It can be frustrating. You find a interesting cocktail recipe in, say, the New York Times (or here in this blog), and it calls for Velvet Falernum or Allspice Dram or Creme de Violette –some intriguing ingredient that’s next to impossible to find.
Local liquor stores (or, in more hooch-friendly states, supermarkets) tend to cover the high-volume basics, sometimes with an additional smattering of finer spirits, which makes them an unreliable source for special ingredients. The assortments at big box outfits like Beverages and More is broader, deeper and cheaper, but, again, they skew toward the basics and popular luxury brands –unusual or artisanal products tend to be overlooked or out of stock.
So, what’s a cocktail enthusiast to do? Head to Cask, an astoundingly well-stocked liquor store in San Francisco, or to its excellent online store at www.caskstore.com. This is no big box. Founded by the owners of San Francisco’s famed Bourbon & Branch speakeasy bar, it’s a carefully curated selection of the finest spirits available, the Bergdorf’s of Booze. The basics are covered, of course: Cask has a nice assortment of best-in-class gins, vodkas, whiskeys, tequilas and rums. Where the store really stands out, though, is in its selection of liqueurs, brandies, aperitifs, digestifs and special flavorings such as cocktail bitters. (I think I stopped counting at around 20 different kinds of bitters when I decided to try a celery flavored one.) The chances are very good that you’ll find that rare and delicious ingredient here, or an very good substitute.
The physical and online stores are also great sources of inspiration. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, the store stocks an excellent assortment of cocktail recipe books (including vintage items), and the website is full of useful annotations. And there’s also the inevitable candy shop curiosity — I have no idea what the beautiful bottle of shocking green Clear Creek Douglas Fir brandy I ordered will taste like, but I can’t wait to find out and build a cocktail around it.
Cask is located at 17 3rd Street in San Francisco, California and online at www.caskstore.com.
Cheers.
