Irish Coffee and other San Francisco, CA Local Custom Tips

Though Irish coffee was not invented at the Buena Vista Restaurant in San Francisco, the pub no doubt made the drink popular in the States. They also know how to market an admitted good thing. The hot drink that consists of cubed sugar, coffee, Irish whiskey and clotted cream is a perfect complement to the city’s foggy climate. But what makes it so popular I believe is the show the bartenders put on making one! After vigorously chopping up the sugar in the piping hot coffee, they pour the whiskey in from an absurd height into multiple glasses before floating the majestic cream on top. It’s very tasty and a must when in S.F. The Buena Vista is perhaps the most expensive place to have one but also probably the most atmospheric one too. Worth the splurge.

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Website: http://www.thebuenavista.com/irishcoffee.html

I’m a big proponent of trying local food and drink and beer falls nicely into the latter category. San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing was at the forefront of the microbrew phenomenon that started in the mid-80s. Northern California has been a stalwart advocate throughout the years and there are numerous great small breweries in the bay area and farther a field. With great multi-tap bars like the Toronado in town, you can sample lots of them without even leaving the city limits. Sierra Nevada has become popular throughout the country but you don’t find their seasonals very often and I was happy to get to sample their Oktoberfest beer. While it is nice to visit brewpubs personally, many small breweries don’t even have their own taprooms so getting to sample their beers so easily is a real plus. Anchor Brewing runs a great tour weekdays only and must be reserved well in advance. I've done lots of tours and this one in 1994, and it's one of the best. It's a beautiful brewery with great beers, and best thing is over an hour of unlimited beers to sample!

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Website: http://www.anchorbrewing.com/index.htm