Author: Camper English

Plymouth gin is the bartender’s favorite brand here in San Francisco. What’s nice is that the brand sponsors events to thank them for it. In the winter they offered a lecture on molecular mixology techniques, and earlier this week they flew in David Wondrich to lead a big group on a cocktail history tour of…

Big news in SF barland: Todd Smith has turned in his resignation at Bourbon & Branch. He’s been with them since long before they opened but said, “It’s time for me to move on and do another project.” He told me he plans to take some time off and work on some consulting gigs he’s…

The text of my Belgian beer bars story from San Francisco Magazine is now online here. And if you’re interested, my Aspen travel piece is here. Labels: beer, camper_clips, travel

This past year has been busy, crazy, and wonderful. I realize it’s only been a little over a year since I started writing about cocktails and spirits full-time. That seems ludicrous, as I’ve learned so much since my first big feature in the SF Chronicle in October of 2006. And the thing is, I still…

By me, in today’s SF Chronicle: Daytime Cocktails for New Years Brunch Camper English, Special to the Chronicle New Year’s Day often arrives with one pondering the previous night’s indulgences and the resulting aftereffects. On the upside, this can also be done with a cocktail in hand. Whether consuming them to nurse the previous night’s…

By me, in today’s SF Chromicle: Splurge on a $12,000 bottle of scotch Though the product isn’t available until January, the whiskey lover in your life probably won’t mind the IOU for this $12,000 Macallan 55-year-old single-malt Scotch packaged in a custom Lalique crystal bottle. The spirit inside is unusual for Macallan as it has…

By me, in today’s SF Chronicle: Drink Menus Explore Virgin Territory with Alcohol-Free Cocktails Camper English, Special to the Chronicle Bay Area restaurants and bars are increasingly devoting space on their menus to alcohol-free drinks. These concoctions are more complicated than simple sodas and juices, involving the same glassware, seasonal ingredients and fresh garnishes as…

I contributed this round-up of new drinking venues to the San Francisco Bay Guardian. As I was taking notes on the venues that opened in the past year, I realized that there are way to many of them to list. The final article has 32 new venues listed, and it doesn’t include a third of…

By me, in today’s SF Chronicle: Raise a Glass to Yoga Class A sense of relaxation, the loss of calories and increased flexibility are some of the benefits that come with yoga practice, but the just-opened Cocoon Urban Day Spa and Local Kitchen and Wine Merchant have teamed up with some rewards that are a…

By me, in today’s SF Chronicle: Fritz Maytag and the team at Anchor Distilling are so far ahead of the curve they must get bored waiting for us to catch up. They’ve just released Genevieve, a genever-style gin they began developing in 1996, which has been sitting in a tank ever since. Genever is an…