THE PEOPLE ISSUE
Urbanite
Erik Lorincz
Taking after his illustrious bartending predecessors such as Ada Coleman, creator of the “Hanky-Panky,” and Harry Craddock, creator of the “White Lady,” the 31-year-old, Slovakia-born Erik Lorincz took the reins as the head bartender of the world-renown American Bar for the October 10, 2010 reopening of The Savoy, the iconic London hotel, after its three [...]
Huli Pau!
Delicious recipes from Hilton Waikoloa Village restaurant KPC Scouring the globe for mixologists harboring the most exotic and intriguing cocktail recipes in their repertoire, SOMA stumbled upon this Big Island jewel. You won’t have to fly across oceans to feel transported. Just a sip from this tantalizing treat conjures warm, tropical breezes and sand beneath [...]
Urbanite: Park Avenue
Park Avenue Changes With The Seasons As an interior designer, I love to visit new hotels, lounges and, of course, dine in restaurants that make my jaw drop. The suspense of the unknown design is exhilarating, to say the least. The feel of the tabletops, the colors and schemes are part of the best restaurants this [...]
November Drink Recipes
Stoli Pomegranate Fizz 2 oz Stoli Pomegranik 1/2 oz fresh Lemon 1/2 oz Simple Syrup 1/2 oz cream Mint and fresh Pomegranate seeds Whiskey Smash 2 oz Buffalo Trace Bourbon 1/2 oz Xante Pear Brandy 1 oz Blood Orange 3 Blackberries 1/4 oz fresh Lemon Mint Sprig Dash of Clover Honey Recipes by Blake Landis [...]
Ozumo
Obsession with Perfection Somehow, a girl named Linda from Commack, New York, is responsible for all this. This, being the burgeoning empire of Japanese cuisine, décor, atmosphere and drink that are the very essence that is Ozumo. The posh Japanese lounge and restaurant, originally founded in 2001 on Steuart Street in San Francisco, is the [...]
Salute, Hollywood!
We at SOMA are delighted to partner up with LA superstar mixologist Blake Landis and the team at Beso Steakhouse & Eve Nightclub, Las Vegas and put together a delicious list of favorite cocktails for some of Hollywood’s merging hipsters. Blake Landis: The Yard Bar Manager / Co-Owner www.theyardsm.com Raspberry Beso by Beso Steakhouse & [...]
Milagro: A Tequila Miracle
In the canon of bad first dates, everyone has a few enduring classics—stories that just never get old. One of mine concerns a guy who showed up in jeans (fine), topsiders (sort-of-fine), and a t-shirt that stated, “One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila…Floor!” The shirt also pictured a woozy, passed-out cartoon parrot. Or perhaps it [...]
Back Alley Chic
John Colins at 90 Natoma was always synonymous with the south of Market happy hour. Everyday at five o’clock, SOMA professionals would bounce down the alley to that familiar old brick façade, breeze through the curtain and get on with the good times. These were good times indeed, but these days are over. John Colins [...]
Amsterdam Beyond Red Lights
Most people do one of two things when traveling through Amsterdam. It’s a little ridiculous. Residents tolerate it, happy to keep the best spots in the city to themselves. Tourists stay in a congested area directly adjacent to Dam Square, bobbling around trying to avoid being tagged by a steady flow of bikes, trams, cars [...]
The Collective
At first glance, entering The Collective puts the senses into overdrive with an amalgamation of disconnected décor. But upon closer inspection, wonderment and irony appears in every nook, as everyday items and trash are refashioned into artwork with a new sense of purpose and fill this trendy Meatpacking lounge/restaurant. The theme behind The Collective is [...]
Casa Del Pez
The bartenders’ alleged transgressions are scrawled on the black walls of Casa del Pez: All drinks are served by descendents of criminals. Grisly images a la Garcia Alix line the wall. The ornate carved floor-to-ceiling shelves seem too opulent for this bar, albeit beset with bottles. La Casa del Pez stocks nearly two-dozen brands of [...]
Olivia Te Cuida
Nestled on a tiny street where tangerine flowers spill over balconies, Olivia Te Cuida seats diners around communal tables in a modest 280-square-foot space. With killer natural light, antique furniture finds and naked eggshell walls, the café speaks to an urban simplicity. Candles are lit at breakfast; the air is perfumed by freshly cut hyacinth. [...]
Baco Y Beto
Located in a narrow space in the heart of Madrid’s gay district, Baco y Beto is the kind of neighborhood restaurant you show a friend or client, and then see there a week later with their friends. Suddenly you wish you had never brought them, because the place is packed—it seats 20, with additional standing [...]
Travel Destination: City Center, Las Vegas
Merging a world of fashion, art, design and entertainment, Las Vegas has re-invented itself with the renowned City Center by mixing the modern with the traditional. The developers behind the vision have collaborated with clients to achieve a balance of edgy, yet attainable, design, producing interior and exterior landscapes that are both timeless and unexpected. The [...]
Bourbon Beyond the Strip
The best Las Vegas has to offer, at least concerning bourbon, is not to be found on the world-renowned Strip (Las Vegas Boulevard South). Unexpectedly, the city’s largest collection of bourbon sits on the second floor of the Freakin’ Frog, a local public house located across the street from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas [...]
Movida
“The word MoVida is a saying adopted by the Spanish, based on a movie made in the 1970s,” starts Andy McMahon from his home in inner-city Melbourne. “It basically translates as ‘do what you want, be free to enjoy life.’” It’s an apt title for the restaurant McMahon co-owns with Spanish-born chef Frank Camorra. In [...]
Down the Rabbit Hole: An Insider’s Guide to Australia’s Drinking Wonderland
Believe the hyperbole surrounding the Australian bar scene; the country is unique for giving visitors and locals the sense that they’ve just “stumbled upon” a hidden bar that’s either down a side alley, behind a back street, or through an unmarked door. Like Alice down the rabbit hole, the sense of discovery makes a night [...]
Jackie Patterson
Heaven’s Dog, San Francisco Born in Bethesda Naval Hospital and raised in Hawaii, Jackie Patterson’s journey to San Francisco has been an unconventional one to say the least. Ditto her journey to becoming a bartender, a job which Patterson has only been in since early 2008. But what a mark she’s made on the San [...]
Café Gitane
Nestled in the last, unobstructed corner of Manhattan’s West Village, the new Café Gitane at the Jane Hotel offers rare sanctuary and new-fashioned hospitality. The design and atmosphere are an elegant study of a minimalist decadence—gold flecks edge the couches and washed wood paneling surrounds a tiny service kitchen window at the end of a [...]
Distillers Teach Old Vodka New Tricks
Polar Bear Cosmo 2 oz. Absolut Apeach Vodka 0.5 oz. Soho Lychee Liqueur 1 oz. cranberry juice 0.5 oz. simple syrup fresh lemon squeeze Garnish: edible flower Combine all ingredients in a shaker and shake over ice. Serve in a cocktail glass and garnish with edible flower. For years, vodka has been demonized for its [...]
Swedish Spirits
The Impressive Rise of Swedish Vodka brands in a cluttered market Vodka: The massively popular spirit was born in the Russian hinterlands, consumed by natives for centuries and almost never exported; a stiff concoction meant to harden the soul and warm the extremities in lands not known for copious leisure activity options. How is it [...]
Christa Manalo
San Francisco hot-spot Beretta is quiet save for a few clinking bottles being wiped down at noon on a Wednesday afternoon. In just a few hours, a line of patrons and parties will wait patiently outside the door for a healthy dose of nightlife. There is a good chance that every decadent cocktail infusion will [...]
John Lermayer
John Lermayer had humble beginnings behind the counter of a deli in Queens making sand-wiches and egg salad. But his real passion was the art of mixology, and he immersed himself into this world by studying the history of the cocktail from the days of the Prohibition Era and worked under some of the nation’s [...]
Kristen Schaefer
Though Kristen Schaefer studied to be a special education teacher, she left that world to pursue her passion as a mixologist. What makes her happiest is serving a perfect cocktail and interacting with the customer, and to her a good drink starts with the freshest ingredients. In the spring of 2008 she moved to Las [...]