San Francisco Bloody Marys

Not long ago I watched a Liquor.com video called “How to Make a Bloody Mary.” In the video, renowned bartender H. Joseph Ehrmann, owner of Elixir in San Francisco, demonstrated how he makes a Bloody Mary.  And, I have to admit that, after watching H make the cocktail made me want to try one.  Until now I've never been that interested in Bloody Marys.  There are a variety of reasons for this but it didn't help that my first Bloody Mary was pretty mediocre. In 2009, a friend of mine and I took a ferry across the bay to Tiburon and during the ride we ordered a couple. It tasted like watered down tomato juice with a hint of alcohol and a little black pepper.  After that the idea of the Bloody Mary just wasn't that appealing.

However, I've decided to give the drink another chance. San Francisco is a serious drinking town and it's probably a pretty good place sample some of the best expressions of what the Bloody Mary can be.  There are several bars around town that offer build-your-own Bloody Mary stations on Sundays for the devote who insists that their drink be made just so.  For now I'll skip these, and search out the bars around town that are known for being among the best purveyors of Bloody Marys.

San Francisco bartender and Liquor.com advisory board member H. Joseph Ehrmann says this is the world's best Bloody Mary recipe.

Blind Whiskey Tasting $20 and Under

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In June, David Driscoll of K&L Wines wrote a series of post called “Drinking to Drink.” While the series touched on a number of things, one of the themes was how whiskey drinkers often correlate price with enjoyment.  Driscoll argued that just because one whiskey is $80 doesn't mean that a drinker will enjoy it four times more than a $20 bottle.  In that same vein he suggested that there were a number of quality whiskeys that could be had for $20 and enjoyed more regularly without breaking the bank. After reading this series, I was inspired to organize a whiskey tasting of bottles that retailed around $20 or less.  I was curious to find out if there was a whiskey that I had overlooked simply because it lived on a lower shelf in the liquor aisle.

With some help from another post by Driscoll and my own mental list, I put together a list of six whiskies around $20 for the tasting.

1. Buffalo Trace Bourbon
2. Old Weller Antique Bourbon
3. Jim Beam Black Label Bourbon
4. Evan Williams Black Label Bourbon
5. George Dickel No. 12 Tennessee Whisky
6. Bank Note Blended Scotch Whisky

I know that Bulleit Bourbon can also be found on sale for under $20 but my friends and I are pretty familiar with it so I decided to leaving it out of the tasting.  I also decided to conduct the tasting blind. That there are a number of factors that can sway the perception of how good a beer, wine or spirit is based on external factors like, what shelf it's on in the store, label design, bottle shape and price.  I wanted to get an honest assessment of the contents of the bottles without being swayed by some of those external factors, so I had my wife wrap all the bottles in brown paper bags before the tasting.

The night of the tasting a friend of mine hosted the event and provided glasses, snacks and still water. We tasted the spirits in random order in glencairn glasses, neat, at room temperature.  We each took notes about what we tasted and gave each spirit a rating.  Once everyone had tasted all the whiskeys we revealed each whiskey from lowest to highest score.

 The undisputed favorite of the evening was Evan Williams Black Label, the least expensive whiskey, which retails at my local Safeway for $9.99.  I had tasted Evan Williams only once before a few months prior and I thought it would do well in the tasting but I didn't expect it to come out on top. Next came Buffalo Trace and Old Weller Antique.  I wasn't that surprised that these did well for the whole group but personally I was shocked that I had rated Old Weller above Buffalo Trace. This surprised me because I really like rye whiskeys and I have never been a fan of Maker's Mark. I assumed that this meant that I didn't like wheated bourbons and that I preferred bourbons with rye in their mash bill over wheat.  But even at 107 proof, I felt like Old Weller was more balanced and had more character compared to the 90 proof Buffalo Trace.

Dickel, Beam and Bank Note finished in the lower half.  Bank Note is a blended Scotch, and for the price I still think it is pretty good but I suspect that compared to all the bourbons it stood out like a sore thumb, and not it a good way.  The results that evening are exactly why I like to do blind tastings.  My assumptions about what I do and don't like were challenged and as a result I now have two new favorite whiskeys under $20: Evan Williams, and Old Weller.

Temperance in California

On September 5th, 1855 Californian's voted on whether or not they wanted to become a dry state.  While the majority of voters rejected the idea of statewide prohibition of alcohol, several newspapers took a lighthearted approach to the proposal.  Below are two humorous pieces I came across while researching California's temperance movement.

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Temperance Lecture

Weekly Placer Herald (Auburn), September 22, 1855

"A Temperance Lecturer, descanting on the essential and purifying qualities of cold water, remarked, as a knock down argument, that “when the world became so corrupt that the Lord could do nothing else with it, he was obliged to give it a thorough sousing in cold water.” “Yes,” replied a wag, “but it killed every darned critter on the face of the airth." 

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San Francisco Saloon around the time of the Gold Rush.

Weekly Placer Herald  (Auburn), June 15, 1855

The Charge of the “Tight Brigade” by Vennison Staik, Esq.

At the bar, at the bar, At the bar thundered, Thundered with fiercest din, Topers one hundred.

There stood those thirst men, Thirsty one hundred; Calling for drinks in vain, The bar-keeper slumbered; Hark! There’s a sound from one! List how the curses come From each and every one! Of that dry one hundred.

Into the bar they pitch, Noble old topers, For up comes an order, which Pleased these old soakers: “Forward the Tight Brigade! Take the bar” Muggins said: Into it undismayed, Pitched not each drunken blade— Pitched the one hundred.

“Forward the Tight Brigade!” Gods, What a charge the made! No one was there afraid, No Person blundered. Theirs but to drink their fill, Theirs but to have a swill, Theirs not to pay the bill; Ah, yes they knew it well! Knowing one hundred.

Bottles to right of them, Bottles to left of them, Bottles in front of them, Labeled and numbered; Nobly they fought and well, There many a hero fell. Covered with blood and beer; Beer that they loved so well, Gallant one hundred!

Raised now each nose in air, See what is under there, Mugs charged with lager bier— All the world wondered! Fiercer the revel grows, Redder each blazing nose, Faster the liquid flows, Under the table, goes Half of the hundred.

Bottles to right of them, Bottles to left of them, Bottles all around them, Emptied and sundered; Out from that dreadful room, Out from that dark saloon, Came fort a beery fume, Came forth a dismal moan, But none of the hundred.

When they woke again, O how their heads did pain! No person wondered. Honor the Tight Brigade! Honor the charge they made, Thirsty one hundred.