From a root beer float to an Americano, bartenders from the Peninsula to Gilroy don't miss a beat when asked what they like to make.
Sue Wood,Patch Staff
Posted Fri, Dec 28, 2018 at 4:43 pm PT|Updated Fri, Jan 11, 2019 at 5:11 pm PT
EAST PALO ALTO, CA -- Tis the season for good will, socializing, remembrance and the best cocktails. And as indicated by eight bartenders flanking the Silicon Valley, these favorite concoctions don't have to be complex. They just need a special tip to stand out.
In the case of the Blacksmith in Redwood City, it's the "orange flame" that makes the difference in bartender Manny Tenorio's Old Fashioned cocktail. It also helps to have the Bulleit as the house bourbon.
The Four Seasons provides the best of everything, and this applies to the creations the Quattro bar comes up with. Bartender Greg King is a master at making the Old Fashioned for those venturing into East Palo Alto. He makes his with a giant ice ball for effect.
"I like it because it's simple," King said, listing whiskey, sugar and bitters as the ingredients. But for all its simplicity, it's "an easy one to mess up," he added.
The drink gets its resurgence in popularity from "Mad Men," a television show set in the advertising world of the 1960s. Mad Men is to the Old Fashioned as Sex in the City is to the Cosmopolitan.
Nonetheless, King's bar is known for unique, signature cocktails like the Royal Guard, which consists of a special Rocket vodka, Earl Grey tea, lemon juice and club soda.
Whiskey is the star of the Whiskey Sour, another old favorite that bartender Edwin Ramirez likes to make at the Left Bank in Menlo Park. Ramirez uses eggs whites to make it authentic.
"You gotta have the foam on top," he said, adding a Manhattan to the mix. Some drinks never go out of style.
For off-the-charts fun, order the Kamikaze at the Black Watch in Los Gatos. The bartender there said you won't be disappointed.
Then, for a little dip into international culture, select the Americano at Enzo's Italian Restaurant in Cupertino. The cocktails borne out of the 1860s highlights a titillating trio of Vermouth, Campari liqueur and Vermouth.
An American sports bar in Mountain View has put a new spin on cocktail offerings with the bocce ball -- a mix of Stoli vodka, Amaretto, pineapple and orange juices.
When in Gilroy, stop by Stubby's for a Moscow Mule. You're sure to get fresh lime juice -- the key to this modern, bar-drinking staple cocktail.
The New Patio gets the award in San Carlos for most unusual cocktail that Mary Anne Aguilar likes to serve up -- the adult version of a root beer float. Aguilar's crafty recipe comes with vodka, Kahlua, Galliano liqueur, creme and Pepsi.
But come back when you're 21.
