Below is a Schedule of 2009’s
San Francisco Cocktail Week
Bar School Classes:
Tickets for all classes can be purchased here.
House-made Ingredients SOLD OUT
Instructors: Jeff Hollinger & Neyah White
Thursday, May 14, 2009
6 pm to 9 pm
$40 Includes Sample Cocktails and Snacks Prepared by Absinthe’s Kitchen
Absinthe Brasserie & Bar’s Private Dining Room
388 Hayes Street, San Francisco
Jeff Hollinger, General Manager of Absinthe Brasserie & Bar & co-author of The Art of the Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the Classics, and Neyah White, Bar Manager at NOPA, will demystify the art creating specialty cocktail ingredients in the home kitchen. Respected leaders in San Francisco’s cocktail community, Jeff and Neyah are both known for creating and incorporating unique house-made ingredients in their cocktails.
This is your opportunity to tap into Jeff & Neyah’s collective & creative knowledge in order to learn some of their trade secrets. Together they will show how to create your own ingredients such as specialty syrups, gastriques, shrubs, liqueurs & cordials, bitters, and tinctures. In addition, they will teach you how to manipulate ingredients by using culinary techniques such as roasting, smoking, and dehydrating. Demonstrations and tastings will show how your house-made ingredients can easily be used in your next cocktail creations. Space is limited, so don’t miss out on your opportunity to take part in this one of a kind class.
Snacks, prepared by Absinthe’s Chef, Jamie Lauren, will also be provided.
All attendees must be 21 & over, please.
Batching Cocktails: How to Entertain for Many and Still Enjoy Your Party
Instructor: H. Joseph Ehrmann
Thursday, May 14, 2009
7pm to 9 pm
$45 Includes cocktails
Elixir, 3200 16th Street @ Guerrero, San Francisco
Elixir Proprietor H. Joseph Ehrmann makes batches of cocktails for all kinds of events via Elixir Cocktail Catering. He’ll teach you the tools, techniques and 3 recipes (which you’ll get to drink!) for creating and serving punches and cocktails that can be prepared ahead of time and served quickly and easily for your next party, no matter what the theme. With the right planning and recipes that appease many, your next party will be not only a smashing success for your guests, but you might just get to enjoy it as well.
All guests must be 21 & over, please
Gin Today
Instructor: Jon Santer
Thursday, May 14, 2009
3 pm
$40 Includes two cocktails
Russell’s Room @ Bourbon and Branch
501 Jones Street @ O’Farrell, San Francisco
Jon Santer, of Martin Miller’s Gin, will explore the history of Gin and its use in classic and original cocktails. The primary focus of his discussion will center around gins being produced today, many of which show a more delicate and approachable style than the “traditional”, juniper forward London Dry gins that your grandmother used to drink. Through tastings and cocktail demonstrations, Jon will show how today’s gins can be used to enhance cocktail creations that would appeal to even the most gin-phobic consumer.
All guests must be 21 & over, please
How to be a Bartender: Bartending Basics for the Home Mixologist
SOLD OUT
Instructor: David Nepove
Thursday, May 14, 2009
6:30 pm to 8 pm
$25 Includes Cocktail Samples
Skyy Spirits’ Test Kitchen
1 Beach Street @ Grant, San Francisco
David Nepove, aka Mr. Mojito and San Francisco’s Southern Wine and Spirits Cocktail Ambassador, will demystify the craft and technique of bartending for the home mixologist. He will demonstrate the finer points of shaking and stirring, mudding, and garnishing. The importance of using fresh juices and produce when creating cocktails at home will be shown through side-by-side, hands-on, cocktail demonstrations. David will also use his massive collection of bartending tools in order to show which tools are the most practical and useful for mixing cocktails at home. This class is a must for any aspiring home mixologist.
All guests must be 21 & over, please
Cane, Grape & Cactus: True Lies About Latin American Spirits & Cocktails
Instructors: Duggan McDonnell & Jordan Mackay
Thursday, May 14, 2009
6:30 pm to 8 pm
$30 Includes Cocktails
Cantina, 580 Sutter Street @ Mason, San Francisco
Please join Jordan Mackay and Duggan McDonnell at Cantina, their home away from home, as they debunk and describe the wonders of Latin Spirits. Cantina boasts the most comprehensive collection of Latin Spirits in the United States, and McDonnell and Mackay are esteemed educators and accomplished barmen in this exciting field. Laugh, Taste, and Query.
All guests must be 21 & over, please.
Distillation 101
Instructor: Master Distiller, Lance Winters
Thursday, May 14, 2009
6 pm to 8 pm
$40 Includes Samples of Various St. George and Hangar 1 Spirits
Hangar 1 Distillery, 2601 Monarch Street, Alameda
Lance Winters, Master Distiller at Hangar One and St. George Spirits, will discuss the process and old-world methods behind artisanal distillation. The sequences of creating a new spirit will be explored, starting from inspiration, leading to a discussion of technique applied to fermentation, maceration and distillation. Attendees will have opportunity to see St. George Spirits’ stills in action, with a distillation of both ferment and infusion. A tasting of Lance’s spirits will follow the discussion.
All guests must be 21 & over, please
Boutique Liquor Alliance: Understanding High-End Spirits
Instructor: Dominic Venegas & Special Guests, To Be Announced
Thursday, May 14, 2009
6:30 pm to 8 pm
$15 Includes a 20% Discount on Purchases at John Walker
Crocker Galleria / John Walker & Co.
175 Sutter Street, San Francisco
Dominic Venegas, of Sagatiba Cachaca and of the venerable John Walker & Co. Fine Wine & Spirits, will host a panel of spirits professionals to discuss the intricacies of ‘boutique spirits’. During this class we will talk about all spirits, their productions, and help answer all questions you may be intimidated to ask in a bottle shop. After the class we will walk you through the legendary John Walker & Co., so you be able to shop and take advantage of the knowledge you just gained.
Gentleman’s Companion
Instructor: Erik Atkins
Thursday, May 14, 2009
3 pm to 5 pm
$30 Includes Sample Cocktails and Snacks Prepared by Heaven’s Dog
Heaven’s Dog, 1148 Mission Street, San Francisco
Erik Atkins, of Slanted Door and Heaven’s Dog, will explore the cocktails of Charles H. Baker, Jr.’s, Gentleman’s Companion: Being an Exotic Drinking Book, or Around the World With Jigger, Beaker, and Flask. Legendary Bon Vivant, cocktail connoisseur, and world traveler, Charles H. Baker, Jr. compiled a memoir of cocktail stories and recipes as he sipped his way around the world throughout the 1930’s. During this class, Erik Atkins will escort you through the course of Baker’s journey, sharing along the way some of Baker’s most memorable tales and cocktail recipes.
All guests must be 21 & over, please.
Cocktails of the Barbary Coast
Instructor: Carlos Yturria
Thursday, May 14, 2009
7 pm to 9 pm
$30 Includes Sample Cocktails
Rye, 688 Geary @ Leavenworth, San Francisco
Generally known as the underbelly of old San Francisco during the California Gold Rush, the Barbary Coast attracted gamblers, prostitutes, sailors, and petty thieves. The area, centered between Montgomery, Washington, Stockton, and Broadway Streets, was also where two of the world’s first super-star bartenders, Jerry Thomas, and “Cocktail” Bill Boothby, could be found holding court behind the Mahogany. This area is still home to some of the City’s most historic bars. Come join Carlos Yturria, of Rye, as he shares historic tales and mixes up cocktails from this “Golden Era.” Ticket price includes 3 Barbary Coast themed cocktails. Attendees who show up in Barbary Coast Period dress will receive an additional cocktail!
All guests must be 21 & over, please