The Lush

~THE ALEMBIC~ has a new cocktail list to check out, and we’ve got our paws on it so you can start plotting which one you want to try before your clock strikes bourbon o’clock. Check out new choices like the 30-Day Notice, with Flor de Caña rum, banana cordial, yellow Chartreuse, lime juice, and chile tincture, or the Lava Lamp, with Lillet rosé, Combier, nocino walnut liqueur, and a touch of porter foam. They’re also continuing with a lineup of classics, like the Vieux Carré and, of course, the Sazerac. Check out the full list here.

You can also try a little something special at Alembic this Sunday May 26th, when Erik Ellestad will be hosting one of his Savoy Cocktail Nights. All cocktails (eight in all) will be $11, and include options like the Seventh Heaven cocktail, with bitters, Luxardo maraschino, caperitif, and gin.

Looking for something to do this Thursday May 23rd? My family friends at ~MEZZALUNA RESTAURANT~ in El Granada are hosting an event that is near to my heart, a Serata Veneziana (Venetian night). The guest of honor is Lucio Gomiero, the owner of both Vignalta Vineyards (Veneto) and Royal Rose Radicchio Farms (Salinas), so the menu is going to be featuring a number of radicchio-based dishes paired with his wonderful wines. 6pm, $75 (includes gratuity). Reservations: 650-728-8108. 459 Prospect Way, El Granada.

Looking to taste some of the wines from the lesser-known wine region of Mendocino County? Look no further than the ~TASTE OF MENDOCINO~ wine event on Tuesday June 11th at the Golden Gate Club in the Presidio. The event, which runs from 5pm-7pm, includes pours from lots of Mendocino County producers, including Navarro Vineyards, Edmeades, and Elke Vineyards. You can get a full list of participating wineries (plus some beers, coffee, and more) and tickets here. Tickets to the event are $25 in advance and $35 at the door. 5pm-7pm. 135 Fisher Loop at Sheridan.

And I have a feeling this ~18 REASONS~ class will sell out quickly, so I’m letting you know about it now: learn about palate development and how to taste wines with wine importer and expert Oliver McCrum in June. You’ll also learn how to identify flaws in wine. The class is on two Mondays: June 17th and 24th, 6:30pm-9pm. Tickets are $100 for 18 Reasons members; $120 for the general public (tickets are for both classes).

Did you miss last year’s international wine mania that is ~WINE RIOT~? Not to worry, they’ll be returning to the Concourse Exhibition Center Fri-Sat June 7th-8th, pouring more than 250 wines from all over the world. They’ve also added the Bubbly Bar this year, which offers plenty of the sparkling stuff. There are three different events: the opening night on Friday from 7pm-11pm, Riot One on Saturday afternoon from 1pm-5pm, and Riot Two on Saturday evening from 7pm-11pm. They are all intended to be approachable for wine newbies, but also interesting for more experienced drinkers, with seminars and classes for a range of oenophiles. You’ll also find a photo booth, live music, and food trucks on hand to purchase the vittles you’ll need to keep going. Tickets are $60. 635 8th St. at Brannan.

A few cocktail-related pieces of news for you. First, we can all happily bid farewell to the nastily named Fluid Ultra Lounge in SoMa since it is going to be converted into ~NOVELA~, a new bar from Alex Smith (Gitane, Honor Bar) and Kate Bolton (Maven). Eater mentions the honking space (3,500 square feet, seating for 120) “will focus on classic cocktails and an ambitious punch program, featuring punches made with traditional olio sacrum (freshly zested citrus oil) and served by the glass or bowl. Though Smith and Bolton developed the drink program together, Smith will run the bar.” The look will be spiffy, with gilded ceilings, vintage books throughout the space, and Deco-inspired tiling. Look for an opening in three weeks or so. 662 Mission St. at Annie.

Over at ~AQ~, with the departure of Ethan Terry from behind the stick (stand by for news on where he’s headed and up to next), bar manager Timothy Zohn has brought on Jason Rager, previously head bartender from Holeman & Finch in Atlanta, which was on the short list for best bar program this year for The James Beard Foundation Awards. He just started on Sunday, swing on by and welcome him (and his adult beverage skills) to SF.

Lastly, the new bar project that is opening in the former Marlena’s from Matt Conway, Anthony Healy-London, and Josh McAdam has a name: ~BRASS TACKS~. Stand by for updates on timing soon—for now, they just started reconsturction, and there’s a lot of dust going on. 488 Hayes St. at Octavia, 415-864-6672.

Fans of ~BIG~ in the Tenderloin better swing by and say their goodbyes before June 15th: owner Jordan Langer is closing up shop as the hotel is becoming a Marriott, and he declined to stay on. Scoop says Big will reopen elsewhere but with a new name and team—Langer is going to work with bartender Brian Felley and partners Jeff Whitmore and Pete Glikshtern on a new space that is reportedly in mid-Market. 761 Post St. at Jones.

Am sorry to hear ~ESTA NOCHE~ (oh, the stories in that place) is in trouble of closing if they don’t pay off the $9K they owe the city in license fees. Eater mentions there is an Indiegogo fundraiser, and if you donate $20, you can skip the line to attend their upcoming fundraiser party on Saturday May 18th (9pm to close, $10-$20 sliding scale). Any additional monies raised will be given to El/La (a trans-Latina nonprofit in the Mission). Help save this 16th Street queer institution!

And 2013 marks the year our city won’t be hosting an installment of SF Cocktail Week. Eater’s interview with H. Joseph Ehrmann (Elixir, the Boothby Center) reveals a variety of reasons (like difficulties scheduling around the America’s Cup), but I heard some other rumblings about ABC and sponsorship issues. Anyway, it sounds like SF Cocktail Week is planning to come back in 2014, bigger and better.

The Stags are back again with their shoot-out dinner at the Pacific Rod and Gun Club, this time partnering with Almanac Beer Co. to bring you a dinner with beer pairings, plus skeet shooting to get your appetite going. The dinner is on Sunday May 19th, and starts at 3pm with a mini-round of skeet shooting accompanied by prosciutto, fruit, and cheese. The shooting reception is followed by a sportsman-inspired dinner that includes dishes like a five-spice grilled quail. You can check out the full menu here. Tickets are $120 per person and include dinner, beer, and a mini-round of skeet. Shooting is optional, and course rules will be sent before the dinner. Pacific Rod and Gun Club, 520 John Muir Dr. at Lake Merced.

Interested in learning how to brew your own beer? Check out this class from ~18 REASONS~ with Eric Denman, tonight from 7pm-9pm. The class will walk you through the steps of brewing, plus you’ll have the chance to bottle a prebrewed batch to see (and taste!) the beginning and end of the process. There wil also be snacks. The class costs $60 for the general public and $50 for 18 Reasons members. You’ll find tickets and more information here.

You can also get your homebrew on at Urban Kitchen and CUESA’s Intro to Homebrewing class on Thursday May 30th from 5:30pm-7:30pm. The class is taught by Chris Cohen, the founder of San Francisco Homebrewers Guild, and will cover lots of the basic information you need to get started at home. Plus, you’ll leave the class with a $40 gift certificate and 10 percent off coupon to San Francisco Brewcraft. Tickets are $68, and include lots of knowledge, the gift certificate, and the coupon. Dacor Outdoor Teaching Kitchen, Ferry Building.

Speaking of malty guilds, join the San Francisco Brewers Guild crew on Thursday May 23rd at the Old Mint for Hops and History, a special event with FlipSide, the hip young arm of the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society. The event features beer from local breweries including Anchor Brewing, 21st Amendment, Magnolia, and Pine Street, alongside lots of information about the history of brewing in San Francisco. Check out old beer memorabilia, docent-led tours, and presentations on brewing history. There will also be some food trucks in attendance with food for purchase if you get peckish. Tickets are $30 general admission or $5 for FlipSide members. 88 5th St. at Mission.

Over in the Sunset, ~INNERFOG~ has reopened after a flood with a new tap system at their bar. They can now pour six beers on tap, one white wine, and three red wines. Local cicerone Rich Higgins designed the beer list, which includes Uinta Baba Black Lager, Rodenbach Grand Cru, Deschutes Chainbreaker, and Meantime IPA. They’ve also expanded the kitchen to offer new dishes that will pair nicely with the beers, sweet! 545 Irving St. at 7th Ave., 415-682-4116.

Start summer off thrifty and fabulous with some great wine deals around town. Check out ~BIG 4~, where every Sun-Tue in May you get 50 percent off bottles of wine on the wine list.

You can also get half-off wine at ~GRAND CAFÉ~, where the entire wine list is half price for the month of May. Check out the wine list here, and look at all those bubbly choices. Pop!

The bar at ~FIFTH FLOOR~ has a new happy hour going, with cocktail and drink specials from 5pm-7pm and food specials from 5:30pm-7pm, Mon-Fri. The drink list includes cocktails for $8 (check out that Pink Elephant with gin, pineapple gum, vermouth, orange bitters, and smoked absinthe), wine for $8, and beer for $5. There are also $1 oysters and other drink-friendly snaxx.

Feeling a little 1965? Bring back the liquid lunch, and its prices, with a trip to ~LARKCREEKSTEAK~. Mon-Fri from 11:30am-2pm you can get their martini for a mere $2, made with either Stolichnaya vodka or Hendrick’s gin. The only part that isn’t very Mad Men? There’s a limit of two per person. Work it out.

Check out these spiffy wine and sake dinners coming up soon. First, at ~PICCINO~ you can meet winemakers from the Alps at two different wine dinners. The first is on Wednesday May 22nd and features wines and makers from Cima Presanella in Italy. Then, on Wednesday June 19th, check out the wines of Dents du Midi from Switzerland. Each dinner includes four courses plus wine pairings, and costs $115 per person. Reservations can be made by calling the restaurant at 415-824-4224.

Learn about sake and the process of making it at ~IZAKAYA YUZUKI~ on Monday May 20th. Niichiro Marumoto of Marumoto Brewery (makers of the Chikurin brand of sake) will be in attendance, talking about his process of sake brewing, and his rather unusual decision to grow his own rice for sake. The dinner includes five courses, paired with four different sakes, and costs $100 per person, not including tax and tip. There are two seatings, one at 6:30pm and the other at 7:30pm, and reservations can be made by calling 415-556-9898.

The former ~EVE LOUNGE~ is no longer with us, but the space has been revamped and the menu reworked by the same owners with a new name: ~SOUTHSIDE SPIRITHOUSE~. Scoop caught the story on the new concept, which includes elevated cocktails and small bites with a seasonal focus. The bar program includes punches and cocktails available by the pitcher to appeal to larger groups, plus 12 beers on tap from breweries like Dogfish Head, Firestone, and Hitachino Nest. The group-friendly food comes from chef Michael Frances. Look for pizzas with seasonal toppings, snacks like deviled eggs, and desserts. They’ll be open for late-night snacks (serving until 1am) and there’s a happy hour from 3pm-7pm Mon-Fri too. Mon-Wed 3pm-1am, Thu-Fri 3pm-2am, Sat 6pm-2am, closed Sunday. 575 Howard St. at 2nd St., 415-543-5874.

The former O’Neill’s Irish Pub—near the ballpark—was purchased by a new owner (Kevin Kynoch of Fishbowl on Divisadero) over a year and a half ago, and now it has finally finished its face-lift under the supervision of GM Janine Gallagher. It’s called the ~POLO GROUNDS~, after the location the Giants used to play when they were still a New York team. In keeping with this theme, there’s a new mural featuring the polo grounds themselves and other icons of old New York (courtesy of designer Michael Brennan), mixed with images of modern San Francisco. The new team reached out to us to let us know they kept the menu pretty focused on pub food, with burgers, wings, and some token salads, but are aiming to use higher-quality ingredients than the previous incarnation—you can take a peek here. (Tom Ryan, who used to be the chef-owner of the Guilty Goose in New York, consulted on the menu.) Open Mon-Fri 12pm-2am, Sat-Sun 11am-2am. 747 3rd St. at King, 415-777-1177.

Scoop brings the news that the former ~GIO’S~ in the Financial District has reopened as ~SYDNEY TOWN TAVERN~, from the owners of the Irish Bank. The name comes from a former nickname for the Barbary Coast, and references the many Australians who ended up here in the early days. The menu is casual pub fare, and they’ve got a full bar. There are 12 draft beers, including options from Firestone, Deschutes, and Speakeasy. They’re open Mon-Wed 11am-12am, Thu-Fri 11am-2am, and Sat 4pm-2am. Closed Sunday. 531 Commercial St. at Sansome, 415-433-1949.

On Monday May 13th, check out a fabulous four-course artichoke dinner from chefs Chris Kronner (Kronnerburger) and Kevin Cimino (St. Vincent), along with cocktails from the Jupiter Olympus crew. All the drinks will feature Cynar, naturally, to keep the evening (and drinks!) as chokey as possible. The 7pm seating is sold out, but there are still tickets to the 9pm seating, and they’re only $30. All proceeds benefit The People’s Grocery in West Oakland. 2389 Mission St. at 20th St.

A few wine events you’ll want to consider: Raise a glass to summer at ~RN74~, where they’ll be hosting a Beaujolais Happy Hour called Gettin’ Beauji with It (heh heh) during the entire month of May. They’ll be pouring specials all month long, and kicking the whole thing off with a party on Wednesday May 1st from 4pm until close. The party will include oysters for $1.50, small plates for $7, and glasses of gamay-based wines for $5. For the rest of the month, look for more $5 wine specials during happy hour (Mon-Fri 4pm-6pm), complimentary corkage on gamay-based wines, gamay flights, and 16 different gamay wines by the bottle.

if this gorg weather continues to hold up, it will be extra-fun at the ~BLUXOME STREET WINERY~ block party this Friday May 3rd. You will want to plan for a long lunch, trust. They will be closing off Bluxome Street, and four food trucks will be slinging their goodness: Del Popolo, Satellite Republic, Fins on the Hoof (poutine, yo), and Frozen Kuhsterd. You can check out some newly released wines, and of course there will be rosé. 11am-2pm. Bluxome St. between 4th and 5th St.

(Oh, and for your calendar: remember when I wrote about the awesome Boneyard truck? They’ll be at Bluxome with their barbecue love on May 17th.)

Get ready for summertime (or anytime, really) with the Rosé Consortia’s celebration of pink wines, ~ROSÉ BY THE BAY~. The event, which takes place Tuesday April 23rd at Butterfly restaurant, includes more than 40 sparkling and still rosés, plus tastes from Butterfly chef Rob Lam. The event runs from 6:30pm-9pm, 3pm-6pm for credentialed trade and press. Advance tickets are $45, $55 at the door if available. Pier 33 at Bay St.

If you’re looking for an expensive, exclusive nightclub hospitality experience on the Embarcadero, you’re in luck. ~RÊVE LUXURY NIGHTLIFE~ is opening in late summer 2013. Richard Chu, a nightlife veteran of (where else?) Las Vegas, has paired up with Cy Waits to “revive” San Francisco’s nightlife scene. Apparently, a 6,000-square-foot invitation-only nightclub is just the thing we need. Hmmm. They’ll offer caviar service, large-format Champagne bottles, including (oh, thank goodness) a 30-liter Melchizedek of bubs for $125,000. It’ll be open (by invitation only) Thu-Sat, and all other nights will be for private and corporate buyouts. 134 Embarcadero at Mission.

In SoMa, keep your eyes open for ~LUX~, which Grub Street reports is moving into the former Club Six space. Liquor license activity reveals the new project comes from Duc Luu, who runs Horizon Ultra Lounge in North Beach and Level7Group party promotion company. I have a feeling the ultra lounge format isn’t leaving our scene just yet. 60 6th St. at Jessie.

A few updates: a reader tells me ~WILD HARE~ is now open in the former Solstice. Since it’s from the Tonic/Bullitt/Dr. Teeth crew, you not only get Fernet and Jameson on tap, but you can also order their trademark bar snacks like Reuben egg rolls, totchos (those would be tater tot nachos, yo), wings, and more (served until 1:30am). Open Mon-Fri 4pm-2am, Sat-Sun 11am-2am. 2801 Divisadero St. at California, 415-539-3200.

It was always meant to be a temporary project from the Bon Vivants (the entire business collective was called “A Temporary Offering”), so it should come as no surprise that ~RIO GRANDE~ has closed after being open almost for a year, according to Facebook via Inside Scoop). 1108 Market St. at 7th St.

Over in Oakland, the Campovida folks from Hopland have opened an urban tasting room in the same building as Linden Street Brewery called ~TASTE OF PLACE~. You can get Campovida wines by the glass and bottle, as well as extra-virgin olive oil, honey, and other garden products harvested from Campovida’s own certified organic farm and estate. Thu-Fri 4pm-9pm, Sat-Sun 12pm-5pm, Mon-Wed by appointment. 95 Linden St. at 3rd St., Oakland, 707-744-8797.

On Thursday April 18th, check out a special wine tasting with wines from Napa’s Vare Vineyard at ~ARLEQUIN WINE MERCHANT~. The vineyard was the first in California to plant the ribolla gialla grape, a Friulian variety rarely seen in the New World. Winemakers from Arnot-Roberts, Ryme, Grassi, Massican, Forlorn Hope, Arbe-Garbe, and Matthiasson have all produced wines from the grapes, and will be on hand with pours of this lean, dry varietal. All the wines poured will be available for purchase at a 10 percent discount too. The event is $25 at the door, and runs from 6pm-8pm.

Check out ~KULETO’S~ new Meet the Maker Series of wine tastings. The first event, on Thursday April 18th, will feature the wines of GrapeHeart Vineyards in the Suisun Valley. Isabel Deeik, the proprietor and managing partner, will be pouring unlimited tastes of two of their reds and talking about the winery’s production. There will also be bites from chef Bob Helstrom. The event runs from 5pm-7pm, and costs $15. All proceeds go to the San Francisco Food Bank. 221 Powell St. at O’Farrell.

If you’re looking for a little competition in your life, head to ~STOCK IN TRADE~ on Monday April 22nd for a special dinner that pits wine against beer. Kirk Pearson of Widmer Brewing and Chris Cullina of Argyle Winery will both be in attendance, and will pair each of the four courses with one of their offerings. Then, at the end of the night, you get to vote on which you think paired best with the food. The dinner costs $65 including food and wine (but not tip and tax), and reservations can be made by calling the restaurant. 2036 Lombard St. at Fillmore, 415-829-3000.

Good news: ~SAISON~ landed its hard liquor license, so the cocktails are now a-flowin’ in the lounge. Grub Street has a peek at the menu.

Meanwhile, ~MISS OLLIE’S~ in Oakland now has its liquor license, so you can come in for a Cuba Libre, rum punch, or a shandy with the newly launched dinner service, running Tue-Sat. All-Stars Rum Shop, in effect. And yeah, chef-owner Sarah Kirnon’s famous fried chicken can be all yours for dinner, baby (although I guess Tyler Florence isn’t interested in having any). 901 Washington St. at 9th St., Oakland, 510-285-6188.