The Lush

Some really good cocktails came out of the Depression, no mistake about that. ~AMERICANO~ at Hotel Vitale is now offering Depression Era Cocktails Sat–Wed from 4pm–6pm and 10pm–12am. For $6, you can have an Americano, Sidecar, Vodka Collins, Aviation, or Whiskey Sour, plus $5 glasses of red…

The Metro Bar on Market has been closed for renovations, and will be reopening as ~BLACKBIRD BAR~. The project from Shawn Vergara and Doug Murphy of Moby's and 440 will be something new for the Castro: a warm and cozy rustic-modern bar, more in the stylistic vein of…

Ladies, listen up, because this event is enough to make me wish I was drinking: this Thursday May 14th, Conduit is hosting a free tasting event, ~GIN & GEN~, which will be about tasting and learning about gin and genever. And it's for ladies only. Some very special…

Opening this Friday May 1st is ~TRIGGER~, the latest Greg Bronstein bar project. Designer Craige Walters reportedly re-did the former Jet/Detour (oh, the days) plus an adjoining space into a completely new look described as SoHo loft meets Hollywood Regency. There will also be Black Card memberships (I have…

Don’t blame me if you come back to the office toasted, but here goes: ~PALIO D'ASTI~ is offering $1 martinis (Stoli or Hendrick's) from 11:30am–2pm throughout the month of April. At half the price of iced tea, it becomes the most rational choice.…

Over in the Polk Gulch, the N’Touch Bar is going to be converted into the ~KOZY CAR BAR~. Yup, Kozy, like those vans in the 70s. The new owner is Sam Young, who currently owns the DragonBar (he was the half-owner of the following venues until 2006: The Desert…

~ZINNIA~ is hosting a happy hour Tue–Sat from 5pm–6:30pm, with half-off on wines by the glass and cocktails. 500 Jackson St. at Montgomery, 415-956-7300. How timely, we’re still in the “r” months, and ~DISTRICT~ is now offering $1 oysters every day during happy hour (4pm–6pm…

This Thursday March 19th is a tasting with Sans Liege Wines at ~SWIRL ON CASTRO~. Curt Schalchlin produces Rhone varietals (grenache, syrah, mourvedre, viognier, and marsanne)—these are the first releases from this dynamic young winemaker under his own brand. $15 with your RSVP to info [at] swirloncastro.com, $20…