Drinks from the Weekend: July 14

This Saturday we went back to Range after quite some time. The fact that the bartenders remembered us and our drinking habits reminded me of why I love this place.

Drink Menu at Range.

Lima Llama: Encanto Pisco, blackberries, mint, egg white, lime.

My first drink of the night was the Lima Llama. This drink was slightly sweet and very tasty. The ingredients were well-balanced with none being too prominent--which was probably an effect of the egg white.

New Trick: Pueblo Viejo Tequila, grapefruit, Canton Ginger, Aperol, lime.

Next, I had the New Trick. The dominant flavors were the Aperol and grapefruit, which made the drink very bitter. I did not like this drink initially, but the flavors did eventually even out and the drink grew on me.

Dessert Menu at Range.

Root Float: Root, Averna, cream, vanilla, soda.

My last drink of the night was the Root Float off of the dessert menu. This drink was awesome; it tasted just like a root beer float and didn't have too much alcohol taste to ruin it. It wasn't as creamy as a real root beer float, but was still very enjoyable.

Drinks from the Weekday: July 12

Today we had dinner and of course drinks at San Pedro Square Market.

Drink Menu at San Pedro Square Market Bar.

The Smash: Dewar's Scotch, Disaronno, muddled fresh raspberries and basil, fresh-squeezed lime juice.

The first drink of the night was The Smash which had a feel of a sweeter and more refreshing Old Fashioned. There was only a slight taste of the scotch, so if you are a scotch drinker, this is not the drink for you. The strongest flavor was the raspberries with the lime and scotch just coming through. This was perfect for a warm day in San Jose.

Dark and Stormy: Baccardi Dark Rum, Ginger Beer, and fresh-squeezed lime juice.

Next was a Dark and Stormy--a fairly standard bar drink. If you like ginger, you would like this drink. This drink was fairly strong and had a good amount of bite from the ginger beer. I felt it improved as the ice melted.

Make a Drink: French 75

French 75.

Another classic drink, the French 75, is a light and refreshing drink that hides the alcohol well. The strongest flavor is the champagne, so I would chose one that is sweet and of good quality. I used a prosecco and it did not appear to be sweet enough for my taste.


Ingredients:

4.0 oz champagne
1.0 oz london gin
0.5 oz Cointreau
0.5 oz lemon juice

Procedure:

Combine all the ingredients in a collins glass with ice and stir.

Enjoy!

Drinks from the Weekend: July 6

The first drink of the night was a Hangar One Blueberry and tonic at San Pedro Square Market. Sorry, I didn't take a picture of it, but it looks like a clear drink in an old fashioned glass. I think I have decided that this is my new favorite flavored-vodka, although I'll hold-off on that decision until I try it straight. The Hangar One Blueberry and tonic has a very smooth and light blueberry flavor, with no syrup feel that is present in most flavored vodkas.

Drink Menu at Hedley Club.

Almalfi: Buffalo Trace Bourbon, lemon juice, Galliano, orgreat syrup, club soda.

My second drink was an Almalfi at Hedley Club. My first thought when sipping this drink was that it would be a great introduction to bourbon to the non-bourbon drinker. The taste was light but still allowed the complex flavors of bourbon come through in a more controlled manner. But after I was about a quarter of the way through, I realized it was getting sweeter. This probably meant that the syrup was sinking to the bottom and that this drink needed to be stirred to keep it consistent. By the end, it was very sweet and I was no longer a fan. I may need to try this again--next time with constant stirring.

Hemingway: Banks rum, lime, grapefruit juice, Luxardo marachino liqueur.

My last drink was a Hemingway. This time there was no separation and I enjoyed this one a lot more. I felt the ingredients were mixed very well in this drink. There wasn't one ingredient that stood out as too strong. The taste was light and slightly sweet. I also felt a slight bitterness from the grapefruit that was present. 

Drinks from the Weekday: July 4

Drink Menu at Consuelo.

Margarita Consuelo: Agavales Tequila, fresh lime juice, and sugar.
(not pictured) Margarita Jimador: Jimador Blanco, sea salt, herbs, and earthy peppery agave.

Today, we went to Consuelo Mexican Bistro for dinner and margaritas. My first drink was a Magarita Consuelo which was a fairly standard margarita. This one was smooth and not too sweet. My next drink was the Margarita Jimador. This one was more masculine in flavor--again not too sweet. This drink had a nice earthy note with a slight pepper taste, but no pepper bite. I also tried a little of the Margarita Tres Agaves which had the opposite feel of the Margarita Jimador. It had a creamy sweetness about it making it dessert-like.

Drinks from the Weekend: July 1

Brunch Drink Menu at Serpentine.

Pimm's Cup: Pimm's no.1, organic jasmine liqueur, lemon juice, ginger beer, cucumber.

This Sunday I started with a Pimm's Cup at Serpentine. A Pimm's Cup is a fairly standard drink that is refreshing and slightly sweet. Serpentine chooses to add an organic jasmine liqueur which really differentiates theirs from others. The jasmine liqueur seems to cut the sourness from the lemon and smooths the bite from the ginger.

Drink Menu at Wo Hing.

Brisvega Bay: Smith and Cross Jamacian Rum, grapefruit, honey, lime, allspice,  angostura bitters,  absinthe, crushed ice.

For dinner, we went over to Wo Hing General Store where I had a Brisvega Bay. With the crushed ice, you would be tempted to drink through the straw, but I wouldn't recommend it. Drinking through the straw is like drinking a Slurpee where you get a strong concentration of the syrup. When you drink the Brisvega Bay through the straw, it gets syrup-like and the spices in it make your throat tighten up. But when you drink from the glass, it becomes smooth and enjoyable. The lime, allspice, and bitters are the strongest flavors of this drink.

Drinks from the Weekday: June 13

Drink Menu at Honor Bar.

This Wednesday we went to Honor Bar, Grill, And Cocktails. This bar is pretty nice and has unique dishes that go well with the drinks here.

Queen Anne's Revenge: hibiscus-infused gin, grapefruit marmelade, egg white, ginger beer, lemon.

My first drink here was the Queen Anne's Revenge. I ordered this because of the hibiscus-infused gin and the egg white, but these two were the let down of the drink. While the drink tasted good, I could not taste the hibiscus and there wasn't enough egg white to give it the smooth creamy feel you would normally get.

The Von Teese: vodka, st. germain, mathilde poire,  absinthe, peychaud's, lemon.

Next, I got the Von Tesse. The taste was mostly lemon, but the absinthe did come out nicely.

The two drinks I ordered here were just both fruity and sweet, but there are other drinks here that are strong.