In last week’s post, Birth of a Great Lunch, I showed you what happens when sommeliers get together to celebrate—in this case a baby shower for imminent father Paul Roberts. Old, fine wines are uncorked, and civilized discussion occurs over the dinner table.



Here’s what happens when bar-types get together—in this case to celebrate the birthday of bartender and spirits expert Dominic Venegas (Bourbon and Branch, Cantina, Bacar, John Walker and Co.). We assembled in Golden Gate Park with six kegs of beer, played drunken oversized kickball, grilled weenies, and drank bottles of tequila, rye and mezcal. Lots of bartenders, cocktail servers, spirits vendors were in attendance.



The kickball event was the highlight of the afternoon. With a ball the size of a beach ball, the teams duked it out on a grassy plain, using a full keg of beer for second base. Every time the enormous ball was fielded, it was guaranteed that the beer of the fielder would be splashed all over him or herself. By the last few innings, there were lots of unintentional slides and pratfalls on an increasingly slick turf.

Happy birthday, Dom.