eat+drink

A
Toast,
to
the
Good
Ol’
Days The city’s current Golden Age
of cocktails continues to be
inspired by the past. Drinking GET THE LOOK
by today’s standards requires For Comstock Saloon owner Jonny
Raglin, every day’s an excuse to get
a high tolerance and a local into costume. He doesn’t just mix

history lesson. It also provides

Barbary Coast cocktails; he looks
every inch the part.

a great excuse to play dress-up. Vintage wear: Mission Thrift, 2330

By Camper English
Photography by Erin Kunkel
Geary St., 415-362-0036, goorin.com
Mission St., 415-821-9560
Fedora or paperboy hat: “I feel
naked without it.” Goorin Bros., 111
Custom-made vests: Cayson
Culinary Designs, 415-695-9596,
caysondesigns.com
Ties or anything British: Cable Car
Clothiers, 200 Bush St., 415-397-
4740, cablecarclothiers.com

66 7 x 7. c o m augus t 201 0
 Barbary Coast comstock saloon

(1848–1858)

L
ike a Saturday night in the Castro,
men outnumbered women in San
Francisco 70-to-1 during the Gold
Rush years. The watering holes were
a mix of simple saloons and opulent hotels. Many
of these establishments burned in the 1906
earthquake and fire and were rebuilt—just in
time for Prohibition. Pisco Punch
2 ounces pisco
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
Look for: Sailing ships, gold miners, bordellos, 1 ounce Small Hand Foods
pineapple gum syrup
elaborate carved wood bars, brick walls, signage using
Combine everything in a shaker.
the word “saloon,” waxed mustaches Shake. Strain into a chilled glass.
SF classics: Hotel Utah Saloon, The Saloon,
Savoy-Tivoli
Modern remixes: Comstock Saloon, Wayfare Tavern,
Taverna Aventine
The bible: The Bartender’s Guide, or How to Mix
Drinks by Jerry Thomas (1862)
What to drink: pisco punch, Anchor Steam beer,
shot of whiskey

Taverna Aventine, 582 Washington St., 415-981-1500, aventinesf

.com Comstock Saloon, 155 Columbus Ave., 415-617-0071,
comstocksaloon.comWayfare Tavern, 558 Sacramento St., 415-
772-9060, wayfaretavern.comThe Saloon, 1232 Grant Ave.,
415-989-7666Savoy-Tivoli, 1434 Grant Ave., 415-362-7023Hotel
Utah Saloon, 500 4th St., 415-546-6300, thehotelutahsaloon.com

rickhouse
Speakeasy
(1920–1933)

W
e can thank Prohibition for spreading
American cocktails around the world
(see: fleeing bartenders), not to men-
tion necessitating speakeasy bars where
White Lady the sexes finally were allowed to commingle. But it wasn’t
2 ounces gin all good news: You had to do it illegally. Then, as now, the
1 ounce lemon juice
1 ounce Cointreau
Tenderloin was the best place to look for underground
Combine everything in a drinking establishments. One former SF speakeasy, trap-
shaker. Shake. Strain into
a chilled glass.
door and all, is now occupied by Bourbon & Branch.

Look for: hidden entryways, secret rooms, the mob, gambling,

flappers, bathtubs
SF classics: Tosca Café, Café du Nord
Modern remixes: Bourbon & Branch, Rickhouse, The Ambassador
The bible: The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock (1930)
What to drink now: White Lady, Sidecar, Tequila Sunrise

The Ambassador, 673 Geary St., 415-563-8192, ambassador415.comBourbon &

Branch, 501 Jones St., 415-931-7292, bourbonandbranch.com Café du Nord, 2174
Market St., 415-861-5016, cafedunord.comRickhouse, 246 Kearny St., 415-398-2827,
rickhousebar.comTosca Café, 242 Columbus Ave., 415-986-9651, toscacafesf.com

201 0 augus t 7 x 7. c o m 67
eat+drink

The Martini
Martini Bar 3 ounces gin or vodka
2 dashes dry vermouth
Stir all ingredients over ice
(1930s–1960s) and strain into cocktail glass.
Garnish with cocktail olive.

Y
ou know the drill: Nick
and Nora, Dorothy Parker,
Dean Martin, James Bond.
Between the supper clubs,
three-drink lunches and neighborhood
bars, SF’s long loved this simple drink. In
fact, some say the “Martinez,” which origi-
nated here, was the martini precursor.

Look for: white tablecloths, jazz bands, Rat bix

Pack wannabes, cocktail servers
SF classics: Persian Aub Zam Zam, Top of
the Mark
Modern remixes: Bix, Lone Palm, Martuni’s
The bible: The Hour: A Cocktail Manifesto by
Bernard DeVoto (1948)
What to drink: dry martini, gimlet,
whisky highball

Aub Zam Zam, 1633 Haight St., 415-861-2545 Bix, 56 Gold

St., 415-433-6300, bixrestaurantcom Martuni’s, 4 Valencia
St., 415-241-0205 Top of the Mark, 1 Nob Hill, 415-616-6916,
topofthemark.com Lone Palm, 3394 22nd St., 415-648-0109,
lonepalmbar.com

the residence

Fern Bar
(1970–1980s)

Lemon Drop
2 ounces citrus flavored
vodka
1 ounce lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup
(equal parts sugar and
water, shaken until
sugar dissolves)
Rub lemon wedge
around outside rim of
a cocktail glass and dip
glass in sugar to coat.
Combine ingredients
into a shaker. Shake.
Strain into a chilled
glass. Garnish with
lemon wedge.
S
F bars Henry Africa’s (1970) and Perry’s (1969) are both
credited with starting the fern-bar trend that wound up
in a starring role as the Regal Beagle in Three’s Company
and launched a thousand T.G.I. Friday’s. Still, while
the new formula Galliano isn’t half bad (welcome back, Harvey
Wallbanger), we’re not sure that, cocktail-wise, a fern bar revival is
an entirely good idea. Plant-wise, bring it on.
Look for: faux Tiffany lamps, brass accents, knick-knacks, overstuffed
furniture, indoor plants, occasional wicker
SF classics: Perry’s Union Street, Royal Oak, The Lion Pub
Modern remixes: Eddie Rickenbacker’s (from the founder of Henry
Africa’s), The Residence
The bible: Jones’ Complete Bar Guide by Stan Jones (1977)
What to drink: Lemon Drop, Harvey Wallbanger, wine spritzer
Eddie Rickenbacker’s, 133 2nd St., 415-543-3498Perry’s Union Street, 1944 Union St., 415-
922-9022, perryssf.comThe Residence, 718 14th St., 415-797-8866Royal Oak, 2201 Polk St.,
415-928-2303The Lion Pub, 2062 Divisadero St., 415-567-6565

68 7 x 7. c o m augus t 201 0
 Tiki
smuggler’s cove

1934–1980s

T
he tiki trend began in Hollywood in 1934 at
Don the Beachcomber and was soon copied in
Oakland by Trader Vic’s. After WWII, these
South Pacific theme bars spread around the coun-
try, but cocktail quality declined as the quantity of imitators
increased. Now local revivalists are bringing back better drinks.

Look for: indoor waterfalls, coconut bowls, rum, drinks on fire,

flower garnishes
SF classics: Trad’r Sam, Tonga Room (while it lasts)
Modern remixes: Smuggler’s Cove, Bamboo Hut
The bible: Beachbum Berry Remixed by Jeff Berry (SLG, 2010)
What to drink: Mai Tai, Zombie, Scorpion Bowl

Bamboo Hut, 479 Broadway, 415-989-8555, maximumproductions.comSmuggler’s Cove,

650 Gough St., 415-869-1900, smugglerscovesf.comTonga Room, The Fairmont Hotel, 950
Mason St., 415-772-5278, tongaroom.comTrad’r Sam, 6150 Geary Blvd., 415-221-0733

Mai Tai
2 ounces aged Jamaican rum
¾ ounce lime juice
¾ ounce orange curaçao
1 teaspoon orgeat syrup
Combine everything in a shaker with
ice. Shake. Pour contents into an Old
Fashioned glass. Garnish with lime
wheel and mint sprig.

201 0 augus t 7 x 7. c o m 69