smugglers cove:

puka punch – rum and a lot of other stuff
three dots and a dash – rum and a lot of other stuff

so i have now had three drinks from there and though they were all really great, i don’t think i could distinguish one from another. they all read similarly on the menu, so i guess that was to be expected.

sebo sushi:

wasn’t cheap, but possibly the best fish i have had anywhere. and i got a bunch of things i’d never heard of before, much less tasted. new things to me: katsuo (bonito), kohada (gizzard shad), ainame (greenling), kuromutsu (bluefish), shirauo (ice fish), hotaru ika (firefly squid).

then i decided to check out range since they’ve got a new menu since i was last there. i tried to get there by bus, failed. resorted to a cab.

ran into my brother at range which was pretty cool and lucky, since neither of us are in sf very often.

range:

the b-line – bourbon, lillet, bergamot, honey, bitters. this was superb. a bourbon sour variant made silky smooth with the lillet.

‘cocktail of the day’ – i missed the name and also what was in it, except lime, guava, and sparkling rose. delicious, but maybe on the dry side for me.

kamilia – basically a margarita with guava. excellent. guava and tequila are perfect complements.

bourbon and branch presented an incredibly complex drink of gin, persimmon and pear shrub, lemon, grapefruit bitters, ginger beer and cinnamon. i eventually decided i didn’t like it. but it did take me awhile, and many brain circuits got blown in the process. i think i can’t accept vinegar in a cocktail, except maybe an aged balsamic.

another drink i admired came from the cat at jardiniere: scotch, lemon, date puree, thyme, bitters, egg white. i like trying scotch cocktails; they signify a brave, or foolish, bartender. i enjoyed the drink, but i admired it more than i enjoyed it.

but my favorite of the night was simple and easy to drink. because i am a simpleton whore. winter citrus smash from sauce sf: rye, satsumas, tangerines, kumquats, syrup, j. witty chamomille.

…

range. i had a great time. the kokomo (rum, lemon, madeira, pineapple, benedictine, nutmeg) was superb. turns out, madeira is a criminally underused cocktail ingredient. i plan to acquire a bottle soon.

reading their COD blog for lo these many months, i grew increasingly sad that i don’t live closer so i could drink there every day. the COD on the night i went was ‘the downtowner’, rye, lime, pear, some other stuff i can’t remember, topped with brown ale. maybe a little overdiluted but the flavor was just right and outta sight.

[edit: got the recipe--

small chunk of pear (muddled)
1.75 oz. Old Overholt
0.5 oz. St. Germain
0.5 oz. apple cider
0.25 oz. lime juice

Top with about 2 oz. brown ale.]

i also ordered, and liked, the chili davis (tequila, punt e mes, mandarin napoleon, fresno chili, lime) though it was a more difficult drink to enjoy. not for chugging.

after that i was pretty wrecked, and so i asked for just a taste of their walnut infused bourbon, which opened the door for jeff to trot out some other house infusions and comparable products. i didn’t love the walnut bourbon; the nose was incredible but the taste was a little like raw cookie dough. jeff’s vin d’orange was excellent; it somehow produced a smell of bubblegum. jeff also gave me small pours of lillet to compare with the vin d’orange, and nocino to compare with the walnut bourbon. the nocino was pretty insane; it was more like a port than a nut liqueur like amaretto or frangelico.

a couple next to me was very friendly, struck up a conversation with me unprompted. from my fragmented eavesdropping, i surmised that their relationship was interesting and complicated. but i was too polite to ask about the complications.

i love the mission.