487548 Fri Feb 08 08:35:29 -0800 2008 24 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 3376897 Where are some places in SF that serve hard-to-find and rare liquors/wines/etc? Over the weekend I took a friend to Lark Creek Steakhouse and they have Macallan 30, which he commented that he'd never seen anywhere before. So that got me thinking, and I'd like to compile a list of places that serve hard-to-find libations for a blog post. So far I have: Lark Creek Steak - Macallan 30 Ikkyu - Ume liqueur (not Ume wine) O Izakaya - they have a rare cognac, I need to go back and get the name. Bubble Lounge - they have some rare vintage champagnes The bar at the Ritz Carlton has a few single malts from defunct distilleries. Thanks! Fri Feb 08 08:35:29 -0800 2008 24783 Kosmonaut 1 3377845 Absinthe, probably Bourbon and Branch, definitely Rohan Lounge. Fri Feb 08 11:55:39 -0800 2008 3376897 17221 SteveG 2 3378441 Steve - Absinthe definitely at Rose Pistola: http://www.feast-blog.com/my_weblog/2007/12/thar-be-absinth.html Also, I'm sorry I don't remember the name, but I bought my BF some rare, Scotch at the Clift's Red Room (I'm not a Scotch fan, otherwise I would recall what it was...). I just remember that it was in the neighborhood of $80 a shot. Fri Feb 08 14:00:04 -0800 2008 3377845 16933 Carrie 218 3 3378681 SteveG would have been describing Absinthe on Hayes, the restaurant and bar, not the drink. ; ) Fri Feb 08 15:00:38 -0800 2008 3378441 91247 foodeye 4 3378718 Absinthe, like a number of upscale bars, actually has absinthe: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/476295#3263295 Fri Feb 08 15:16:26 -0800 2008 3378681 11369 Robert Lauriston 2 3378943 Oops--scratch Rohan. I meant Nihon, the place on 14th at Folsom, mentioned by kresge86 below. They'll let you buy a super duper special bottle and then keep it in your own locker, though that info comes from a while back and they may have either discontinued this or filled up their storage space. Also, as others have already mentioned, when I said "Absinthe" I meant the bar Absinthe, which has lots of great top shelf and rare liquors, though I don't recall them having a deep whiskey or bourbon selection. I guess Nihon just doesn't stick in my brain because it translates as Japan, and the food is so far from traditionally Japanese, though I guess the high end whiskey aspect of it is spot on. Fri Feb 08 16:27:04 -0800 2008 3377845 17221 SteveG 3 3379676 I'll second Nihon and add Alfred's for their great bartenders and extensive selection of fine whiskies. Sat Feb 09 00:13:37 -0800 2008 3378943 69364 grishnackh 4 3380234 Not rare, but for traditionalists, Alfred's makes a pretty mean martini also. Sat Feb 09 09:20:30 -0800 2008 3379676 10158 susancinsf 4 3383032 I will check out these places, thanks! Sun Feb 10 11:58:50 -0800 2008 3379676 24783 Kosmonaut 1 3377956 Tommy's Mexican. http://www.tommysmexican.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=34 Fri Feb 08 12:22:25 -0800 2008 3376897 105235 wolfe 1 3378464 Erik Adkins, bar manager at Slanted Door is always scouting rare and exotic ingredients to include in their cocktails. Fri Feb 08 14:04:11 -0800 2008 3376897 163887 cupcakery 1 3378466 Alembic Fri Feb 08 14:04:46 -0800 2008 3376897 56784 lanersg 2 3378653 Aziza Fri Feb 08 14:54:39 -0800 2008 3378466 45779 chutney 1 3378676 If you like single-malt scotch, then you have to try Nihon. Bourbon & Branch also had some interesting single-malts. Alembic has great cocktails, but I waited 30 minutes for a drink last night. Not the bartender's fault... but the place was crowded and there was only one bartender making very elaborate drinks. Fri Feb 08 14:59:21 -0800 2008 3376897 82741 kresge86 1 3379183 I second The Alembic - http://www.alembicbar.com/. I hear its where all the SF bartenders go. Try the Bee's Knees. Fri Feb 08 18:09:49 -0800 2008 3376897 161576 adog 1 3379296 R Bar in the Tenderloin for Fernet. Actually you can find it more frequently now.... Fernet-Branca has a real following amongst some San Franciscans. http://www.sfweekly.com/2005-12-07/news/the-myth-of-fernet/full Fri Feb 08 19:09:45 -0800 2008 3376897 145096 sugartoof 2 3380369 In SF, unlike most of the country, Fernet's not rare at all. As noted in that story, we consume locally about half of what's imported into the U.S. Sat Feb 09 10:26:15 -0800 2008 3379296 11369 Robert Lauriston 3 3380644 Right, which is why I mentioned you can "find it more frequently now". It's an exotic liquor that's been adopted by the city, more or less. Sat Feb 09 12:18:37 -0800 2008 3380369 145096 sugartoof 1 3379664 Voda a vodka bar with some lesser seen vodkas Fri Feb 08 23:57:41 -0800 2008 3376897 10264 rworange 1 3526654 Are there other places similar to Bourbon and Branch in SF? Tue Mar 25 13:08:32 -0700 2008 3376897 12063 Syphrite 2 3526702 Similar in what way? Tue Mar 25 13:20:59 -0700 2008 3526654 10922 Fig Newton 3 3526749 Similar in style and cocktails. I'm heading out to visit in a few weeks and I want to visit a few cocktail lounges while I'm there. =) Tue Mar 25 13:30:27 -0700 2008 3526702 12063 Syphrite 4 3526829 Not with the reservation/speakeasy thing, but bars with a similar focus on excellent cocktails are Alembic, Rye, Cantina. If you include restaurant bars, I'd also consider Coco500, Orson (cool though $12 cocktails), NOPA, and Absinth. Tue Mar 25 13:47:10 -0700 2008 3526749 10922 Fig Newton 5 3526918 Fig Newton has some great suggestions - Alembic, Rye and Cantina are my three favorite places for a cocktail in the city! Tue Mar 25 14:08:45 -0700 2008 3526829 17452 tvham 5 3526924 Sweet thanks! Restaurant bars work for me too. While a cool vibe is great, I'm more interested in having a quality cocktail. $12 is pretty on par with what I've had here in the city. Though nothing beats the $18 price tag for an Old Cuban at Bemelman's in the Carlyle! :) Tue Mar 25 14:10:57 -0700 2008 3526829 12063 Syphrite