Drinks from the Weekend: May 27

Drink Menu at Papas.

Sunday night dinner was at Pampas in Palo Alto. It's a Brazillian churrascaria with excellent grilled meats.

Sangria Blanco: Kappa Pisco, peach liqueur, orange, pineapple,  Sauvignon Blanc.

My first drink was a Sangria Blanco. This drink was excellent. It was light and tasty with a slight sweetness. The fruit came out well without the the citric acid sour of other sangria blancos I have tried.

Blueberry Calpirinha: muddled limes, Leblon cachaca, simple sugar,  limes, blueberries.

M second drink was the Blueberry Calpirinha. This drink had a syrup taste that was a little overpowering. The Classic Calpirinha might have been a better choice.

Drinks from the Weekend: May 25

The Che.

The first drink of the day was The Che at San Pedro Square Market Bar. The bar itself is in the square surounded by nice-looking food vendors. It looked like a quality place. The drink was too sweet for my liking, but it did have good flavor. It was made with Bacardi Rock Coconut rum, hibiscus juices and some other ingredients. Unfortunately, I didn't get a good picture of the drink list to note the other ingredients.

Drink Menu at Hotel De Anza.

The Hedley Manhattan: B&E Bourbon, Carpano Antica, Aperol, Jerry Thomas bitters, orange twist.

Next, we headed over to the Hotel De Anza to have another drink at the bar. There I had The Hedley Manhattan which was fairly strong with the bitters being the more dominant flavor. The drink had B&E Bourbon which I reviewed here.

Drinks from the Weekday: May 9

The first bar of the day was Single Barrel in Downtown San Jose. This bar is a place to go if you want to try classic drinks that you may not have heard of. The vibe of the place is very pretentious and might be hard to take the first time you come here, but the drinks are well made. There isn't a drink menu here--the bartenders will guide you to your first drink. Once you get past the first time with the rules and requirements, your experience will improve; they will even let you order your own drink.

Whiskey Sour. The one in the back. 

My first drink, which I let the bartender help me choose, was a Whiskey Sour  made the old-fashioned way. It was excellent with the whiskey flavor just coming through.

Ramos Gin Fizz.

Next drink was their happy hour special, the Ramos Gin Fizz, which is only served between 5pm and 6pm. This drink requires 8 minutes of shaking. The taste was light and creamy with a slight citrus taste. You get a refill with this drink, but I just asked the refill to be poured into a second glass to share.

Drink Menu at Alexanders.

Eve's Revenge: Grey Goose, Leopold's Apple Liqueur, apple syrup.

The last drink of the night was at Alexander's Steakhouse. I ordered the Eve's Revenge because my name is Adam and because I like apple cocktails. This was fairly sweet and tasted just like an apple juice. This would be a easy drink to get drunk off of since you can barely taste the alcohol.

Drinks from Hawaii: May 2

Drink Menu at Flatbread Company Paia.

Dynamite Lemonade:  Hemdricks gin, St. Germain Elderberry liquer, fresh mint, lime.

The last drink of the trip was a Dynamite Lemonade at Flatbread Company in Paia. This lemonade was excellent with only a slight hint of alcohol taste. It wasn't excessively sour and had a slight sweetness. This drink went well with their flatbread pizza.

Drinks from Hawaii: April 30

Drink Menu at Leilani's.

Hana Hou: cilantro infused passion fruit magarita, Alaea salt rim.

The first drink in Maui was at Leilani's on the Beach. I ordered the Hana Hou which was a refreshing drink after a day of snorkeling with the fishes and sea turtles. The cilantro added a clean taste to the slightly sweet passion fruit magarita. Again, I avoided the salt as I had enough from the ocean.

Drinks from Hawaii: April 28

Drink Menu at RumFire.

Hawaiian Love Affair: Bacardi Oakheart, Strawberry Puree, Creme de Banana, club soda, and Sprite.

Dinner was at RumFire where I ordered the Hawaiian Love Affair. While I remember the drink being good, I can't remember any specific details of it.

Drink Menu at Tiki's Grill & Bar.

Hawaiian Vodka.

After dinner, we headed to Tiki's Grill & Bar. There, I started with a Hawaiian Vodka. As I am somewhat of a vodka connoisseur, I felt I had to try the local vodka. This vodka was smooth on par with other premium vodkas, but I felt it was lacking in taste. I would put it slightly above or on par with Grey Goose, but below Hanger One because of the lack of flavor.

Drink Menu at Tiki's Grill & Bar.

Lilikoi Piscoe Sour.

Next, I had a Lilikoi Piscoe Sour. This drink was a pisco sour with the addition of lime juice and lilikoi. From the appearance of the drink, it looked like they did not use egg whites in making the sour. There was only a slight hint of the lilikoi with the citrus being the more powerful flavor.

Wang Chung's version of a Moscow Mule.

The last drink of the night was at Wang Chung's Karaoke Bar. I had their version of a Moscow Mule with some tropical fruit. I cannot remember the fruit, but it doesn't matter as the drink was excessively ginger-heavy and hid all other tastes.

Drinks from Hawaii: April 27

Drink Menu at Ryan's Grill.

Hand-Shaken Guava 'Rita: tequila, fresh lime sour, guava, triple sec.

Todays first drink was a Guava 'Rita at Ryan's Grill. This margarita was excellent with the guava just coming through enough to add to the drink instead of being the focal point. But after a day at the beach, I would recommend avoiding the salt.

Drink Specials at Side Street Inn.

Side Mind Eraser: vodka, Kahlua, root beer liqueur, tonic water.

Next, we went to Side Street Inn and I got a Side Mind Eraser. This drink is just a Mind Eraser with the addition of root beer liqueur. I was not a fan of this drink mainly because I do not like the taste of coffee. I usually don't get that feeling from Kahlua, but the coffee and root beer did not mix well for me.

Drinks from Hawaii: April 26

Drink Menu at Kahala Resort.

Royal Pine as it comes to the table.

Royal Pine: peach, papaya, pineapple, banana, light and dark rum, coconut, served in a fresh pineapple.

Today, we had dinner at the Kahala Resort. I ordered a Royal Pine just because it was the most expensive cocktail on the menu, but I had no idea it would come in a pineapple! It was very tasty--like an alcoholic smoothie. It was fairly strong, but did not overpower the drink.

Drinks from Hawaii: April 25

Mai Tai at Elks Lodge.

The first drink of the trip was a Mai Tai at the Elks Lodge in Waikiki. It was pretty much your standard Mai Tai--not too strong and fruity. If you are a member or know a member there, it is a great place to hangout.