If you would like to purchase tickets for any of 2009’s San Francisco Cocktail Week events, please click here

OPENING GALA
MONDAY, MAY 11, 2009
6:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M.
$25 per person
Le Colonial, 20 Cosmo Place, San Francisco 94109

Kick off the Third Annual San Francisco Cocktail Week, and celebrate the City’s spirited history in and around the Barbary Coast, as local mixologists shake and stir signature cocktails in the upstairs lounge at Le Colonial. Admission includes drink tickets good for two featured cocktails and snacks prepared by Le Colonial. Additional drink tickets will be available on the night of the event for $7.00 each.
All guests must be 21 & over, please.
Tickets are available through Snag Tickets. Additional drink tickets can also be purchased in advance through the same link for $5.00 each.
For more specific information about the event, please contact info@sfcocktailweek.com.

Immediately following the opening gala, head to 15 Romolo, 15 Romolo @ Broadway, for an after-party celebration. All attendees of the after-party must be 21 & over, please.

UNITED STATES BARTENDERS’ GUILD NATIONAL COMPETITION
TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2009
San Francisco Local Competition starts at 11:00 am
National Competition starts at 5:00 pm
Harry Denton’s Starlight Room, at the top of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel
450 Powell Street @ Sutter
Admission is free, but all attendees must be 21 or over.
Sponsored by Tres Generaciones

Come cheer on USBG bartender favorites from across the United States as they battle for the coveted National Champion Title.
The San Francisco Local Competition starts at 11 am, and the winner will then compete in a National Competition, which begins at 5 pm.
Confirmed judges will be Livio Lauro, President of the USBG National Guild, and Tony Abou-Ganim, aka The Modern Mixologist. The Master of Ceremony will be Bobby “G” Gleason, Mixologist for Beam Global.
For more information about the competition, or for invitations to the event, please contact norcalusbg@gmail.com.

Immediately following the USBG National Competition, head to Cantina, 580 Sutter Street @ Mason, for an after-party celebration.
All attendees of both events must be 21 & over, please.

CANE-BASED SPIRITS AND FARMERS’ MARKET COCKTAILS
SOLD OUT
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009
5:30 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.
$30.00 per person
CUESA Kitchen at the San Francisco Ferry Building

The non-profit operator of the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market, the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA), and San Francisco Cocktail Week will host an evening of Farmers’ market inspired cocktails at the CUESA kitchen in front of the San Francisco Ferry Building. During the evening, guests will sample cane-based cocktails created by renowned Bay Area bartenders using the freshest of farmers’ market ingredients, as well as passed appetizers prepared by some of the Bay Area’s top Chef’s. Cost per entry includes tastes of all demonstrated cocktails, two signature drinks and appetizers. Tickets are available through brownpapertickets.com.

Immediately following the CUESA event, head over to Elixir, 3200 16th Street @ Guerrero, for a celebration of World Cocktail Day. Get a jump on World Cocktail Day at Elixir’s weekly Charity Guest Bartending program, where guest bartenders Ricky Gomez (New Orleans) and Marcos Tello (Los Angeles) will shake and stir up drinks to celebrate the 203^rd anniversary of the Cocktail. All tips from the evening will be donated to the Museum of the American Cocktail.
No cover, drinks for sale, tips for charity. All attendees must be 21 & over, please.

SAN FRANCISCO COCKTAIL WEEK AND IMBIBE MAGAZINE PRESENT:
BAR SCHOOL — A DAY OF EDUCATION
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2009
Times and Locations Vary

This isn’t your typical classroom; forget reading, writing, and arithmetic…instead, think ounces, herbs, garnishes, and tinctures. Imbibe Magazine is partnering with San Francisco Cocktail Week in order to coordinate a collection of cocktail, spirits, and bartending focused classes, taught by some of the Bay Area’s leading mixologists and spirits authorities. Classes will be held throughout the City and East Bay. Class topics will range from how to create your own house-made ingredients (taught by Jeff Hollinger of Absinthe Brasserie & Bar and Neyah White of NOPA); batching cocktails for your next cocktail party (taught by H. Joseph Ehrmann of Elixir); understanding Latin American spirits (taught by Duggan McDonnell of Cantina and local spirits writer Jordan Mackay); learning about the nuances of today’s gin (taught by Jon Santer of Martin Miller’s Gin); distillation 101 (taught on location at Hangar 1 Distillery by Master Distiller, Lance Winters); Charles H. Baker’s contributions to the cocktail world (taught by Erik Atkins of Heaven’s Dog and Slanted Door); and the history of Barbary Coast Cocktails (taught by Carlos Yturria of Rye and Conduit).

For specific class listings and information, please check the Bar School Classes page.
Tickets for all classes are available through Snag Tickets.

ALSO ON THURSDAY:

Gin and Gen
Conduit Restaurant
280 Valencia Street
Free & Open to Ladies Only, but Space is Limited. 5-8 PM. RSVP mandatory: reza[at]superultramega.com

An Opportunity To Taste and Learn About Gin and Genever. Join us for this LADIES ONLY event during San Francisco Cocktail Week, to enjoy the luster of juniper in cocktails served by some of the industry’s leading mixologists. Meet some of San Francisco’s finest cocktail talents and special guests including: Kendra Scott, Distiller of Anchor Junipero gin, Antoinette Cattani, Importer of Damrak gin and Lucas Bols genever, and Charlotte Voisey, National Brand Ambassador for Hendrick’s Gin National and award winning mixologist.

All guests must be 21 & over, please.

ALSO ON THURSDAY:

The Peruvian Connection
Pisco Latin Lounge
1817 Market Street
Free admission, $7.00 Pisco Punch and Pisco Sour all night

Meet cocktail history researcher Guillermo Toro-Lira (author of the international award winning book “Wings of Cherubs. The  Saga of the Rediscovery of Pisco Punch”) and a member of the Academia Peruana del Pisco, Peru’s elite Pisco Historical Society. Just back from the unveiling of a statue in Lima honoring the inventor of Pisco Sour, Toro-Lira will be available to discuss the history of pisco based drinks and their historical California connection. Special drawing for prizes, and everyone gets a Tapas Discount Card. All guests must be 21 & over, please.

SAN FRANCISCO COCKTAIL WEEK PRESENTS:
“WORLD COCKTAIL WEEK HAPPY HOUR; BAYOU ON THE BAY”
FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2009
5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
$30 per person. Admission includes two drink tickets and snacks prepared by Epic Roasthouse. Additional drink tickets will also be available for sale.
Epic Roasthouse, 369 The Embarcadero, San Francisco

Join us for Friday afternoon cocktails and celebrate Bayou on the Bay as we share a toast to World Cocktail Week and enjoy San Francisco’s best ambiance, swilling at the best cocktails shaken up by some of San Francisco’s world-renowned bartenders. Legendary local mixologists, such as Duggan McDonnell, Jon Santer, Dominic Venegas, H. Joseph Ehrmann, Jeff Hollinger, and Epic Roasthouse’s own Camber Lay will be mixing one-of-a-kind cocktail creations, which they will individually develop for this event.
Proceeds from Bayou on the Bay will benefit San Francisco Cocktail Week partner, the Museum of the American Cocktail, a Big Easy institution that has helped to define today’s cocktail culture and heritage.

This event will also double as Drink Me Magazine’s second issue release party. Those of you who are familar with Drink Me (and even those of you who have yet to learn about the magazine) should head to the Drink Me website and sign up for their mailing list in order to learn how to qualify for an additional drink ticket at this event.

All guests must be 21 & over, please.
Tickets for this event are available through Snag Tickets. Additional drink tickets can also be purchased in advance through the same link for $7.00 each. Drink tickets purchased on the day of the event will be $9.00 each.

NORTH BEACH HISTORICAL COCKTAIL AND BAR CRAWL
HOSTED BY, THE TABLEHOPPER, MARCIA GAGLIARDI
SOLD OUT
SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2009
Show up at Vesuvio’s anytime after 2:30 pm in order to pick up your map and a drink card, which is good for one $5.00 cocktail at each participating bar. Each bar will honor the drink tickets until 7:00 pm.
To RSVP for this event, please email info@sfcocktailweek.com, and make sure to include Tablehopper Cocktail Crawl in the subject line or body of the email. Sold Out!

Join us for an informal cocktail crawl throughout North Beach, as we visit some of San Francisco’s most legendary bars. We will gather at Vesuvio at around 2:30 pm, where official Cocktail Week drink cards and a map of the crawl will be passed out to attendees. Once you’ve received your drink cards and map, you are free to wander North Beach’s Historic Bars on your own, or you can come along on one of our “guided” tours. Bars included in the tour are, Vesuvio, SF Brew, Taverna Aventine, Tosca Cafe, and we’ll be finishing up at the Savoy Tivoli. The drink cards will be good for one $5.00 featured cocktail at each bar.

For more information, please email info@sfcocktailweek.com.

All attendees must be 21 & over, please.

ALSO ON SATURDAY:

Learn to make two spring drinks with acclaimed bartender and author Scott Beattie and hear about small batch distilling from Lou Bustamante of St. George Spirits and Hangar One Vodka. Each guest will have extensive hands-on time with Scott, and instruction includes side recipes, garnish how-to, foams, and rim sugars and salts. Drinks will feature Hangar One Vodka and fresh, seasonal fruit from the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market. Guests will enjoy the drinks they have learned to make — “Rhubarbarella” and “Beau Regards” — and signed copies of Beattie’s book, “Artisanal Cocktails: Drinks Inspired by the Seasons from the Bar at Cyrus” will be for sale. Class is $40 per person, with proceeds benefiting CUESA.

THIS CUESA EVENT IS SOLD OUT

ALSO ON SATURDAY:

Assistant Distiller Dave Smith, of Hangar 1 and St. George Spirits, will be running the stills in Alamedia and giving visitors a description and demonstration of the distilling process.
He will lead discussions at 1 pm, 3 pm, and 5 pm.
This event is free, but guests must RSVP by calling the distillery at (510) 769-1601.

Get out there and take part in San Francisco’s largest annual party. We’ll see you along the Bay to Breakers run route!

SUNDAY EVENING

Join Erik Ellestad and Daniel Hayatt as they host ”Stomping Through The Savoy,” at The Alembic on Haight Street. The Alembic will do away with their regular cocktail menu and replace it with The Savoy Cocktail Book, written by Harry Craddock, 1930. Always wanted to try the original recipe of the Damn-The-Weather Cocktail? Or how about a properly made Apparent Cocktail? Well, here is your chance. Eric will be on hand from 6 pm until late making cockails and providing recommendations.
Admission is free, but there will be a charge for cocktails.

THIRD ANNUAL SAN FRANCISCO COCKTAIL WEEK CLOSING GALA
MONDAY, MAY 18, 2009
6:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M.
Admission is $45 per person
JARDINIERE, 300 Grove Street, San Francisco 94102

Close out San Francisco Cocktail Week in style by joining us at our Cocktail Week Closing Party on Monday, May 18th, at Jardiniere, 300 Grove Street @ Franklin.  Imbibe Magazine is partnering up with Jardiniere to co-host what is destined to be one of the greatest cocktail events of the year. Rub shoulders with some of the Bay Area’s best bartenders, nibble on light appetizers, sample an array of Jardiniere’s offerings of classic and original cocktails, and sip on a glass or two of absinthe.
All attendees must be 21 & over please.

Tickets for this event are $45 and can be purchased through Snag Tickets.