1) Color Me Badd Wednesdays
Crayons and cocktails go together like... Well, they don’t actually go together. But who cares, when Broke Ass Stuart is serving the drinks? Drop in to The Cellar every Wednesday between 5pm and 9pm for $3 beers and $4 well drinks served by Stuart. You’ll also find free bar snacks and coloring books & crayons at the bar, where you’re encouraged to color outside the lines. In fact, if you don’t like lines, you can use the blank drawing paper to Free Your Mind and Express Yourself while DJ Matt Haze spins 90s R&B slow jams and throwback tracks in the background. The Cellar is just two blocks from Union Square, at 685 Sutter Street (@ Taylor).
2) Girls Gone Vine Meetup at 50 Mason Social House
A group of gals in San Diego started a wine meetup, called it Girls Gone Vine, and discovered they had a lot more in common than vino. When some of those women moved to San Francisco, they decided to open a Northern California “franchise” of Girls Gone Vine. The only requirements for joining (besides being a woman who drinks wine) are to “...wear a smile, laugh easy, and be open to just get out and do something.” The next Girls Gone Vine Meetup is this Friday, June 14. Join the mostly 20- and 30-something women for live music and Happy Hour drinks at 50 Mason Social House (50 Mason @ Eddy), from 5pm to 7pm. In addition to $5 house red or white wine and a $5 wine flight offering, you’ll get $1 off all other wine by the glass and 25% off wine bottles.
3) Drink and (Maybe) Go to Bali at Top of the Mark
If a spectacular view and swanky surroundings aren’t sufficient to lure you to the top of Nob Hill, how about a “Summer Libation Staycation” with a chance to win a weekend in Bali? Escape to the Top of the Mark (999 California St. @ Mason) any Sunday or Monday in June and be entered to win a 3-night stay at the InterContinental Bali Resort, located in exclusive Jimbaran Bay. While you’re waiting for your name to be drawn (on July 1), you can whet your appetite for Indonesia with a few Bali-inspired menu additions, available throughout the month of June. Try the Bali High cocktail ($13), made with Nolet’s Slver Dry Gin, sweetened coconut milk, orange juice, and orange flower water. Pair it with an appetizer of Sate Bai Resep ($16), a Kurobuta pork satay with rice cake and sweet soy sauce. For dessert ($9), try the Martabak Manis, made with Valrhona chocolate, banana, and caramel sauce. Or sip on a Grand Julep cocktail, with Grand Marnier, Angostura Bitters, and mint leaves. If you don’t win the vacation in Bali, come back in July for a chance at San Juan, plus a new line-up of Puerto Rican-inspired menu items.
4) Feels Like Film Noir at Raven Bar
Step inside the Raven and step back in time. This SOMA bar has the shadowy feel of a speakeasy, with subtle lighting, antique mirrors and dark leather. Intimate nooks abound amid two levels where, if you look, you’ll find three bars and two dance floors. A friendly bartender in a fedora serves a creative selection of specialty cocktails ($9), including the Velvet Death, which mixes Death Door Gin and Velvet Falernum with fresh citrus and a slap of basil, sealed beneath a thin layer of Absinthe. If you want to spice things up, try the Switchblade, which blends jalapeno cilantro honey syrup and fresh citrus with premium tequila. Raven Bar (1151 Folsom @ 7th/8th) hosts Happy Hour every day but Sunday from 4pm to 7pm, featuring $4 premium well drinks, $4 draft beers, $5 wine by the glass and $1 off specialty cocktails. The friendly restaurant next door (Triptych) will deliver small bites, burgers and sandwiches directly to your table. For a quiet, seductive experience, visit Raven during the first half of the week, as things start picking up on Thursday.
5) Balvenie Single Malt Tasting at Blackbird
Attention Scotch drinkers! Blackbird Bar is hosting a Single Malt Scotch event next Wednesday, June 19. From 7pm to 9pm, guests can taste small samplings of Balvenie Scotch that have been aged for 12, 14 and 15 years at a complimentary tasting and education table hosted by Northern California Balvenie Whiskey Associate Luz Zuchetto. If you like what you taste, you can purchase The Balvenie Flight (three 1-oz pours) for $25, or individual drams of your favorite vintage for $7 - $15. Space is limited to 50 guests, and RSVP is recommended. For true Scotch connoisseurs who are quick to respond, there is a rare opportunity to taste The Balvenie Tun 1401, Batch 3. This is a special blend of Balvenie whiskies from across the decades, rested for several months in the distillery’s traditional oak marrying vessel, Tun 1401. The $25 tasting (1/2 oz) is open to the first ten guests who RSVP for the event and request the tasting. Blackbird Bar is located at 2124 Market Street between 14th and 15th.
Submit drinking events to renee@grassrootspr.com.
