Drinking Like a San Franciscan

This may not be entirely necessary, but I thought it would be fun to collect a few drink recipes which are intimately woven into the San Francisco mystique. I offer them up in no particular order, with no guarantees of authenticity and much encouragement of experimentation. The recipes are partly stolen, partly sourced and partly to my taste. Enjoy.


Picon Punch (c. 1930s-1970s)
History: A favorite of the community of Basque sheep herders once which spread across much of the West. The Picon Punch was a staple of the group of Basque establishments once clustered around Broadway and Columbus through much of the middle decades of the last century. Amer Picon brand picon is no longer distributed in the US, though the Torani company of San Jose makes a slightly altered substitute. That said, even French picon hasn't been the same since the recipe changed in the seventies, so purists may consider making a more accurate batch of their own.

Recipe:
 - Fill a highball glass with ice.
 - Pour in a dash (1 tsp or so depending on taste) of grenadine and swirl it so that it coats the glass and ice.
 - Add 2-3 oz of Picon (depending on preferred strength)
 - Fill with soda water (again, depending on preferred strength, though the picon should out punch the fizz)
 - Finish with a brandy float (poured over the back of a partly submerged spoon).

Natural Habitat: Select Basque bars and family-style restaurants in places like Bakersfield, Los Banos and Elko, NV.

Cappuccino (a la Tosca) (c. 1920's - present)
History: Born of Prohibition and San Francisco's Italian community, this famously coffee-free cappuccino is the life blood of North Beach's Tosca Cafe. There is little more that can be said of this delightful beverage than that it warms the heart and body on a cool night in the City and is best enjoyed in-situ with Caruso playing on the legendary jukebox. There's one waiting for you already lined up by one of the tall copper steamers at either end of the bar.

Recipe:
 - 1/2 oz. water
 - Dissolve 1 heaping teaspoon of Ghiradelli's Cocoa (either pre-sweetened or sweetened to taste)
 - 1 1/12 oz. brandy
 - Add 3 oz. steamed milk, heating the mixture with the espresso machine's wand.
 - Note: May also be made with warmed water and heated, frothed milk. Just don't kill the brandy - it should still burn a bit more than it stings the teeth.

Natural Habitat: Tosca Cafe at 242 Columbus Ave.


Pisco Punch (1853-1920)
History: San Francisco's first signature drink was mixed at the Bank Exchange on Montgomery and Washington by Duncan Nicol. Apparently, the Peruvian grape liquor, Pisco, was relatively common in early San Francisco, which makes a certain amount of sense considering the Pacific coast shipping trade at the time as well as the influx of Central and South American miners. Nicol took the famous recipe to the grave, or so was thought until the California Historical Society published research establishing the true, original recipe, secret ingredient and all, in 1973. Speaking of CHS, go see the Think California! exhibit there on Mission between Second and Third; I was part of the team that helped to curate it.

Recipe: (Note: This is a punch, after all, so you'll need to have some friends over to help with the imbibing.)
 - Soak 1 lb. of crushed gum arabic in 1 pint distilled water for 24 hours.
 - Add this solution to a simple syrup made of 4 lb. sugar  and 1 qt. water. Filter and cool.
 - Cut 1 pineapple into 1-1.5 in. cubes and let soak in a bowl of the gum syrup overnight.
 - Combine 8 oz. pineapple-infused gum syrup to 16 oz. distilled water.
 - Add 10 oz. lemon juice.
 - Add 24 oz. Pisco
 - Note: If the proper assembly of ingredients for this libation seems a bit too arcane and over the top (which it most certainly is) there is a mix available, though I cannot find anyone other than its creator who vouches for its taste.

Natural Habitat: Pisco Latin Lounge at 1817 Market St.


Fernet-Branca (1900's - Present)
History: This kick to the face digestivo has been a popular stomach ache cure, hang-over remedy and hang-over preventer within the City's Italian community since the turn of the century and has experienced unbounded trendy popularity in the past ten years or so. It's hard to describe its flavor and the recipe is a closely guarded secret, though the plant where it's made in Italy is, reportedly, the world's largest single saffron consumer. Outside of Italy it's widely drunk in Argentina with Coke. In the US, San Francisco accounts for 25% of all consumption. What else can I say? It's Fernet. Don't ask questions, just drink and focus on the warm feeling afterward.

Recipe:
 - 1 shot of Fernet (not the mint kind), either quickly downed for the beginners or slowly savored by the converts.
 - 1 glass of ginger ale
 - Note: Somehow this works.

Natural Habitat: A trendy bar, a commercial kitchen or on a table in front of bewildered friends.


Irish Coffee (1952-present)
History: This San Francisco concoction is perfect for those faced with braving the winds of the City's northern edge and who haven't yet developed the native Marina-district ability to strut the streets in skimpy, expensive outfits which do little to warm the body and much to announce economic status. Based off of a drink once served at an airport in Ireland and popularized by Chronicle travel columnist Stanton Delaplane, this is the signature, front-of-the-cable-car advertised, house specialty of the Buena Vista.

Recipe:
- 2 parts Irish whiskey
- 4 parts hot coffee
- 1 1/2 parts frothed cream that has been aged 48 hours for maximum buoyancy, as per the advice of Mayor Christopher, floated on the top.
- Serve in a wide, stemmed glass or Irish Coffee mug.
- Note: Proportions may vary, even at the Buena Vista.

Native Habitat: The Buena Vista at 2765 Hyde St.


Some Honarable Mentions
Not all great things Bay Area are from the City. Yes, the East Bay, too, is full of magic and wonder. Let us not forget Victor Bergeron, alias Trader Vic, who brought us the Mai Tai (1940-present) from his original location in Oakland. Today, I'd recommend Alameda's Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge for your East Bay rum and pineapple kicks. And, lastly, let us not forget that the Martini (1870's? - the vodka death of the 90's) may or may not get its name from the city of Martinez. A long shot? Sure. But for a good blending of the classic Martini and the City, I recommend renting any of the Thin Man films. Perhaps especially the second one when Nick and Nora return to a swinging party going on in their own home which has a drive way strangely reminiscent of that leading up to Coit Tower.