Photo: Mathew Sumner
Does this springtime weather have you in a tropical mood? Tonight, tiki legend Martin Cate is pouring a menu of vintage exotics in the library at ~BOURBON & BRANCH~. Get your Hawaiian shirt or hula skirt on and head over for some tiki classics—you can read the lineup here. Corner of O’Farrell and Jones.
I was reading that ~ALEMBIC~ has some new and special additions on the whiskey shelf: “Michter's 25 year old bourbon and rye, a bunch of Willett single barrel selections, a full, albeit limited, selection of Van Winkle labels back in, the ever elusive Old Potrero 18th Century [tasted this at Whiskies of the World, whoooooo daddy!] and straight rye bottlings. And last, but possibly most exciting, a very limited release of some Stranahan's Colorado malt whiskey. We split a barrel with D&M liquors of the Grand Mesa, aged two years in heavily charred, new American oak, and finished for 8 months in used French oak wine barrels. Big and delicious. Get it while it lasts.” Heck, you don’t have to tell me twice! 1725 Haight St. at Cole, 415-666-0822.
I am happy to see the return of free food with happy hour drinks—it’s what got me through the early 90s. SFoodie had a mention of some free bites (“botanas”) during happy hour at ~MAYA~. Happy hour runs from 5pm–7pm, and according to the post, “all you have to do is order a $5 cocktail, glass of wine, or sangria, and you get an assortment of free appetizers.” 303 2nd St. at Harrison, 415-543-2928.
Here’s another happy hour that is gathering steam up in SoMa: ~THE COSMOPOLITAN~ is hosting a twice-weekly outdoor Bubbly & Beer Garden on its patio every Wednesday and Friday from 4pm–8pm. On offer: $4 Belgian beers (normally $8–$12) and bubbly. Featured discounted ales include Affligem Blonde, Duvel Golden Ale, Grimbergen Dubbel, and La Fin du Monde—and for the record, the discounted beer and bubbly pricing applies all night long on Friday. There are also happy hour bites like waffle and chicken sausage sliders, and pressed sandwiches with applewood-smoked ham and Gruyere for $6. 121 Spear St. at Mission, 415-543-4001.
~TERZO~ is offering a Spring Wine Special Sunday through Thursday, on now until May 31st. During this period, all bottles of wine priced at $40 or less are half off for dinner guests. Since Terzo specializes in small plates, dinner is defined as two small plates or one large plate per person. 3011 Steiner St. at Union, 415-441-3200.
Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco has launched a Meet the Winemaker series. ~SEASONS BAR AND LOUNGE~ will host a different winemaker every other Tuesday through the month of May from 5:30pm–7:30pm. The evenings will feature a flight of their latest release wines and hard-to-find vintages with paired appetizers (an additional $15). The schedule is as follows: April 7th is Jerome Chery of Saintsbury Winery of Napa, cost per flight is $35; April 21st is Bob Craig and Elton Sloan of Robert Craig Winery in Napa, cost per flight is $40; May 5th is Oded Shakked and Michael Melgoza of Longboard Vineyards in Sonoma, cost per flight is $30; and May 12th is Pete Seghesio of Seghesio Vineyards in Sonoma, cost per flight is $30. You’ll also be able to enjoy the piano music courtesy of Michael Udelson. 757 Market St. at Grant, 415-633-3838.
For those who get fired up on Napa wines and want to go deeper, head on up to St. Helena for the Atelier tasting at ~ACME FINE WINES~, their first-ever winemaker portfolio tasting on Saturday April 25th. You'll be able to walk through the wine shop, tasting and chatting with the crème de la crème of Napa Valley’s winemakers. Each winemaker who was invited to attend had to have at least three wineries in their portfolio in order to participate. The folks at Acme found 12 of the best and are excited to make this the first of many Ateliers. A complete list of winemakers and the wines each will be pouring is located here. You’ll taste Dancing Hares with Andy Erickson, Corra with Celia Welch Masyczek, Mercury Head with Dave Phinney, and La Sirena with Heidi Barrett (just to name a few), and you’ll be able to talk with each of the 12 winemakers about their styles and techniques. If you wish to sign up for one of the 100 tickets, contact Erin Sullivan at 707-963-0440 or erin [at] acmefinewines.com. $175 per person. The event is from 1pm–4pm. 1080 Fulton Lane at Railroad Ave., St. Helena, 1-888-963-0440.
