http://www.smugglerscovesf.com/
Coming Fall 2009
Martin Cate is the Bee’s Knees. He’s tops, aces, the Man . . . the Best. The Gindicate holds a special place in its heart for this Masterful Mixologist. After all, we were dubbed the Gindicate after inhabiting the center booth for many an afternoon & evening at the Forbidden Island, Alameda. We were lucky to have, what was quite possibly, the last Rum flight and lecture from Martin on his last night at the Forbidden Island. And although we were sad to see him leave our local watering hole, we sure are glad he’s pulled yet another Ace from up his sleeve!
Always a man of mystery, Martin has been hinting that he has something interesting in store for us. We’ve been left to imagine what it could be, I for one thought it would be a book. However, his lovely wife has been playing up her uncertainty and had us all believe things weren’t going well. Wednesday a sudden flurry of tweets brought me to understand that Martin had pulled the ol’ bate and switch. Something was indeed in the works and a website was up ready for us to discover the Smuggler’s Cove!
Smuggler’s Cove SF is Martin’s new venture and promises a unique mix of nautical, historical, modern, Caribbean, and quintessentially San Franciscan flavors. It will showcase his extensive knowledge and love of Rum, as well as serve as an arena where his Mixology can yet again shine. A article about the bar and owner can be found at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/wine/detail?entry_id=41144.
The suspense intensifies as an easter egg on the web sight leads to a puzzle that will lead to more clues . . . like where the bar is located in San Francisco! Masterful! The Gindicate is waiting with bated breath to find the next clue. We can’t wait to see what’s in store.
Cheers!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Meet the Makers on April 5th, 2009
Hanger One, Alameda, CA
Meet the Makers was an event to bring together small batch and artisan distillers from around the United States. The Hanger One/St. George Spirits store and tasting room was open to the general public, but the floor of their distillery held over 40 Distillers and a dozen specialty foods producers. There were also a few tables that served actual cocktails, most notable were the Brandy Alexander’s with brown sugar rim.
The $40 ticket price was a little high for the average drinker, but the price was definitely off set by the virtually unlimited drinks and hors d’oevres. Everyone was nice and interested in meeting the visitors. The distillers and their reps were very personable and ready to engage in conversation. Although there wasn’t a set direction, most people waited patiently in line to meet each distiller. There was a noticeable lack of line towards the middle as people got a few drinks in them. It was a very enjoyable afternoon.
If you want a complete list of who was at the event, you can check out the Forums on Hanger One’s website or the article written up in the Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2529-SF-Drinks-Examiner~y2009m3d20-Domestic-distillers-pour-their-best-at-craft-spirits-festival . We will be reviewing some of the more interesting Gins and distillers we found at Meet the Makers in the future.
Salud!
Meet the Makers was an event to bring together small batch and artisan distillers from around the United States. The Hanger One/St. George Spirits store and tasting room was open to the general public, but the floor of their distillery held over 40 Distillers and a dozen specialty foods producers. There were also a few tables that served actual cocktails, most notable were the Brandy Alexander’s with brown sugar rim.
The $40 ticket price was a little high for the average drinker, but the price was definitely off set by the virtually unlimited drinks and hors d’oevres. Everyone was nice and interested in meeting the visitors. The distillers and their reps were very personable and ready to engage in conversation. Although there wasn’t a set direction, most people waited patiently in line to meet each distiller. There was a noticeable lack of line towards the middle as people got a few drinks in them. It was a very enjoyable afternoon.
If you want a complete list of who was at the event, you can check out the Forums on Hanger One’s website or the article written up in the Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2529-SF-Drinks-Examiner~y2009m3d20-Domestic-distillers-pour-their-best-at-craft-spirits-festival . We will be reviewing some of the more interesting Gins and distillers we found at Meet the Makers in the future.
Salud!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The Power of Advertising
We have all succumbed to the power of really good marketing. We’ve even succumbed to the power of really bad advertising. What we’ve noticed is that there isn’t a lot of money spent on marketing or advertising for Gin.
When was the last time you saw a billboard for Gin?
When was the last time you saw a TV commercial for Gin?
The last significant advertisement I saw featured Upton Sinclair, the quirky nouveau riche smart suit wearing Brit with a silly line, “Do you Tanqueray?” They pushed that “mascot” pretty hard a few years back. The success of Sinclair also brought about the moderate success of Rangpur, which the Lady of the House really likes over ice with soda water (it’s a cheap girl’s drink). Really, though, Tanqueray is a nice gin that is reasonably priced, found in bulk at big-box stores, as well as having a great look. Ten is their top shelf premium edition, which is as beautiful a bottle as the gin is good.
However, where I currently find the best, possibly unintentional, advertising for alcohol is found in Pottery Barn. I love to look at their sparkly bar wear and see what they consider fashionable or “attractive” liquor. Now, they don’t make it easy to read the labels, because that wouldn’t be artistic enough for their set designers. However, it is easy enough to figure out what is there, since bottles like Corona and S. Pellegrino have distinctive shapes and colors. Interestingly enough the last edition of their catalog featured:
• Citadel Gin
• Gin No. 209
• Bombay Sapphire Gin
• Pimm’s
• Hanger 1 Vodka (plain)
• Blue Coat Gin
• Campari
• Absolute Melon Vodka
It really makes me wonder how many middle-class soccer Mom’s and catalog enthusiasts are now picking up No. 209 (since it was easiest to read) in their local liquor store. Will there now be a vogue of pool parties with melon ball skewers in their Melon Vodka Tonics? Is there now a run on Victorian Lemonade and S. Pellegrino to pack in their vintage style aluminum buckets?
Or am I giving Pottery Barn too much credit? Maybe I should pick up a Wal-Mart or Target ad and see what they consider chic alcohol.
When was the last time you saw a billboard for Gin?
When was the last time you saw a TV commercial for Gin?
The last significant advertisement I saw featured Upton Sinclair, the quirky nouveau riche smart suit wearing Brit with a silly line, “Do you Tanqueray?” They pushed that “mascot” pretty hard a few years back. The success of Sinclair also brought about the moderate success of Rangpur, which the Lady of the House really likes over ice with soda water (it’s a cheap girl’s drink). Really, though, Tanqueray is a nice gin that is reasonably priced, found in bulk at big-box stores, as well as having a great look. Ten is their top shelf premium edition, which is as beautiful a bottle as the gin is good.
However, where I currently find the best, possibly unintentional, advertising for alcohol is found in Pottery Barn. I love to look at their sparkly bar wear and see what they consider fashionable or “attractive” liquor. Now, they don’t make it easy to read the labels, because that wouldn’t be artistic enough for their set designers. However, it is easy enough to figure out what is there, since bottles like Corona and S. Pellegrino have distinctive shapes and colors. Interestingly enough the last edition of their catalog featured:
• Citadel Gin
• Gin No. 209
• Bombay Sapphire Gin
• Pimm’s
• Hanger 1 Vodka (plain)
• Blue Coat Gin
• Campari
• Absolute Melon Vodka
It really makes me wonder how many middle-class soccer Mom’s and catalog enthusiasts are now picking up No. 209 (since it was easiest to read) in their local liquor store. Will there now be a vogue of pool parties with melon ball skewers in their Melon Vodka Tonics? Is there now a run on Victorian Lemonade and S. Pellegrino to pack in their vintage style aluminum buckets?
Or am I giving Pottery Barn too much credit? Maybe I should pick up a Wal-Mart or Target ad and see what they consider chic alcohol.
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