Secret Service

There’s no doubt that when it comes to cocktails in SF, the bar has been raised in the past couple of years. But “bar” might not be the right word. The best libations tend to be served in restaurants: Bix, Range, Absinthe, Frisson and the Slanted Door, to name a few. Bars here, on the other hand, are, well, bars—noisy places aimed at packing them in, leaving a person little choice but to fight their way through a space thronged by bleary-eyed drinkers. And, except for a few spots, such as Rye and the Orbit Room, there’s little emphasis on the cocktail itself.

Things are about to change with Bourbon & Branch, which quietly opened last month. A collaboration between Brian Sheehy and Dahi Donnelly (the creators of Swig and the nightclub Anú) along with the creative and talented Todd Smith (the former bar director of Cortez), it will be SF’s first reservations-only bar, modeled after the famed Milk and Honey of London and New York.

The bar’s owners obviously ave an appreciation for the days of old: Branch is short for “water from a stream,” and “bourbon and branch” is an antiquated way of asking for a bourbon and water. Located in the Tenderloin at the site of a Prohibition-era speakeasy, the interior is candlelit and done up with dark wainscoting and brick to evoke the ’20s. Except for bar stools, seating is exclusively in booths.

As in a speakeasy, there are some clandestine touches—which include an unlisted number and an unmarked front door—except it’s not the Prohibition era. To run a bar this way might seem pretentious, but, Sheehy claims, “It’s meant to be elusive, not exclusive. My partner Dahi and I had the idea because we’ve often had VIPs and friends come by Swig for a drink, only to find it too loud and crowded to have a conversation.”

Elusiveness aside, the raison d’être of the bar is the cocktails. Smith calls it “the bar of my dreams.” He and the other bartenders have come up with such ideas as coconut/pineapple-flavored ice for a tropical rum drink (as it melts, the drink becomes more intense, not less), cucumber-mint foam for an updated Pimm’s Cup and all manner of flavored syrups, infusions and juices. The 20-page spirits list will be high-end, with an emphasis on, of course, bourbon, including hard-to-find gems like Buffalo Trace and Rock Hill Farms.

Is SF ready to drink at this kind of level? The success or failure of Bourbon & Branch might be the answer. Of course, your contribution to this depends on whether or not you’re privy to the phone number—something that they refused to give even us. Reservations, however, can be made at bourbonandbranch.com. And there’s always Google.

RECIPE

The Revolver
This recipe by Jon Santer, Todd Smith’s right-hand man, is a beautiful way to enjoy bourbon. Along with the Bulleit Bourbon (a premium Kentucky brand), it calls for Tia Maria, a Jamaican rum-based, coffee-flavored liqueur.

2 ounces Bulleit Bourbon
1/2 ounce Tia Maria
2 to 3 dashes orange bitters
Orange peel for garnish

Combine all ingredients except orange peel in a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and add orange peel.