Stocking the Home Bar, Part 2

While contemplating part two of my guide to getting fucked up, I debated the whole cost / value dichotomy. I wanted to list my ideal choices for a perfect home bar, one that would set my heart a-flutter, my loins a-fire, and my eyes a-water. Or, you know, one to which I could secure a standing invite.

In the end, I just decided to concentrate on a few spirits and offer two (or more) choices for each, one slightly more value-oriented and one I actually drink. I'll get to the rest of the liquors in part three.

In your preferred areas, you'll want to purchase all the recommendations so as to increase your range of selections. So, with all that in mind, I present...

Stocking the Home Bar II: The Hard Stuff

Vodka - The most flexible of liquors, popular in cocktails because it so readily mixes with whatever flavors you desire. What else would you expect from something that's supposed to be flavorless, odorless, and colorless? Not my favorite of spirits (I prefer liquors of color), but a very necessary component of any home bar. You should probably have two or three of these.

You can use something slightly cheaper for most cocktails, as the mixers will be obscuring any benefits of the fourth, fifth and sixth distillations that are so common these days. Skyy fits the bill. No rotgut, please. Anything that comes in a plastic jug should probably be left on the liquor store shelf. Have some self-respect, man.

I prefer the clean smoothness of Imperia, brought to us by the fine folks at Russian Standard. Try drinking it neat (straight out of the bottle: no ice, no mixers) and warm. Then try that in a side-by side with any of the other top brands like Grey Goose, Ketel One, Belvedere. You'll be surprised how smooth it is.

Also, Imperia's San Francisco rep is super nice and H-O-T, hot.

Gin - Traditionally, the liquor of the hardcore drunk. Gin's odiferous botanicals, mostly the juniper, turn off most people (like Brandy), but gin has a long and storied place in cocktail lore and deserves a place in the home bar. For your well, I'd stick with a recognizable brand: Tanqueray, Beefeater, Bombay (London Dry or Sapphire).

Then, for your gin aficionado guests, you can bust out the neat stuff. If you can find it, I highly recommend Sarticious. Besides being distilled by a cool local company, Sarticious features some odd botanicals, including cilantro. Hendrick's uses cucumber and rose petals in their infusions; I like Hendrick's and tonic with slices of lime and cucumber. And don't forget the other two local gins, Junipero (a more traditional gin from the great folks at Anchor Brewing) and No. 209 (a touch floral, five times distilled).

Rum - Talk about a spirit unexplored by most mainlanders. Admit it; the only rums you're really familiar with are Bacardi and Captain Morgan (and yes, you'll probably want to have these two on hand). Oh, you poor, sheltered folk. Despite its ugly history as part of the slave trade, rum is a fine spirit with a great many cocktail uses (mojitos, daiquiris and pina coladas merely scratch the surface).

There also exist what are known as sipping rums. It's a dorky name, but the rums are fabulous. Zaya is damn tasty, with a rich, smooth finish. For a more authentically island experience, you might want to track down some Rhum Barbancourt (I particularly enjoy the Réserve Spéciale on the rocks). [Note: rhum (with an H) merely comes from the French.]

We also need to mention cachaça, the national liquor of Brazil and a spirit made almost identically to rum. Distilled from sugar cane juice (as opposed to molasses), cachaça tastes, to me, like a cross between rum and tequila, exhibiting the sweetness of rum and the spicy pepperiness of tequila.

I'd buy some. The Caipirinha is one of the easiest, tastiest cocktails to make. Go with the Ypióca Standard Crystal or Leblon, a newcomer in the San Francisco market.

Next post: Tequila, Whisk(e)y, Cognac / Brandy, better known as some of my favorite things.

 

This post has been brought to you by Sexy Rexy Grossman (be sure to click both links; they're funny) and the winners of Weblog Award's 2006 Best Sports Blog at Kissing Suzy Kolber (sometimes, I can pick a winner).

Have a Merry / Happy ChrisWanzMukkah or Chrismukkah or pagan winter festival or Festivus! Happy Holidays!

 

Royal Pain

Just a quick couple of notes:

• KC Royals GM Dayton Moore is either a genius or a thetic wacko. After coming over from the Braves, he's started acquiring somewhat questionable players, but this offseason, it might all be coming into focus. Today, he signed a decent reliever and two injury retreads who could potentially turn into a pitching goldmine. If Day and Duckworth can come back from their surgeries, they would add a lot of depth to a starting staff that could only be described as a train wreck last year. There's obviously some risk (or Riske) here, but it looks like Moore is slowly reshaping the Royals' pitching, and that can only be a good thing.



• Pandora.com has just launched its community functionality. I like the concept, and when I have some more time (after New Year's), I'll be exploring it some more. For now, you can take a look at (and a listen to) what I'm currently streaming. Just click on QuickMix in the Stations box on the left.



• I'm in the midst of organizing a CD collection that has gotten out of control the past few months. And trust me, this is part of a larger, long-overdue, overall cleaning of the apartment. All for you, Jamie. All for you.

 

Shaking the Beef

Taking a brief break from the home bar guide to bring you a restaurant recommendation.

You need to eat at Dragonfly.

According to the reviews, it's contemporary Vietnamese cuisine. Sounds about right. Also according to the reviews, it's really good. That sounds about right, too. But I'll go so far as to add that it's really damn good. Good enough that Brandy and I had to inquire about getting a takeout menu (they're printing up new ones, but we did get a lunch menu).

There seem to be a number of people who agree with our assessment as well:

From the friendly diners-about-town at Yelp

From the SF Metroblogs

From the San Francisco Bay Guardian

They were also named in the SFBG's Best of the Bay 2006 as the Best New Vietnamese Ensconcement (text follows):

While day-trippers, tourists, and others among the less well informed and less adventurous are paying through the nose at the Ferry Building for their contemporary Vietnamese food, you could be safely ensconced at Dragonfly, a year-old Inner Sunset restaurant whose stylish urban interpretations of Vietnamese cooking are as good as any in town, at calming prices. The setting (once a dim Chinese seafood place) is modest but crisply appointed; there are elegant white table linens, glossy wood chairs, and a view--not of the bay, alas, but of Muni's N Judah trains squealing through a 90-degree turn on their way to and from the neighborhood's foggiest outlands. So maybe money can buy some things. On the other hand, some of us are afraid of water, to say nothing of day-trippers roaming in packs. Since you rode public transport here, you can get as tipsy as you like at dinner without having to worry about a DUI bust on the way home.

That's right. A thinly-veiled reference to Slanted Door. If you read through the other reviews, you'll find outright comparisons. And they're right; it's just as good.

My (incredibly miniscule) complaints: I like a squeeze more lime on my shaking beef. It's cheaper than Slanted Door, but it's not cheap. You could dine on a budget, but you'd probably miss out on some really great stuff.

Some raves: Dragonfly makes ginger - garlic rice with chicken broth and coconut rice, both of which come out wrapped in banana leaf. Yum. I would be perfectly happy ordering a shaking beef (with an extra lime wedge) and three orders of the ginger - garlic rice (or maybe two of those and one coconut rice for variety).

We also got the steamed sea bass (divine and divinely cooked, almost sous-vide in its wonderfully translucent succulence) and the seafood hot plate (seafood, hot plate, spicy sauce, all-around yumminess).

And as mentioned in the reviews, it is literally in front of an N-Judah stop. Convenient. But for those of you driving in from out of town, there is a small, free parking lot for customers across the street as well. Let that sink in for a second. There's a free parking lot across the street. Anyone who's had to find parking in the Inner Sunset on a weekend knows how truly monumental that is.

I highly recommend Dragonfly. So highly, in fact, that you could very well see me eating there when you go.

How the hell did I not find this place sooner?

420 Judah Street, San Francisco, 94122, 415-661-7755

 

Stocking the Home Bar, Part 1

A work friend of mine recently purchased a home bar. Not an actual bar, as in a piece of furniture, but the alcohol itself. And he went crazy.

Thanks to the wonders of bevmo.com, my friend (who we'll call Phil) received delivery of four (4) cases of hard liquor at a cost greater than $500 but less than $1,000. Needless to say, even I think that's a bit overkill, but then again, you're reading a blog by a guy who easily could walk into a store and drop that sort of money on 5 - 10 bottles of fine scotch. Or tequila. Or bourbon. Or rum. You get the picture.

Phil's ginormous purchase got me to thinking about what I'd buy if I wanted to set up a home bar (a new one, I mean) -- enough breadth to cover most cocktail requests but with a little depth in my preferred spirits. So here's my guide to starting your own home bar.

Mixers

Obviously, a bar is only as good as the liquor being served, but unless you're drinking only martinis and scotch on the rocks, you'll be needing a few mixers. However, mixers are usually the weakest link in the home cocktail chain as most home bartenders don't give them too much thought. The essentials?

Triple Sec - The most frequently used of all the mixers. Adds orange flavor and sweetness to all manner of drinks from the ubiqitous Cosmopolitan to the Sidecar to the Margarita (and yes, I know purists would prefer just tequila, agave nectar and lime, but for our setup purposes, triple sec is a fine ingredient). Cointreau is a high-end triple sec, so if you're feeling flush or particularly ambitious, you should go that route. Grand Marnier is also an orange liqueur, but more on that later.

Vermouth - Yes, you need both dry (white) and sweet (red). Old-fashioned drinkers like a little dry vermouth in their Martinis (try it some time; I think you'll be pleasantly surprised). And Old fashioned drinkers like some sweet vermouth in their Manhattans.

Simple Syrup - Sugar and water. You'd be surprised how many drinks require this. Especially after you've broken your arm shaking drinks enough to completely dissolve the sugar listed in pretty much every drink recipe. The water in the syrup will help open the bouquets of most liquors, if you're worried about dilution. So don't be. Make the syrup yourself and save a little cash.

Sour Mix - Don't buy commercially prepared sour mix. Really, don't buy commercially prepared sour mix. You just made simple syrup; mix some of that with fresh lime and lemon juices. The difference is staggering, although it won't get properly frothy when shaken. If you miss the froth, you can always create it the old-fashioned way; add a little raw egg white to the sour mix. For those of you who prefer your drinks without salmonella but still want froth, you can add a bit of pineapple juice before shaking.

Rose's Lime Juice (and Grenadine) - Essential for a good Gimlet, useful in a Kamikazi, passable in a Cosmo. And grenadine... you can't make a Shirley Temple without grenadine. Nor can you make a Roy Rogers nor a Tequila Sunrise nor a proper Mai Tai Martini. I really do prefer the Rose's brand. They just taste better than any other brands I've had, sort of the way Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail tastes better than its competitors...

Fruit Juices - While you should keep some canned juices (pineapple and tomato keep decently well in cans and, of course, Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail) on hand for emergencies and/or last-minute get-togethers, you should buy fresh (flash-pasteurized) juices whenever possible. Orange juice for Screwdrivers and Fuzzy Navels, and if I'm coming over, grapefruit juice for Salty Dogs or just Greyhounds. Also, invest in a citrus squeezer and fresh limes and lemons. Trust me, it makes a big difference.

Sodas - Small bottles of club soda, tonic water, ginger ale, Coca-Cola, Sprite and, for those who just completely missed the point of drinking in the first place, Diet Coke. Bottles are better than cans. Buying small bottles may be more expensive, but they'll work better in the long run unless you're having a big party.

Next up: liquors (not liqueurs).

 

Taking Advantage of Your Locale

Hola, kids.

Today, I'd just like to provide a recap of some of the cool and interesting things Brandy and I have been doing around The City recently. At one point, I was thinking about making this blog mostly about things to do in San Francisco. Then, I remembered that I'm old and married and that I don't get out as much as I used to. However, the past couple of weeks have been downright social.

So for your perusal, a (miniscule) list of things to do in San Francisco:

• Circa - A new restaurant in the Marina in the spot where Cozmo's Grill used to be. Nice decor (golds and wood browns) and an interesting space, although it seems to be more bar/club than restaurant. A nice place to take friends for a night of revelry among the beautiful people. I highly recommend the sliders (they come with black truffle) and the lobster mac-n-cheese (it comes with white truffle). Mmmmm... truffles.



• Silversun Pickups and Wolfmother at the Fillmore (I'd link to the official site, but they seem to have been acquired by Live Nation, and now the site is sucky and corporate) - Ah, the Fillmore -- that storied live music venue. Home of countless historic performances and the fabled Poster Room. We got these tickets because Tina at work was unable to go. Sweet. The tickets had been sold out for weeks.



• Not So Silent Night - A San Francisco holiday tradition, this yearly concert is brought to us by our friendly neighborhood alternative radio station, Live 105. I won't bore you with the band details other than to say that the show was great (oh, and did you know that Johnny Marr is now playing guitar for Modest Mouse? You know... Johnny Marr? How do you not know who Johnny Marr is?!? WTF?!?!? JOHNNY MARR!!!). Thanks again to Tina, who sold me the tickets (which sold out in, literally, three minutes) because she couldn't make it to this one, either.



• An aside here: as a music fan, it's weeks like these that I truly appreciate living in San Francisco. You know your favorite bands are coming here to play; if they're touring, they'll play somewhere in the Bay Area. And they'll be excited to play here because some of the most knowledgable music fans on earth live here (I'd say passionate, but we're really a rather jaded bunch, and we don't display our appreciation with loud cheering or exuberant dancing). And rather than playing a show in a giant arena, sometimes they'll play several shows at a smaller, more intimate venue like the Fillmore or Cafe du Nord. It really is a blessing, and one that I should probably take advantage of a little more often.



• Lark Creek Steak - A lovely little slice of the Bradley Ogden mini-empire right inside the newly-opened San Francisco Centre (and yes, the mall is just as pretentious as the British spelling of Centre implies). The restaurant, however, is really nice. A bit pricy but ultimately worth it. The dry-aged ribeye is quite good, and the service is very good while not being too stuffy. A nice place to take your parents when they come visit.



• Jack Falstaff- A little slice of the Plumpjack mini-empire by the ballpark. Friendly service, good food, once again a tad pricy, but then again, what decent restaurant in SF isn't? The braised lamb is mild, yet tasty, the caesar salad is very good (the tempura egg on top combines the flavor of frying and the texture of poaching. Lovely.) and the bread comes with a myriad of oils and hummus for dipping.



• Bourbon and Branch - The speakeasy returns to San Francisco. Yes, it's a little pretentious. Knowing some of the bartenders helps, as do connections in the industry, but it's a fun place nonetheless. If the booths had really comfortable leather seats, I think I could live in the damn place. Classic cocktails in a classic setting. And yes, you do actually need to make reservations.

 

Sports Update

Since a lot has happened in the world of sports over the past couple of weeks...

• A little college hockey. Watch until the very end. You must see the goal in slow motion. Originally found at 10,000 Takes.
  
  
  
• You might have seen this one already.
  
  
  
• This one's for A's fans: How Commish Stole Christmas
  
  
• And finally, a few words about the BCS. Not particularly pro-Michigan, but the shirts are damn funny, and if you have time (and have some recollection of 80s movies), the comments are priceless.

(Not Quite an) Ode to San Francisco

I love the Bay Area.

The limitless sweep of the Pacific. The undulating urban vistas of San Francisco. The confluence of nature and architecture visible from the Marin Headlands. The urban oasis that is Golden Gate Park. The symbolic welcome of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Barbary Coast history of prospectors, rogues and mavericks. The resolute spirit of 1906 (and 1989) survivors and rebuilders. The indomitable will of civil rights protestors. The activist ethic of the early gay community. The pluck and drive of immigrant families and communities. The wonderfully quirky and altogether weird nature of the whole city.

Riding the 22 Fillmore from up-and-coming, dockside Dogpatch over the sleepy residences and warehouses of Potrero Hill, through the heart of the Mission, with its artists and long-established Latino community, into the gentrifying mix of young urbanites and Section 8 tenants in the Lower Haight and north into the Fillmore, the aging yet still-beating heart of black San Francisco, immediately into the Asian wonderland of Japantown, up the hill to the Old Money of Pacific Heights, then down into the new money and accumulation of recently-graduated fraternity boys and sorority girls in Cow Hollow and the Marina. And then back the other way.

The food. What can you say about the food? It's good. Really good. Sometimes it's authentic. Sometimes it's fusion. Sometimes it's authentic with just a slight new twist. Sometimes it's something completely new. It runs the gamut between ridiculously cheap and mind-bogglingly expensive. It's well-made and well-executed and served to a populace that knows when it's not.

Wine runs through the veins of the city, occasionally spiked with some craft-brewed beer or artisanal brandies or small-batch vodka or gin. But always at less than .08 percent.

Just like any other city, the people can be gruff, annoying, crazy, loud, opinionated, working-class, well-educated, moneyed, scraping by, hip, nice, helpful, friendly, strange. But above all, they're wonderful.

It really is The City, and I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be right now.

Social Faux Pas

When I was home a few weeks ago, my mother showed me a newspaper article she had saved for me. (It was actually reprinted in the Youngstown Vindicator, but I found the article here. It's short; you can go ahead and read it.)

So it seems that my mother is aware of my penchant for rants on politics and religion. Now, I'm not sure if she just reads my blog (I did send her the link a long time ago) or if she's trying to drop not-so-subtle hints that I shouldn't be so frank when discussing the big issues with my parents.

Either way, she's probably thinking that I should be nicer when stating my views on such deeply and personally held beliefs.

For me, this just comes back to the whole honey / vinegar thing. While I know that a measured, intelligent discussion would go much further towards achieving my political aims (or at least practicable compromise), I prefer to rant and make fun of people. Call it a character flaw.

As the article states, though, ignoring political and religious discourse is not the way. We might all need to be a bit nicer, but we need to have these discussions. More importantly, we need to discuss the big issues with the people in the halls of power, or we risk being ignored in our own political process. Or our own religion. Or our own lives.

But you know what most freaks me out about this whole thing? My mom might read my blog.

 

P.S. - Pandora rules. A little Silversun Pickups, a little Joy Zipper, a little Pixies, a little Sloan, and all the attendant suggestions. Better than any broadcast radio station.