“Exclusively for Everybody:” Curated Herbs, Mixologist Digs, Deconstructed Martini Shenanigans

Smirnoff’s “The Party:” Anti mixologists get mixed message, lots of vodka 

“Vodka, at its core has always been the drink of the people; approachable and accessible for everyone.”

This is how Smirnoff, the world’s number one-selling premium spirit, kicks off its latest marketing campaign: Exclusively for Everybody.  Now, usually when we get wind of such generic-sounding, impossibly all-encompassing marketing jargon we are wary.  In this case, in fact, we were way beyond wary.  Because doesn’t every Marketing 101 class tell you that in trying to appeal to everyone (i.e. “the world is my target audience”) you really wind up appealing to, well, no one?

Name Lameness (“The Party,” Really?)

And yet, in spite of the truth of that fundamental factoid, Smirnoff’s “Everybody” campaign – distilled into an amusing short video called “The Party” – works.  Humor always helps, and so does a fair share of clever mixologist digs (“I went to seven years of school for that in Stockholm”), a couple of actors with street cred (hello Adam Scott of Parks and Rec!) and a – crucial, we feel – Ralph Macchio cameo.  The sum of these improbable ingredients is that we are in fact newly intrigued by Smirnoff – can somebody please pass us a bloody, stat?

Our Mixologist emerges in Scott’s robe, declares drink perfect but the futon “unforgiving”

Mixologist Shenanigans

Naturally, we enjoyed the video’s sendup of mixology and its most passionate players.  What’s funniest to us isn’t actually the way the mixologist uses ten tools – including an illegal flame torch – to make a “deconstructed martini” or sports the requisite facial hair – it’s the sweet denouement when he emerges clad in Scott’s bathrobe (??) the morning after the party, grabs a basic bloody and declares it perfect.  We love our drinks both complex and simple in these parts – and we fully support said mixologist whether he takes ten steps or none to arrive at the perfect drink.

“He has a point” – on mixologist’s reco they trade up to a Tibetan sleep sack (natch!)

Street Cred, Waxing On…

The verdict: Directed by the Russo Brothers of Arrested Development fame – and also starring the acerbic yet adorable Alison Brie of NBC’s Community – this a quick, boozy flick we recommend.  Tip: watch with drink in hand for optimal intake.  *CHEERS*

Oh, and RE: the Macchio cameo (there’s even a related dance move)? You’ve just got to see it to believe it.

– Courtney Cochran

DrinkCode Does National Margarita Day

We are thrilled to debut our new bar/resto partner, SF classic Tortilla Heights, in the app just in time for Margarita Day

Raining Margaritas 

We just love national drinking holidays over here at DrinkCode.  We’re totally down with them – because in spite of the borderline crass nature of these events, they kind of awesomely support our goal: encouraging the consumption of delicious drinks (and designing cool promotions about those drinks you can get excited about).

And so it is that we’re offering up a tasty drink special in celebration not only of a shameless national drinking holiday – National Margarita Day 2/22, to be precise – but also of our awesome new bar/resto partner, Tortilla Heights. Easily ground zero for Cabo-esque revelry and margarita pitcher fabulosity in SF, Tortilla Heights is a ridiculously fun party spot that makes a wicked delicious margarita.  Even better: they’re offering a tasty version of it in the DrinkCode app for a cool $6 price for a limited time.

Tortilla Heights strikes a Cabo vibe

Why Margaritas Rule

In respect for the holiday, let’s take a minute to rap about margaritas. According to the Smithsonian, margs have a dubious history.  It’s unclear if they were invented by a restaurateur for a finicky actress in Tijuana, Jose Cuervos’ importer upon bringing the tequila to the US, or a Dallas socialite mixing up a new drink at her villa in Acapulco (our money’s on the actress scenario, because who doesn’t love a good TJ story?).  With origin stories beginning to pop up in the 1930s, this much at least is clear: the margarita’s still a pretty young pup from a cocktail standpoint.  

No Manhattan is this.

Perry Farrel Signs Bottles of Dobel at Lollapalooza 2013

Perry Farrel’s Tequila of Choice

Maestro Dobel, the tequila featured in our signature margarita at Tortilla Heights, has a cool profile more than worthy of featuring in this (relative) youngster drink.  A bespoke blend of reposado, añejo and extra-añejo tequilas that has been double-distilled and filtered for clarity, Dobel has been christened by none other than Jane’s Addiction lead, Lollapalooza founder and legendary partier Perry Farrel as his chosen swill (it was also named a Top 10 Tequila not long ago).

You can learn more about the boozy partnership over at Vice Magazine, where a lucky scribe got to discuss the stuff – which is aged in Hungarian oak barrels in Jalisco, Mexico – with Mr. Farrel himself.  In addition to unearthing insights as to how Dobel convinced the rocker to be its rep, the Vice ed asks Farrel about other pressing, important matters such as “Did tequila become your drink of choice once you were legal?”  In other words, it’s a Vice piece. 

CHEERS @ Tortilla Heights

Bottom’s Up

Over here, we’re feeling hard pressed to wait for Saturday to get into the spirit of the marg-fest.  And why should we wait? So far as we are concerned, every day should be #NationalMargaritaDay, your cup should always runneth over, and no drink should ever, ever be left behind (especially if Perry Farrel is telling you to drink up). 

Now, go get your margarita on (preferably at Tortilla Heights this weekend)!

– Courtney Cochran

Fallen Angel: Barrel Aged Awesome & *Kinky* Cool

The Fallen Angel, currently on sale @ Armory Club

We’ve been keeping an eye on the barrel-aged cocktail trend and are thrilled to be able to bring you our own custom installment of this cool movement: The Fallen Angel.  Dreamed up by Armory Club bar impresario Jason Humberstone especially for our members, The Fallen Angel is a riff on a favorite Armory quaff, the Safe Word.  Yes, there’s a BDSM reference there, and we’re not going to elaborate in too much detail on its provenance other than to say that *you can get the full scoop on Armory’s relationship to the racy movement at Kink.com.*

Kinky Juice

Ahem, back to barrel aging.  Jason’s been maturing The Fallen Angel in the basement of Armory Club for weeks, guiding its Bourbon-based goodness through the evolutionary process that softens and deepens flavors found in these cocktails.  The Fallen Angel – which you can sample for a super reasonable $6 through the DrinkCode app with promo code kink, until it runs out – boasts a host of inspired ingredients including Angel’s Envy Bourbon (hence the drink’s name, heh), Byrrh Grand Quinquina, Benedictine, Dolan Rouge and Aromatic Bitters.

Why Barrel Aging?

The time the drink spends in a custom Angel’s Envy 4.5 liter micro barrel – a size widely used for aging small batch cocktails – allows for mild oxygen transfer through the wood grain that polishes texture and encourages maturation of flavor.  Bourbon and Rye are spirits showing up frequently in these cool drinks, but you can also expect to see the likes of Tequila, Rum and other whiskies – plus a wide range of cocktail accoutrements and liqueurs – making cameos out of barrel.  No matter what the base spirit, socking the barrel away for weeks or even months ensures what comes out is a different animal from cocktails made a la minute, providing guests with an elevated experience (and adventurous bartenders like Jason with a new tool for their beverage arsenals).

Armory Studios, erstwhile home of SF National Guard Armory

Be a Fallen Angel

Speaking of arsenals, we decided to sex up our Fallen Angel offering with a limited-time contest that ties together the drink with our venue partner and its racy companion business, Armory Studios/Kink.com.  Two lucky contest winners can look forward to a tour of Armory Studios – a Moorish castle erected in 1914 to house SF’s National Guard Armory – followed by a private Bourbon tasting for two across the street at Armory Club. Contest entry is easy and quick – do that at our Facebook page.

No matter what, whether you decide to give in to your adventurous side and begin ordering the likes of “Gently Bound” – another Armory Club favorite with a still more suggestive bent – is entirely up to you.

– Courtney Cochran

Armory’s Jason Humberstone On London and Vermouth Love

Armory Club Bar Manager Jason Humberstone

Jason Humberstone works in a sexy spot.  Affiliated with and just across the street from Armory Studios – headquarters of renowned BDSM community Kink.com – Armory Club takes a page from Kink’s atmospherics in its lush decor and low lighting.  Bar Manager Jason is quick to point out, however, that at Armory Club the focus is on the cocktails as much as the suggestive ambiance.

Fallen Angel, barrel aged specialty Bourbon cocktail

We Heart this Cocktail

Because we love this dynamism – a sexy cocktail bar where you can let your hair down while sipping on drinks with grown-up names like “Safe Word” and “Gently Bound” – we approached Armory about creating a specialty cocktail for our users.  And so “Fallen Angel” was born – a limited, barrel-aged blend of Angel’s Envy Bourbon, Byrrh Grand Quinquina, Benedictine, Dolan Rouge and Aromatic Bitters available exclusively in the app beginning next week.

Fallen Angel has been aging in barrel at Armory Club for weeks – you won’t want to miss it.  Download the app and head over to Armory to try.

Jason’s barrel-aged Bourbon cocktail

Interview with a Bartender

Because we’re big fans, we ran a few pressing questions by the visionary bar manager.  Turns out he has a major crush on London – and is also terribly attached (dare we say bound?) to Vermouth.  Here’s the skinny on Jason Humberstone as we know him:

DC: What was your first official or unofficial bar work?

JH: My first bar job was at Bentley’s wine bar off of Picadilly  circus in London almost 17 years ago.

DC: Nice!  What’s your favorite drinking destination?

JH: Any outside seating area with good beer.  For cocktails I like Laszlo.

DC: We’re also fans.  What’s your favorite drinking city?

JH: London by far.

DC: More London!  Awesome.  What’s your biggest pet peeve when you’re behind the bar?

JH: Egg white cocktails – but they’re so delicious!

DC: Why did you choose your profession?

JH: I didn’t choose it but just went with the flow.  I enjoy the social work environment while still being active.

DC: Going with a flow leading to a bar we can certainly appreciate.  What’s your take on the importance of sartorialism in a bartender?

JH: I think the right amount of dress while still being able to express your personality is good.  Not everyone is going to feel good or comfortable in a vest or suspenders – but one needs to get into character for what’s appropriate for the space.

DC: We hear that (and love your cool socks in your pic!  Tx for sporting those for the shoot).  In your opinion what’s the most overlooked spirit or bar item?

JH: A wide selection of vermouths is most important to me.  I wouldn’t be happy drinking Manhattans without some variety.

DC: Got it.  Any rules of the trade you swear by?

JH: It’s more important to give the guest what they want instead of trying to educate them.

DC: Wise words. Thank for sharing your knowledge…

Armory Club Exterior

Forthcoming from Armory

The next: Jason shared that he’s excited to unveil a new private party space opening soon on Armory Club‘s lower level.  (Private party hosts: take note.) It’s another lushly decorated room with deep booths, a private bar and – yes – a stripper pole.  Jason is quick to point out that it’s removable.

At this point, we know why: Jason wants you to focus at least as much on the killer cocktails in your glass as your sexy surroundings.  Hopefully, you’ll take his wish to heart and check out Fallen Angel on an upcoming visit.

*Cheers*

– Courtney Cochran

Our Pantone Color is Cayenne

Pantone is rocking these days, with the global color-matching powerhouse inspiring food and beverage creatives in delicious ways.  We especially love these renderings of beer (respect, beertone) and PB&J in whimsical interpretations of the their Pantone hues.  

And while Radiant Orchid may be Pantone’s official color of 2014, we suspect that if they’d consulted the drinks establishment they’d have picked Cayenne.  A featured hue in Pantone’s influential Fashion Color Report for Spring 2014, Cayenne is described as “a high-pitched red” that adds “a dash of spicy heat to neutrals” and “heightens the excitement” when mixed with other bright colors.   Really, it’s more deep pink than red.

It’s also awesome in that it spot-on mimics the hue of our star cocktail addition of the season, Rosé Port.   Because there aren’t any beverage people on Pantone’s influencer list (um, *suggestion*), we have to assume the trend-setting house didn’t take beverages into account when concocting the color – and yet, we can’t help associating Cayenne (officially, PANTONE 18-1651) with blush-hued Port.

Rose Port FTW

We were first turned onto rosé Port by our friends at CHAMBERS, where dapper bar maven James Downs crafted our signature Anchorman 2 drink, The Baxter, in December using a dash of rosé Port. Backing up an incredible cast of beverage characters in the cocktail – think Dewar’s, Campari, grapefruit & walnut bitters, and a Laphroaig rinse – the Port added a cool, berry-driven dimension (dare we say, “a dash of excitement”?)  and caught our eye as something we’d like to see more of.

Not Your Average Port

We decided to investigate further.  Turns out rosé Port is a new  kid on the drinks scene, having only surfaced as a category of Port a few years ago (other, more widely recognized categories of Port include ruby, tawny, vintage and late-bottled vintage).  Two brands first released rosé Ports in 2008, and other houses soon followed.  Technically a ruby Port, it’s made pink by fermenting for just a short time in contact with the skins of the grapes, in the same manner as rosé wine.  It’s then fortified by brandy, as all Ports are.  

While some marketing we’ve seen veers towards the *very* pink and brash, much of rosé Port is marketed quietly, if at all.  It’s a sleeper part of any Port portfolio, and we kind of like that. More for us!  For The Baxter, James used Quinta do Tedo rosé port, which is made from Touriga Franca and Tinta Barroca grapes and aged about 2 years.

As for Pantone and Cayenne, we look forward to seeing more in this hue, in the beverage aisle and beyond, in 2014.  *And here’s hoping we’ll be seeing some F&B personalities on the influencer list in 2015!*

– Courtney Cochran

The World According to Baxter

Our amazing poster for The Baxter

“You’re so wise. You’re like a miniature Buddha, covered in hair.” – Ron (to Baxter)

It’s a Ron, Ron world out there, but we’ve got a hunch Burgundy’s dog Baxter has some tricks up his sleeve when it comes to cool (see: rapping Baxter).  So when we set out to create the official Unofficial Ron Burgundy/Anchorman 2 drink with our partner CHAMBERS eat+drink, the idea was floated that the drink should be a namesake tipple in honor of Ron’s best friend.  We loved the idea – and not just because people are way more likely to click on animated gifs with animals in them on Facebook.  Our reasons were much less practical:  We’re mostly just suckers for pets.

Baxter: Unlikely Muse

And though the drink has provided us with many, many (ahem) excuses to share gratuitous and highly like-able photos of Baxter online, it has also afforded us a priceless opportunity to conceive of a cocktail in celebration of an unexpected muse.  Sort of like a unicorn stepped into our drinks imagination wheelhouse.  Sort of.

Scotchy Scotch Scotch FTW

Actually, we owe the genius name and recipe of the Baxter to Chambers bar master James Downs.  We insisted the base liquor be Scotch – any self respecting Burgundy fan knows it’s essential – but let James steer the ship from there.  He came back to us with the ridiculously awesome combination of Dewar’s, rose port, Campari, walnut bitters, grapefruit bitters and – natch – a Laphroaig rinse (to really push the envelope on the Scotchy Scotch Scotch theme).  It’s a pretty, peaty miracle of a drink – kind of a big deal, in fact.

We would ask for Ron’s seal of approval, but we hear he’s watching the sunset on a beach somewhere with his best pal, sipping a drink by the same name and dreaming up the title to his next book – perhaps something along the lines of “Let Me (And My Dog) Off At the Top.”  We think they’re onto something.

Get Some

My Best Friend Baxter is available for a limited time exclusively through the DrinkCode app at CHAMBERS eat + drink.  Definitely a big *deal*: We are offering circa-1980 pricing on this classy quaff with the promo code “baxter”.  For more pet love, ridiculous Ron quotes and news about upcoming specialty drinks and events visit the DrinkCode Facebook page.

We *may* continue to post a few things there about Ron’s BFF.