Bartender Erik Adkins - San Francisco - Recommendations - Find. Eat. Drink.
Bar Manager, Bartender Erik Adkins, Slanted Door, San Francisco, CA, California, Heaven’s Dog, SOMA, Chinese, Financial District, Embarcadero, Asian Fusion, Modern Vietnamese, Emeryville, Oakland, San Francisco, New York, NY, Portland, OR, Oregon, Liquor, Spirits, Resources, Rhum, Rum, Whiskey, Vodka, Gin, Cocktail Books, Chateau Briat, Armagnac, Barbancourt, Blue Gin, Dudognon Cognac, Del Maguey Mezcal, High West, Rye, Whiskey, Hudson Whiskey, Tuthilltown
355 Eleventh Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
T: 415.355.9400 (make a reservation)
I like the liver on toast and the half chicken at Bar Agricole. Besides having the most talented bar crew in San Francisco, they have fantastic farm to table food. Bar Agricole is already a San Francisco classic.
SOMA
New American
Restaurants - San Francisco, CA
DELFINA
Mission
Italian
I love the grilled calamari at Delfina. Go early or get a reservation, it’s on everyone’s list.
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Bar Manager Erik Adkins
December 15, 2011
The Slanted Door | Heaven’s Dog - San Francisco, CA
HAYES STREET GRILL
320 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
T: 415.863.5545 (make a reservation)
It is thankfully lost in time. Get an iceberg salad with blue cheese or a caesar salad and grilled local fish.
Hayes Valley
Californian / Seafood
NOPA
NOPA
Californian / Mediterranean
Nopa is the classic industry hang out, try their pork chop. They do everything right.
SLOW CLUB
I am always nostalgic for the burger at the Slow Club. The Slow Club is a cool hidden neighborhood restaurant that has been quietly cooking great food since 1991.
Mission
New American / Californian
TADICH GRILL
Financial District
American / Seafood
For old school San Francisco, I would go to the Tadich Grill for sand dabs or Cioppino.
THE MARSHALL STORE
It’s a real find, no cocktails though. You get to sit by the side of the road overlooking the beautiful bay eating BBQ oysters and drinking bubbly. The store sells all of their wine at retail prices. Really off the beaten path.
Tomales Bay
Seafood Shack
Drink - San Francisco, CA
355 Eleventh Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
T: 415.355.9400 (make a reservation)
SOMA
New American
For a Ti Punch.
BIX
For a Negroni.
Financial District / Embarcadero
American
BUENA VISTA CAFE
Fisherman’s Wharf
Bar
For an Irish Coffee.
COMSTOCK SALOON
155 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
T: 415.617.0071 (make a reservation)
For a Pisco Punch.
Financial District / Embarcadero
American
TOMMY’S
Outer Richmond
Mexican
For a Margarita.
TORONADO PUB
For a West Coast Pale Ale.
Lower Haight
Bar
Drink - Emeryville, CA
THE PRIZEFIGHTER
6702 Hollis Street, Emeryville CA 94608
Emeryville
Bar
We are all looking forward to the Prizefighter in Emeryville.
Drink - Oakland, CA
FLORA
I always enjoy grabbing a cocktail at Flora in Oakland across from the Fox Theatre.
Oakland
Cocktails
Drink - New York, NY
DEATH & COMPANY
East Village
Craft Cocktails
LITTLE BRANCH
20 Seventh Avenue South, New York, NY 10014
T: 212.929.4360
West Village
Cocktails
PEGU CLUB
Soho
Cocktails
East Village
Speakeasy / Cocktails
Whenever I am fortunate enough to be in New York I like to make a circuit out of the Pegu Club, Little Branch, PDT and Death & Company.
Drink - Portland, OR
CLYDE COMMON
Southwest Portland / Downtown
American
If I am in Portland I love Clyde Common.
TEARDROP COCKTAIL LOUNGE
Bartender: DANIEL SHOEMAKER
He is the hardest working bartender that I know. Daniel takes DIY to a ridiculous level. Add loads of talent to tireless drive and you have the recipe for the Teardrop Lounge.
Pearl District
Cocktails
Cocktail Resources - Online
ALCADEMICS
Website
Cocktail Resource
I really enjoy Camper English's Alcademics, true enthusiast and a great writer.
COCKTAIL CHRONICLES
I really enjoy Paul Clarke’s writings.
Website
Cocktail Resource
EGULLET
Website
Cocktail Resource
If you want to get lost, really lost, in the minutia of cocktails, check out the spirit and cocktail forums here.
SMALL HAND FOODS
Our bartender’s company, Small Hand Foods, makes orgeat, gum syrup and pineapple gum.
Website
Cocktail Resource
Cocktail Resources - Books
BARFLIES AND COCKTAILS
Purchase on Amazon.com
Author: Harry McElhone, David Wondrich, Harry MacElhone
Harry McElhone's 1927 book.
GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION
Purchase on Amazon.com
I really enjoy Paul Clarke’s writings. Charles H. Baker’s 1939 "Gentleman's Companion" is an emotional favorite of mine. Part travelogue, part recipe book, part bon vivants companion, the Gentleman's Companion is a snap shot of drinking around the world in the 1920's.
Author: Charles H. Baker Jr.
SAVOY COCKTAIL BOOK
Purchase on Amazon.com
Author: Harry Craddock
Harry Craddock's 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book is a great place to start.
STRAIGHT UP OR ON THE ROCKS: The Story of the American Cocktail
Purchase on Amazon.com
For books about cocktail culture 'Straight Up or on the Rocks' by William Grimes is a must read.
Author: William Grimes
THE OFFICIAL MIXER’S MANUAL
Purchase on Amazon.com
Author: Patrick Gavin Duffy
For compendiums of vintage recipes Patrick Gavin Duffy's 1934 Official Mixers Manual.
VINTAGE SPIRITS AND FORGOTTEN COCKTAILS
Purchase on Amazon.com
If you are looking for a modern book of vintage recipes that are ready to be made at home I recommend Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.
Author: Ted Haigh
Drinks - Liquor / Spirits
ARMAGNAC CHATEAU BRIAT
France
Liquor / Spirits / Armagnac
Get out of cognac all together and try some of the rustic brandies from Armagnac. Chateau Briat is one to look for.
BARBANCOURT WHITE RHUM
Instead of Bacardi, which is neutral to a flaw, try the Barbancourt white rhum from Haiti. This rhum is made from cane sugar, rather than molasses, and smells like freshly cut cane.
Haiti
Liquor / Spirits / Rum
HANS REISETBAUER BLUE GIN
Austria
Liquor / Spirits / Gin
Bombay Saphire is designed to lure vodka drinkers over to gin. Instead try Blue Gin from cult Austrian eau de vie distiller Hans Reisetbauer. He distills each botanical separately and vats them for his gin. It is a very well put together distillate.
DUDOGNON COGNAC
Available from these retailers
Instead of a big name cognac, try Dudognon. Dudognon is a small grower/producer that makes lovely cognac.
France
Liquor / Spirits / Cognac
DEL MAGUEY MEZCAL
Mexico
Liquor / Spirits / Mezcal
If you like Tequila and are not afraid of an intensely flavored distillate, then look for some of the single village mezcals coming out of Oaxaca. Del Maguey is one of the first importers of this rustic regional spirit. These smokey, salty, bright distillates are favorites of San Francisco bartenders and sommeliers.
HIGH WEST WHISKEY
If you want to drink whiskey but don't want to support GMO corn agriculture, then try some of the small whiskey producers that are popping up around the country. I like High West out of Utah and Hudson from up state New York. As these fairly young companies have time to age more whiskey their product will only get better.
Utah
Liquor / Spirits / Whiskey
HUDSON WHISKEY
New York
Liquor / Spirits / Whiskey
If you want to drink whiskey but don't want to support GMO corn agriculture, then try some of the small whiskey producers that are popping up around the country. I like High West out of Utah and Hudson from up state New York. As these fairly young companies have time to age more whiskey their product will only get better.
Who
Erik Adkins is the bar manager at Slanted Door and Heaven’s Dog in San Francisco, California.
Why
Fellow barman Bar Agricole’s Thad Vogler describes Erik Adkins as “the best bartender in San Francisco.”
Recommended By
- Thad Vogler (Bar Agricole in San Francisco, CA)
Recommendations
Erik Adkin’s recommendations on what to drink and where to drink in San Francisco, Emeryville, Oakland, New York and Portland.
