I’m a longtime SF cocktail enthuiast, so I was happy to see this thread pop up. I’m having a disagreeable week, so I’ve made an impromptu bar crawl out of my evening, focused on spots I haven’t tried yet. Disclaimer: I am neither a photographer nor a particularly visual person.
To start, Brad Kilgore’s ama.
I opened with the fungi & oak. This is a fabulous whiskey sour- the savory notes are subtle but play nicely in the middle, and the pepper is prominent only until the whiskey takes over. Per the bartender, the mushrooms are cooked & infused for two days, and the result is distinctive among mushroom drinks I’ve tried.
As a chaser, the Arrancini (not pictured, apologies). These are tiny, but the flavor is rich and the texture pleasant.
Second, the cilantro & ume is downright creamy at first sip. Savory & herbal without the foam, bright-salty-tart with it. This is a remarkably constructed drink, and a master class in impactful foam.
To finish, the scallops. These were impeccably cooked and dressed both, with the cheese-heavy potato base serving as more sauce than side dish. The bitter greens contrasted it all beautifully.
Stop two: Long Weekend. This is Future Bars Group’s most recent offering, to my knowledge. While Future Bars has consistently excellent offerings, the “consistent” borders on perjorative; their menus rarely (if ever) change, making repeat visits often disappointing. While this has eased at some locations (I recall a seasonal specials menu at Zombie Village last year), Long Weekend is a remarkable exception: they will supposedly revise both the menu & decor from scratch every 9 months. To begin: Long Weekend Havana, now in its second month.
While I rarely order a classic cocktail (having sampled most of the canon), I’ve never heard of a Canchánchara. The drink is a delicious little daiquiri variant- I love how the saline offsets the sweetness. The accoustics in the space made for great conversation, and I enjoyed talking shop with the bartender until I moved on.
For my final stop, Lucky Spot, the latest offering from the group behind the Marina’s For The Record. The space is divey as they come, but welcoming all the same. I grabbed the Root Awakening to cap things off. The drink isn’t as cold as I’d like, but the balance of flavors make up for it, well beyond the standards a rootbeer highball- a smokey start immediately swerves into intensely herbaceous sweetness, with enough layers on top of the rootbeer to keep it interesting. Will I ever prioritize this place? No. Is it good for a dive? Absolutely yes, and their bottle selection (and pricing for it!) punches well above their perceived weight class.
A pleasant evening, overall, and a lovely distraction. I hope you find this useful. Cheers!
