Last fall, I mentioned a new bar was taking over the former Castle Club in the Tenderloin, RUM & SUGAR, and Hoodline reports it’s now open. Look for a wide selection of rums, rum-based cocktails, and local beer and wine. It’s meant to have a neighborhood vibe (dogs are welcome). Open daily 2pm-2am. 823 Geary St. at Hyde.
I have been waiting for the past month for BIIG to finish its interior so I could take some pics, but you may as well know that it’s softly open right now in its new Tenderloin location at Turk and Taylor (the former 21 Club). The bar is from Jordan Langer (Big, Oddjob), Ryan Melchiano, Pete Glickshtern (Jones, Oddjob), and Ryan Hisamune. The original Big bartenders, Brian Felley and Mo Hodges, are busy with their own bar, Benjamin Cooper, but this new incarnation will continue the legacy of making bartender’s choice cocktails for guests on the fly. You just tell the bartender your liquor preferences, spiritous or not, and look for some seasonal touches.
I’ll report back soon on the décor, which includes a herringbone marble countertop and lumber panels that were at Big’s previous location. Soft opening hours (according to Hoodline’s report) for now are Wed-Thu 5pm-10pm and Fri-Sat 6pm-1am (or thereabouts). 98 Turk St. at Taylor.
Mark your calendar and get your ticket for A Library of Libations: Winter Cocktails of the Farmers Market, coming up on Wednesday February 15th. This evening in the Ferry Building will include literary-inspired winter farmers market cocktails and bites from 20-plus Bay Area bartenders and chefs. CUESA, the San Francisco chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild, and Friends of the San Francisco Public Library are all collaborating on this event. Yup, there will be cocktails with names like From a Tale of Two Citruses to Infinite Zest, so get ready. Heh. Guests receive three full-size signature cocktails featuring Jack Daniel’s, Rabarbaro Zucca, and Ron Zacapa, along with unlimited sample-size drinks.
Early-bird tickets are $50 (ends January 18th!), general admission tickets are $55 (ends February 5th), last-minute tickets are $60 (ends February 15th)—and then you can get a season ticket for $140 (ends February 15th, more info here). 5:30pm-8pm. Ferry Building Grand Hall, 1 Ferry Building.
