March is National Women’s Month.  We have asked one of our favorite female bartenders, Pipi Rae Diamond, to come up with a drink in honor of National Women’s Month.  Since we are in San Francisco, Pipi choose to honor Lilly Hitchcock, a 19th century San Francisco socialite who was the honorary mascot of the San Francisco Fire Department.  Lilly Hitchcock was a woman ahead of her time and was quite the firecracker.  If you ever … Read more

Vieux Carre or “Old Square” is how the local French refer to the French Quarter.  Created at the Hotel Monteleone in 1938 by bartender Walter Bergeron, the Vieux Carre has become one of the quintessential New Orleans cocktails.

Basil Hayden’s Spinning Driedel
Created by Max Toste, Boston MA

Ingredients:
2 parts Basil Hayden’s Bourbon Whiskey
1 part Pomegranate Juice
1 tablespoon Fig Preserve
1 bar spoon Fresh Lemon Juice
2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters

Preparation:
1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well.
2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
3. Garnish with a lemon peel.

Courtesy Basil Hayden’s Bourbon Whiskey

Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz scotch
1 oz sweet vermouth
Dashes Angostura Bitters

Directions:
Combine ingredients in a shaker filled with ice, shake and strain into a chilled martini or cocktail glass.

Created by H. Joseph Ehrmann
Elixir, San Francisco, CA

Ingredients:
1.5 oz Espolón tequila blanco
12 oz bottle of Sidral Mundet
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 squeeze of a lemon slice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a 16 oz cup of ice and stir.

Courtesy of Tequila Espólon.

Courtesy of Maker’s Mark.

Courtesy of Skyy Vodka.

How a cure-all became a cocktail component
By Carly Wray

This article originally appeared in TheSpir.it

It’s 1820. A German doctor sets out for Venezuela to join Simon Bolivar’s fight against Spain. It’s not long before he’s Surgeon General, manning a military hospital and overseeing the casualties, not just of war, but of tropical diseases. Chills, sea sickness. Ravaging disorders. And it’s not much longer before he conjures a cure: Angostura bitters.

In the end, … Read more