This weekend we went to the Haight in SF specifically in search of fancy cocktails and duck hearts from The Alembic.  We heard about Alembic from GQ magazine of all places.  I must say I was impressed and have grown to love unique bars that serve creative, hand-mixed cocktails and small plates.  Here, they have custom cocktails from the classics, with a twist, to house specialties you can’t find anywhere else.  Alembic also serves food such as pickled quail eggs and jerk spiced duck heart with pickled pineapple and thyme salt “nibbles,” as well as other “local-love” small plates.  Between seven of us, including our out of town friends, we tried five different cocktails: the popular Sazerac (rye whiskey, bitters, absinthe…), Vieux Carre (whiskey, cognac, vermouth…), Southern Exposure (gin, celery juice, mint, lime), Strawberry Alarm Clock (vermouth, strawberries, Tabasco, parsley, peppermint oil), and the Clover Club (raspberries, gin, lemon juice, egg whites…).  The four girls decided that they liked the Clover Club cocktail the best with its frothy goodness and tart kick.  The Strawberry Alarm Clock was indeed different with a sweet and bitter or fruity and savory pepper taste.

The jerk spiced duck hearts with pickled pineapple and thyme salt were pretty amazing.  The tastes complimented each other and each heart was a small bite size piece of meat.  It was the perfect season to try the Heirloom Tomatoes with burrata, Serrano ham, arugula, and Cabernet vinaigrette.  It was absolutely delicious and a good size portion. Click to continue »