SFoodie's countdown of our 92 favorite things to eat and drink in San Francisco, 2011 edition.
The origins of the modern cocktail date to the late 1700s, early 1800s maybe, in a form we'd recognize today: the old fashioned. It's the Big Bang of the cocktail galaxy, a mighty explosion trailing enough expanding gas to make the drink's exact origins fuzzy at best. Probably originally a breakfast tipple to settle the nerves, stomach, and hangover, the potent combination of whiskey, sugar, bitters, and water in some form (liquid or solid) has cured ills across multiple generations.
It still does, and no one stirs a meaner, more restorative version of the old fashioned than Erik Adkins and Jennifer Colliau at the Slanted Door. It's listed on the menu simply as whiskey cocktail, its original name (after all, the old fashioned was new once). It unites Buffalo Trace bourbon, angostura and orange bitters, gum syrup from Colliau's Small Hand Foods, orange peel, and a single large, hand-cut ice cube in a single perfect glass. It may not be flashy, but a few sips in there's no question: You've reached the very center of the cocktail universe.
The Slanted Door: 1 Ferry Building (at Embarcadero), 861-8032.
92: Goat tacos from El Norteño
91: Faux shark's fin soup at Benu
90: Esperpento's alcachofas a la plancha
89: Poco Dolce's olive oil chocolate bar
88: Decantr's chicken-liver mousseline
87: Outerlands' levain bread
86: Fraîche's frozen yogurt
85: Gyro King's spinach pie
84: Tandoori fish from Lahore Karahi
83: Braised oxtail and daikon from Namu
82: Golden Gate Bakery's custard tart
81: Commonwealth's cured foie gras with umeboshi purée
80: Star Stream's Liège-style waffle
79: Mexican hot chocolate from La Oaxaqueña
78: Meatball sandwich from Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store Cafe
77: Cheesecake from Zanze's 76: Chicken pepian at San Miguel 75: Macau iced coffee at Vega/Special Xtra 74: Comstock Saloon's Pisco Punch 73: Hai Ky Mi Gia's duck leg noodle soup 72: Sauerbraten at Walzwerk 71: Boudin noir at Cafe Bastille 70: Blackstrap molasses gingerbread at Lotta's Bakery 69: Plow's crispy potatoes 68: Prospect's Catcher in the Rye 67: Pork banh mi from Little Vietnam Cafe 66: Nakaochi at Ippuku 65: Sidekick's chocolate spritzer 64: Farmhouse Culture's horseradish-leek sauerkraut 63: Destination Baking Co.'s challah 62: Cotogna's roasted carrots 61: Hard Knox Cafe's chicken and waffles 60: The Rebel Within from Tell Tale Preserve Co.
