied as in past years, where classic cocktails get the holiday spice and ingredient twists to go along with festive names and fun glassware.

The Jingle Balls Nog was just okay, but we liked the Espresso Martini riff called Rudolph’s Replacement (served in the classic “Santa Rex” mug). Old favorite Yippee Ki Yay, Mother F****r is a Piña Colada riff with Ube Orgeat and just as great this year as it was last time. The Koala Cooler features Applejack and spice and I think felt the most like a Fall/Winter drink. The Christmapolitan had some really interesting flavors including a spiced cranberry syrup and it had a little bit of an apple taste to me, but still quite good. Elfing Around #2 with cognac and champagne was elegant and the mulled wine reduction served the holiday theme very well.

New this year is Marshmallows & Unicorns, served in a mug that was right up Mrs. Mai Tai’s alley. Definitely a little sweet leaning and including soda to lighten things up, this was a treat for several senses. The mug was priced at $20 at Fat Pigeon.

We really enjoyed our time at Miracle and are pleased to see a good new cocktail place in Livermore.

Christmapolitan
Yippee Ki Yay, Mother F****r