‘Tis the season for spirited sipping, and our favorite San Francisco bars have you covered with ciders, punches, and grogs galore (and even a decadent tipple made with ice cream). Sample our top four picks around town, and scroll down for the recipes, perfect for your holiday party purposes.
Pfeffernüsse, The Ice Cream Bar
This sippable version of the traditional German holiday spice cookie features a base of Cardamora Vino Amaro and Bona Gentia-Quina. It’s sweetened and spiced with honey, molasses, cardamom, clove, ginger, and cinnamon, and served in a glass rimmed with powdered sugar (recipe below). // 815 Cole St, theicecreambarsf.com
RECIPE:
1 3/4 ounces Cardamaro Vino Amaro
1/4 ounce Bonal Gentia-Quina
1/4 ounce turbinado simple syrup
1 bar spoon blackstrap molasses
1 bar spoon honey
1/4 ounce orange juice
1 drop bitter almond extract
1 dash each:
black pepper tincture
cardamom tincture
clove tincture
ginger tincture
cinnamon tincture
1. Shake all ingredients with ice
2. Strain over rocks into a glass with a powdered sugar rim.
3. Garnish with an orange peel.
Friar Serra Flip, Elixir
Sherry, Combier, and Bols Genever are shaken to a creamy froth with egg, bitters, and cinnamon before being topped with a hearty shake of powdered sugar. H. JosephEhrmann says that the drink is named for the Friar Junipero Serra, founder of nine missions in California; the 19th-century ingredients form a flavor profile of caramel, vanilla, and baking spices (recipe below). // 3200 16th St, elixirsf.com
RECIPE:
1 ounce Combier
1 ounce Dry Sack Sherry
1/4 ounce Bols Genever
1 egg
4 dashes Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas Bitters
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Powdered sugar in a shaker
Orange Zest
1. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a mixing glass and dry shake hard for 5 seconds.
2. Add ice and shake again for 10 seconds.
3. Hawthorne strain into a heat resistant glass (a thick glass wine goblet works nicely).
4. Shake the powdered sugar over the glass to coat the top.
5. Using a culinary torch, caramelize the sugar in the center of the glass (be careful to avoid too much contact of the flame with the glass).
6. Sprinkle with some fine zest of orange rind and serve.
Dad’s Cardamom Eggnog, Rye
Three Twins Ice Cream and booze? Yes, please. Jon Gasparini’s perfectly local take on eggnog features spicy-sweet Dad’s Cardamom ice cream, Appleton Estate V/X rum, milk, and eggs. After all, this is exactly the time of year to have ice cream before dinner (recipe below). // 688 Geary St, ryesf.com
RECIPE:
6 ounces Appleton Estate V/X Jamaica rum
1 pint of melted Three Twins Dad's Cardamom Ice Cream (either leave in the refrigerator to thaw or bring to room temp over low heat)
6 ounces organic whole milk
3 fresh organic eggs
1 teaspoon good quality organic rosewater
Nutmeg and cardamom dust for garnish
1. Beat eggs in a blender or food processor on low speed for 45 seconds.
2. Slowly blend in melted ice cream followed by remaining ingredients for approximately 1 minute.
3. Chill thoroughly in refrigerator.
4. Serve in chilled punch cup with grated nutmeg and Cardamom garnish.
Milk of the Poppy, Blackbird
A holiday cocktail that’s Game of Thrones-themed? Yes, please. Matt Grippo’s brilliant creation features rompope, a type of Mexican eggnog made from blanched almonds, milk, spices, and rum; he blends this with Hine Cognac and Geijer Glögg (Scandinavian mulled wine). Winter is coming, indeed (recipe below)! // 2124 Market St, blackbirdbar.com
RECIPE:
Milk of the Poppy, Blackbird
3 ounces Rompope
1 ounce Hine Cognac
1/2 ounce Geijer Glögg (Scandinavian mulled wine)
1. Combine all ingredients ahead of time and chill in the fridge.
2. Once chilled, serve 4 1/2-ounce servings in cordial glass and grate nutmeg on top.
Recipe for Rompope:
2/3 cup blanched almonds
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
6 cups whole milk
2 cinnamon sticks
Rind of 1 lemon*
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 large egg yolks
1 cup white rum or Aguardiente
*Remove the lemon rind with a vegetable peeler, being careful to avoid the white pith, which will impart a bitter flavor.
1. Pulse almonds with 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor until ground to a fine paste.
2. Bring milk, cinnamon, lemon rind, vanilla, and baking soda to a boil over medium-high heat in a large heavy-bottom saucepan.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks, the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar, and ground almonds until thick and pale.
5. Remove cinnamon and lemon rind and discard.
6. Whisking constantly, slowly add the milk to the yolk mixture.
7. Return mixture to pan and cook over low heat, constantly stirring and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5 to 7 minutes.
8. Set aside to cool completely, about 2 hours.
