San Francisco Cocktail Week is coming up, so raise your glass and stock up on coconut water as you get ready to celebrate the best booze San Francisco has to offer. There are tons of events this year all over town (and across the bay), including classes, tastings, and straight-up parties. The whole bash is thrown by the very cool Barbary Coast Conservancy of the American Cocktail, an organization committed to preserving San Francisco’s rich bar-going history. Full details about all the events, as well as tickets, can be found at the Cocktail Week website. Here are some highlights from the main events they’ve announced so far.
It all kicks off in good style, with a big par-tay. The Artisan Tasting will happen on Monday September 17th from 6pm-9pm at Anchor Brewing Company. There will be local distillers pouring delicious cocktails and food pairings to match. Tickets are $45 in advance or $55 at the door. 1705 Mariposa St. at De Haro.
What could be more San Francisco than artisanal cocktails paired with street food from food trucks? Celebrate our dear city’s particular obsessions at Spirited Food Trucks: A Pairing of Deliciousness, at the SoMa StrEat Food Park. Local bartenders will be mixing drinks, and food can be purchased at participating trucks. Tuesday September 18th, 6pm-9pm. Tickets are $45 in advance or $55 at the door and include cocktails, but not food. 428 11th St. at Harrison.
Join bartenders from all along the West Coast for the Best of the West cocktail competition at Local Edition on Wednesday September 19th from 6pm-9pm. Each bartender will utilize “challenge ingredients” à la Iron Chef to craft a cocktail that represents the town they hail from. Tickets are $45 in advance or $55 at the door . 691 Market St. at Kearny.
Get your glam on for The Legends Awards on Friday September 21st from 7pm-10pm at the Swedish American Hall. Cocktails and punches will be served with a 1960s-era Vegas-style dinner and show. Bring on your sequins, tailcoats, and serious sipping skills. Tickets are $85 in advance or $95 at the door . 2174 Market St. at Sanchez.
Then on Saturday September 22nd, head over to the Cocktail Melee at the NWBLK art gallery in the Mission. This “free-for-all liquid experience” promises boozed-up attendees the opportunity to try a bunch of different spirits and cocktails at various tasting booths. The event will be held from 2pm-5pm, outdoors. Tickets are $35 in advance or $45 at the door. 1999 Bryant St. at 18th St.
Stick around the Mission on Saturday, because in the evening the NWBLK gallery will be hosting the California Altered State Fair by Jupiter Olympus. The fair will be a celebration of California’s wackiness and local bounty, featuring food, games, and carnival-style competitions from 7pm-10pm. Costumes are encouraged, of course. Tickets are $45 in advance or $55 at the door. 1999 Bryant St. at 18th St.
For the closing party this year, head over to St. George Spirits in Alameda for a prison-themed bash called St. George Spirits: 30 Years to Life. On Sunday September 23rd from 1pm-5pm, bartenders will be on hand crafting cocktails so good they can only be called criminal. There will also be food truck bites, prison-themed games, and a temporary prison-tattoo station. Tickets are $45 in advance or $55 at the door. 2601 Monarch St. at W. Midway, Alameda.
There will also be a series of seminars and dinners for those boozehounds seeking a more in-depth cocktail experience. Details on the seminars and suppers have not been released yet, but we’ll keep you updated at tablehopper as more information emerges.
The cocktail bounty at SF Cocktail Week 2011. Photo from Facebook.
Event Info
Monday Sep 17, 2012 – Sunday Sep 23, 2012 $25–$95, depending on the event Various Locations in San Francisco and the East Bay
