On our last day in San Fran, we went to one more great cocktail bar that had been recommended to us by several sources (including a few attendees at the Independent Spirit Fest). The reports we'd received were that this bar has a daytime cocktail menu and a nighttime menu that only comes out after sunset. Intrigued by this idea, and the fact that we knew they were making great drinks, we headed out to its neighborhood, the Haight. We arrived around 12:30 pm at The Alembic, and were greeted by Josey Packard, the bartender/mixologist on duty. Josey swiftly gave us menus and told us a bit about the place, and we set about deciding what to have. The vast array of truly unique spirits behind the bar was awe inspiring, so we tried to focus on the drink list.
Here are the cocktails we tried, along with some amazing eats:
Round I
Ramos Gin Fizz (never had a proper one of these in a bar before)
Red Snapper (housemade mary mix with gin rather than vodka)
Round II
Pearly Gates (gin, mint, lime, and a secret ingredient)
Bloody Bloody Bull (with beef broth added, and we asked for Aquavit rather than tequila)
All the cocktails were great, but my fave was the Pearly Gates (which we later learned was one of Josey's creations, hence the photo of her and the drink above!). As I get older, I am developing more of a taste for anise, so the hint of it from the mystery ingredient was great in this drink. I'll have to see if I can get Josey to give me that recipe!
Unfortunately we had to leave to catch our plane, or we could've easily stayed until the nighttime menu came out and talk more with Josey. We even got to try some Old Tom gin there, as well as some other spirits we've not seen before - it was great!
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