Email Author Lou Bustamante

2010 Stories by Lou Bustamante

• Is Your Champagne Unworthy of a Toastr Turn It into Cocktails

  published Dec 30, 2010

  If the idea of dropping a Benjamin on a couple of nice bottles of Champagne isn't something you're ready to do yet, or if you find yourself with a supply of sparkling wine you don't want to spend the ... More >>

• Three Events to Keep You Drunk for New Year's Weekend

  published Dec 29, 2010

  New Year's Day is all about fresh starts and optimism, but don't make the mistake of believing you can say goodbye to a whole year with one night of drinking. Our extensive studies have shown that a f... More >>

• Cold Comfort: S.F.'s Best Holiday Cocktails

  published Dec 23, 2010

  Hot drinks r especially the ones on SFoodie's list for the Heat Misers of the world r are excellent during the holidays, but you can't celebrate on hot drinks alone. Behold our guide to cold-weather... More >>

• S.F.'s Best Hot Drinks for a Cold Season

  published Dec 22, 2010

  It may be the most festive time of year, but expecting to get through the holidays on cheer alone is a challenge best left to our friends at the North Pole. The hot holiday cocktail can work wonders... More >>

• Three Artisanal Spirits We're Hoping Santa Brings

  published Dec 21, 2010

  Cocktails and hot drinks rule the holiday season, but there's something just as festive, not to mention warming: a glass of a special brandy or whiskey. The Bay Area's expanding roster of artisanal sp... More >>

• 4505 Meats Holiday Box Packs a Party

  published Dec 17, 2010

  Ryan Farr, the evil genius behind the 4505 Meats Chicken Yum Yum sandwich and supplier of such meaty treats as the artisan turducken, is turning his talents to the holidays for this month's 4505 CSA, ... More >>

• This Is Why Your Bartender Hates You

  published Dec 14, 2010

  Michael Procopio's hotly debated piece on restaurant patrons' "breaches of dining behavior" got us thinking about pet peeves among San Francisco's drink slingers. To find out, I queried some of the ci... More >>

• SFoodie Advent Calendar, Day 9: Buche de Noel from Les Elements

  published Dec 13, 2010

  The SFoodie Advent Calendar counts down the days before Christmas/Nondenominationalwinterholiday, one treat at a time. Former Absinthe/Arlequin pastry chef Luis Villavelazquez is all about taking an... More >>

• SFoodie Advent Calendar, Day 7: Boccalone's Black Truffle Mortadella

  published Dec 09, 2010

  The SFoodie Advent Calendar counts down the days before Christmas/Nondenominationalwinterholiday, one treat at a time.The cold and rain of December always finds us fighting a losing battle against sal... More >>

• Prohibition's End Celebrated at Repeal Day Festivities

  published Dec 02, 2010

  "To alcohol! The cause of r and solution to r all of life's problems!" -Homer Simpson The modern cocktail revival comes with a near-fetishizing of the pre-Prohibition and Prohibition eras many outsi... More >>

• The Presidio Social Club's Tim Stookey Turns Back Time

  published Nov 30, 2010

  When I was growing up in the Bay Area, trips to San Francisco were defined by its sights and smells: the damp, cool, mineral scent that arrives with the fog; the menthol chill of the eucalyptus grove... More >>

• Look at Art, Then Drink It

  published Nov 24, 2010

  How Wine Became Modern, SFMOMA's new exhibit on visual and design evolution in the wine world, is a fascinating look at both the aesthetics and processes of modern American winemaking, tracing the gra... More >>

• Swelter a Little at Tuesday's Hawaiian Cocktail Shake-Off

  published Nov 22, 2010

  Chances are you went to sleep last night wearing three layers, a hat, and an extra blanket and were still cold r nothing like 40-something-degree weather to make you think about visiting someplace war... More >>

• San Francisco's Not Ready to Give Up Its Historic Cocktails

  published Nov 17, 2010

  Our favorite morsel from the blogs. Tasting Table's recent list of the 15 best cocktails in San Francisco by Camper English had us nodding our head in agreement, though by the end we couldn't help fe... More >>

• Drink Small at Tonight's Indy Spirits Expo

  published Nov 17, 2010

  Tonight Mighty hosts this year's Independent Spirits Expo, where distillers and spirits companies get together for a grand tasting. Local favorites include Square One, Charbay, Old World Spirits, St. ... More >>

• Nihon Offers a Mind-Blowing Education in Whisk(e)y Styles

  published Nov 16, 2010

  There are some places that occupy a permanent slot on our lists of bars to visit, continuously foiled by bad timing, distance, or just habit. Usually when we finally make it, they leave us wondering, ... More >>

• L.A. Bartender Chris Bostick Takes Guest Turn at Beretta

  published Nov 15, 2010

  The guest bartender series at Beretta continues Tuesday with Chris Bostick, all the way from The Varnish in Los Angeles, teaming up with bar manager and bar star Ryan Fitzgerald. Hidden within the h... More >>

• BarBack Olympics Makes Drinking a Legitimate Sport. Finally

  published Nov 12, 2010

  On Sunday, 20 of the San Francisco Bay Area's best barbacks take center stage at Mezzanine in a series of challenges designed to replicate being deep in the weeds at the bar: bottle relay, ice bucket ... More >>

• Vietti Dinner at Ristobar Tonight

  published Nov 08, 2010

  Get a rare opportunity tonight at Ristobar to meet with Luca Currado, winemaker at Vietti winery in the small medieval village of Castiglione Falletto, the heart of Piedmont's famous Langhe wine regio... More >>

• Hey Bro, It's Harvey Wallbanger Day

  published Nov 08, 2010

  Classic cocktails from the 19th to early 20th centuries r like the Sazerac r have become standards on Bay Area bar menus. They're quickly being joined by their opposites, unfussy, accessible cocktails... More >>

• S.F.'s New Generation of Bar Stars: Cocktail Lab

  published Nov 05, 2010

  Last stop on SFoodie's tour of San Francisco's up-and-coming stars behind the stick, the Muppet Babies of the shaker. Who: Cocktail Lab Where to find them: Various venues (check the Cocktail Lab web... More >>

• S.F.'s New Generation of Bar Stars: Lauren Steele

  published Nov 04, 2010

  SFoodie's series focusing on San Francisco's up-and-coming stars behind the stick, the Muppet Babies of the shaker. Who: Lauren Steele Where to find her: Rye, 688 Geary (at Leavenworth), 474-4448 ... More >>

• S.F.'s New Generation of Bar Stars: Jayson Wilde

  published Nov 03, 2010

  SFoodie's series focusing on San Francisco's up-and-coming stars behind the stick, the Muppet Babies of the shaker. Who: Jayson Wilde Where to find him: Bourbon & Branch, 501 Jones (at O'Farrell), ... More >>

• JAQK Cellars: Boutique Wine and Food Pairings in Jackson Square

  published Nov 03, 2010

  The area around Jackson Square Park is heaven for designers of everything from clothes to furniture. Now the neighborhood can add wine to its list of boutique offerings. Hidden in an unassuming buildi... More >>

• S.F.'s New Generation of Bar Stars: Trevor Easter

  published Nov 02, 2010

  SFoodie's series focusing on San Francisco's up-and-coming stars behind the stick, the Muppet Babies of the shaker. Who: Trevor Easter Where to find him: Rickhouse, 246 Kearny (at Bush), 398-2827 B... More >>