Bay Area Cocktail Spots: A Return to The Slanted Door

Summary:  After an afternoon of wandering up and down the aisles in the Ferry Building, you can sit at the rail in the wine bar and watch the people go by, or you can grab a terrific cocktail in The Slanted Door.   Or, if it is Christmas, you can do both*.  That's what we did.  We've done very well at the Bar at The Slanted Door

*When given a choice between two good things, "both" is better.

Rest of Post: Since we've enjoyed ourselves so much previously, we thought we'd check and see what new drinks were on the menu.  We tried three and had two appetizers.

The Last Word:  Miller's Westbourne Gin, Luxardo Maraschino, Green Chartreuse and lime juice; served up - recipe from the Detroit Athletic Club

Vieux Carré: Dudognone Reserve Cognac, Rye whiskey, Benedictine, Sweet Vermouth, Peychaud's and Angostura bitters, served up  


The Last Word is a clear "A List" drink.  Not hard to predict given how much we love Aviations (gin, maraschino, lemon), and Southsides (gin, lime, mint, sugar).  The Last Word has a soft nose, hint of maraschino, and then there layers in the flavors - gin, maraschino and then a burst of lime.  The menu says the recipe is from the Detroit Athletic Club, on a hunch I pulled down my copy of Ted Saucierʼs Bottom's Up (1951) which I'm guessing is the source of the recipe. This is our second "A List" drink from Ted - another blogger pointed us to the Diamondback, and I'm thinking Ted's book - famous for its lascivious illustrations - may require some serious study - the recipes, I mean.

The Vieux Carré is a very famous old New Orleans drink - the name means "the old quarter", it is thought that the drink was invented in the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans in the 1930s. This is a completely decadent drink for people who love the taste of hard liquor, which isn't really me.

Sazerac - no photo - it wasn't on the menu, but O wanted something solid to anchor after  the Last Word, and given the Rye Bee is on the menu, the bartender quickly brought her a very very nice Sazerac (rye whiskey, absinthe, simple or gomme syrup, peychaud's bitters, angostura bitters).

I tried a [no photo] Hot Winter Cider:  Pappy Van Winkle 12-year-old Bourbon, St. Elizabeth Allspice, The Apple Farm juice, star anise, vietnamese cinnamon. It smelled good, a very pleasant, very smooth hot drink that grew on us as we slowly drank it.

While we drank we ate the excellent slanted door spring rolls with shrimp, pork, mint and peanut sauce  (we ate one before taking the picture) and then the intensely good  barbecued Willis Ranch pork spareribs with honey-hoisin sauce  - the sauce is very strong, and you just can't get enough of it, but you know there will come a moment - if you eat too much - when you won't want it again for weeks.

And here is O, with The Last Word.