Umami Mart

The Archangel cocktail was created in 2006, and is the collaborative effort of bartenders Michael McIlroy and Richard Boccato of Milk & Honey fame. After an enthusiastic discussion about soccer legend Gabriel Batistuta, the two bartenders came up with the name Archangel, for the Archangel Gabriel. Archangel 2.25 oz. Plymouth Gin 0.75 oz. Aperol 2 […]

Albert Mathieu was a French mining engineer, who in 1802 proposed a plan to build a tunnel beneath the English Channel connecting France and England. Since the two countries were not the greatest of pals at the time, the idea had a tough time gaining traction. Heightened political pressure in England over national security concerns […]

The 20th Century is a cocktail created in the 20th Century (1937 to be exact) by C.A. Tuck (I don’t know what C.A. stands for–Cocktail Aficionado perhaps?). It first appeared in the Cafe Royal Cocktail Book written by William J. Tarling, and is named after the 20th Century Limited train line that operated from 1902 […]

Here is Part Deux in our Tokyo-SF Bartender Salon Series. Meet Monsieur Tomokazu Kai, bartender at Heuga Bar in Gifu, Japan. Mr. Kai won the 2011 Suntory Cocktail Award, and his prize was a trip to SF and NYC. Gifu is a way’s away from Tokyo, a city just north of Nagoya, but clearly it is […]

PREFACE Vermouth 101: The Old Hickory +++ Well now that you have an appetite inducing “qualifying round” under the belt, time to move to the first course. When it comes to vermouth cocktails, the next logical step in expanding ones appreciation of what the spirit can do is to go back to the beginning. In […]

Being out of the country for nearly a month has a tendency to adjust a person’s perspective of “home.” Home has had various meanings and geographical locations in various moments in my life. Conceptually, it means numerous–and sometimes conflicting–things at one time, and all this really came to light on my recent trip to Iran. […]

“Floreant Agni” (May the Lambs Flourish) – Motto of the original Lambs theatre club The month of March is supposed to end like a Lamb but Mother Nature is not playing nice–it is still 30ËšF outside! Nevertheless, this week’s cocktail captures winter’s last stand and book ends the month quite nicely! The Lambs Club Cocktail […]

“Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?” “Certainly, monsieur.” The barman seemed pleased with the idea. “Gosh, that’s certainly a drink,” said Leiter. Bond laughed. “When I’m…er…concentrating,” he […]

“Slash sat me down at his house and said, You’ve got to clean up your act. You know you’ve gone too far when Slash is saying, ‘Look, you’ve got to get into rehab.” – Charlie Sheen What do you do when you have trouble coming up with a name for a cocktail you’ve created? Well, […]

I recently read an article by Gary Regan about a couple of modern cocktails he predicts will eventually become classics, and it made me think about exactly what makes a cocktail a classic. The answer may seem fairly obvious in that it just needs to taste awesome, but I’ve had many newly created cocktails that […]