Whiskey Fest 2007
Posted: 12/04/07
Whiskeyfest 2007 10/23/07
As far as a 24 hour day goes, that was one of my favorites. When all was said and done, from pillow to pillow it was just about 24 hours. I was up at 4am to get everything together, scoop up Dave and head out to the airport. God bless ‘SNOOZE’ (breakfast place just 2 blocks form the distillery) for the coffee, and ham benedict that gave me the strength and courage for the journey. Jess was waiting for us in the Denver Airport and we boarded the plane and headed for San Francisco. What a great city SF is. I love it. We checked in and headed out for some lunch. We of course had to go to Fisherman’s Wharf and eat a mess of fresh crab. We enjoyed riding the cable cars and all that fun “country boy in the big city” stuff. The trip got really good that evening when the Whiskyfest started. I had the chance to meet some people for the first time face to face whom I had known only by phone or by reading their articles. After the VIP tasting session the general public came. That was rewarding. One person after another walking up to the booth with a quizzical look on their faces, “whiskey form Colorado?!”, and then after tasting a wee dram, walking away converted. Great reviews are cool, but my real satisfaction comes from the guy on the street loving our whiskey. The night was a whirlwind of handshakes and business cards. One of those handshakes was followed by an invite to the ‘Bourbon and Branch’ after party. MMM after party.
After the fest had ended we had a quick dinner and set off to meet our friends at Whiskey Thieves. Our group was joined by a Denver transplant to SF, and old friend of mine Ryan Carver. He had introduced me to Whiskey Thieves during a previous visit. Whiskey Thieves is a great bar. Beyond a wicked selection of whiskey, it has the all charm and comfort of your favorite pair of jeans. We walked through the door and immediately felt at home, great jukebox, even better whiskey. The staff, Stephanie, and John, were friendly and knowledgeable. We brought along some distillery samples for them to try, and sampled a bunch of different whiskeys. We generally just had a really good time. (I think I owe Stephanie some sort of tour of Denver or something, I am prone to making lavish promises when the whiskey is flowing.) Next was the Bourbon and Branch. The B&B is an actual old speak-easy that has been brought back to life. I made fast friends with the staff by handing a few bottles of Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey across the bar. I gave them a bottle or 2 of our regular Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey and a couple bottles of special samples I had brought from the distillery. The staff was amazing, their dedication to their craft was inspiring. Having already enjoyed my weight in straight whiskey I was ready to sample one of the myriad artisan cocktails the B&B offers. I started with an Old Fashioned, one of my all time favorite cocktails. Jon Santer- Lead Bartender, poured me the magical elixir containing house-made bitters, house-made orange marmalade, garnished with a singed orange rind, and their house label rye poured over the hardest coldest ice cubes I have ever seen*. The resulting drink was madly complex and satisfying. After the old fashioned, I put my faith totally in bartenders Dominic and Jon, leaving my drink choices totally in their capable hands. They poured one mixoligical feat after another. Todd Smith- Bartender and Owner B&B, and Dahi Donnely-Owner B&B have taken cocktail making back to a craft form, focusing on the mundane and taken for granted ingredients, breathing new life in to them and reinvigorating tired old flavors. If you are ever in San Francisco, you have to stop by and have a drink. Heck might as well order a Stranahan’s while you are there.
*The Bourbon and Branch have a special type of ice machine that was produced during the golden era of cocktails that produces ice cubes with no air bubbles. I am not sure of the exact machine process but this makes the ice harder, and they do not melt as rapidly as a result, so I can have a cold cocktail with out unduly watering down the drink.