While we may assume that the fancy infusions and quirky conglomerations on offer in craft cocktail bars are something new, it’s a tradition that goes back as far as formal fermentation. Even in the Iliad, Homer wrote of epic heroes drinking wine mixed with goat cheese and ground barley, which might make a Long Island Iced Tea not seem so bad. The current craze for carefully-constructed cocktails with fresh and exotic ingredients has its roots in a number of historical trends, so don’t be alarmed if a man wearing arm garters offers to make you a drink involving eight ingredients and six minutes to prepare; it’s all been done before. Nearing the end of the Middle Ages, the technology for distilling wine and beer into stronger spirits was carried around the world by explorers, and mixological innovation grew exponentially to combat the fierce assault of raw spirits on the palates [...]

Alcohol was one of the first things human beings learned to make.  After eons of wandering about, chasing down big game and foraging, ancient humans decided that it was time to settle down.  We used complex tools, domesticated grains and animals, and constructed pyramids.  The transition to a more grounded lifestyle allowed for extra free time, and the naturally inquisitive human mind turned to the plant matter all around us.  Quite by accident, we discovered that the natural enzymes in saliva act as a catalyst for the fermentation of many grains and starches. This discovery ranks up there with the invention of written language.  Historical records indicate we are a species with a strong pedigree of making our own hooch — Few civilizations throughout history have gone without some form of libation or another, whether it’s a corn beer tipple before human sacrifice (pre-Colombian South America) or a cool home-brewed [...]

Mike Wright orders a Blue Foot Flanders Red-style ale, a slightly sweet and sour beer with notes of cherries aged in a Pinot Noir barrel. It’s his first time trying the beer despite the fact that he brewed it. The woman behind the bar who brings it to him is oblivious to this detail, despite the fact that Mike is on a bar stool in Southeast Portland at Victory Bar, one of Beetje Brewing’s half-dozen accounts, and it’s five blocks from his house. The definition of nano is that it’s one billionth the size of something, so there are a billion nanometers in one meter. In regards to nanobreweries, the definition takes some liberties, but not many. Compare, for example, Beetje to Budweiser. Anheuser-Busch brewed roughly 100 million barrels of beer in the US alone in 2010. Beetje made and sold less than five. Small time, under capitalized enterprises driven [...]

Rhubarb Blonde Ale. Peanut Butter Chocolate Porter. Lavender Orange-blossom Mead. Smoked Cinnamon Oatmeal Stout. Anyone can throw the kitchen sink into a brew kettle, but it takes more than imagination to make the results sing, which is why these concoctions weren’t just among the stranger beverages I tried recently, they were among the best. The American Homebrewers Association purports that there are 750,000 homebrewers nationwide (that’s almost one out of every 400 Americans). Quite likely, there has been no greater gathering of craftsmen than the 33rd Annual National Homebrewers Conference that took place in San Diego from June 17-19. This AHA-sponsored event once again set a new record for sold-out attendance, having welcomed 1,900 people within the fraternity of homebrewers from all 50 states and Canada. The numbers don’t tell the story, but they’re jaw-dropping nonetheless. Some 1,650 people entered virtually 7,000 homebrews into the competition. Over 700 kegs of [...]

For the ninth year in a row the worlds best mixologists, highest quality distillers, and most successful spirit marketers converged on the French Quarter of New Orleans for Tales of the cocktail. The 2011 Tales was my personal first, but the literal tales that have come from previous years prepared me for the madness that ensued, if not in body at least in mind. There were more seminars than humanly possible to take advantage of unless you brought a team of assistants, since they were double and often triple stacked, not to mention the constantly ongoing tasting rooms, special events, spirited dinners, and street corner networking going on. The amount of information crammed into such a small amount of time is challenging, but if you prioritize and plan your itinerary in advance you can certainly gain a wealth of new knowledge. Hopefully in the future the organizers will record all [...]

We’ve rented out the legendary and incredible man-made floating island on the San Francisco Bay for a private lush evening with live music, delicious drinks (lots of tasty rums) and spirited tastings. What’s more, we’ve teamed up with Spark, a San Francisco based non-profit that supports women-led programs that ignite global change. All profits from the event will go to support Spark’s efforts.

50% off SF Symphony + Free VIP Cocktail Hour ~ Drink Me brings you a Russian concert and Vodka Cocktails (SF VODKA). Do it the Russian way. If you haven’t been out to the Symphony, here’s your chance to go – with drink in hand! Friday, July 8th (Cocktail hour starts at 7pm) To get your tickets: Use code “DrinkMe50off” to purchase tickets at SFsymphony.org Then… Email events@SFSymphony.org to let them know that you will be joining for the cocktail hour  

Is there a better way to start a week than with a whisky tasting?  I didn’t wake up on Monday morning with the usual sense of despair that the work week was just getting started.  My Monday salvation came in the form of the Balvenie Road Show that was held at the Epic Roasthouse on the Embarcadero.  The Balvenie, if you are not familiar with it, is located in Dufftown and is fiercely proud of the fact that it is one of the few remaining family owned distilleries.  The Balvenie also takes pride and promotes that its whiskies are meticulously handcrafted and not the product of a large corporate machine.  And this leads us to their current campaign the Balvenie Road Show. The Road Show is a celebration of those that stay true to traditional crafts and apply their passion, skill and attention to detail in what they create.  The [...]