Category: Uncategorized

By me, in today’s SF Chronicle Italy’s Fiery Grappa the Latest Spirit to Go Upscale by Camper English Several spirits have overhauled their previously negative reputations in recent years. Tequila lovers now pay up to several hundred dollars per bottle, and consumers who wouldn’t touch gin three years ago now shake it with egg whites…

What’s up with my iPhone-tography skills? Do I have to be good at everything? Anyway, Beretta. I was only thinking about the cocktails when I went there, but it turns out that with inexpensive food and lots of communal seating, this may be the one cocktail restaurant in which I can actually afford to eat.…

When Beretta opens (currently scheduled for April 1), cocktail fans will recognize many familiar faces behind the bar. Thad Vogler (Slanted Door, Jardiniere, Bourbon & Branch) is leading the bar program, and some of the people taking shifts there will be Jon Santer (Bruno’s, Range, Tres Agaves, B&B), Todd Smith (Cortez, B&B), Ryan Fitzgerald (Tres…

News from Bourbon & Branch: They’ve added classes on Cocktails 101, Rum, and Absinthe to the Beverage Academy Taking co-management positions after Todd Smith’s departure are Joel Baker and Yanni Kehagiaras (pictured) Russell’s Room, an additional private room built into the former barbershop next door, is scheduled to open in April. Labels: bars, education, SanFrancisco

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…