Stepping Out on the Town for The Art of the Modern Drink, Part 1

San Francisco is a town known for its mixologists and its chefs. And at least once a week there's an event showcasing the talents of one or the other or both. In May, the event was The Art of the Modern Drink: Spring Cocktails of the Farmers Market, where eight chefs teamed up with sixteen bartenders from fourteen bars and restaurants to bring modern art to life in the form of a cocktail.

It's not often parents can be spontaneous on a weeknight. But yesterday there must have been magic in the air, because first, I won tickets to an event (that seriously never happens), and second, one of our regular go to sitters was available on short notice. So off we went to The Art of the Modern Drink, a special event hosted by CUESA (Center for Urban Education About Sustainable Agriculture) and the San Francisco chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild (USBG) in collaboration with the SFMOMA.

We arrived shortly after doors the opened at 5:30PM with a plan. Taste all the appetizers first (another post coming soon) and then sample the cocktails. Once we'd made the rounds of all of the appetizers, it was time for a quick self-portrait to document our mid-week night out on the town, and then on to sampling the cocktails.
 

 

Mixologists had chosen a piece of art from the currently closed SF Museum of Modern Art and brought it to life in the form of a cocktail. Some of the interpretations were more literal than others, like Rothko's Modern Punch from Maxim Gerasimenko of Georges spotlighting Ron Zacapa 23.
 

 

Some drinks while tasty, fell short on the presentation, taking an approach that was a little too literal.
 

 

When it comes to drinking, especially on an almost empty stomach, cubes and I are both lightweights. We sampled one of the two full drinks and six of the twelve sample sips. I'd like to say we were deliberate in our choices, but other than The Prince, a drink made by bartenders at one of our friend's favorite restaurants, we weren't. Due to my dairy allergy, I avoided sips with milk or cream. All of the sips we imbibed were amazing, the flavor profiles delicate and complex, liquors well chosen to showcase local herbs and fruit.
 

 

The Prince

The SF Ferry Building was the perfect venue for this event. Unlike bars that are dark and where mixologists are about five feet away, working their magic below a raised counter, here you could see the artistry that went into your drink. Of the two full size cocktails, we were tempted by The Prince over X Hits the Spot because we had eaten at Pesce and hung out at its bar for drinks before. The Prince was created by Fatima Wehidy. I don't know if The Prince is on their regular cocktail menu, but it should be. If we had been able to trade in all of our sample sip tickets for one full cocktail, we'd have done it in a heartbeat for this drink.
 

 

Dolce Rendicion

While cubes and I had agreed on our favorite bite, we couldn't do the same with the sips. My favorite was Dolce Rendicion, a Tequila-based drink with smoke and a little heat from chipotle peppers.
 

 

Neon Shadow Garden

cubes preferred the Neon Shadow Garden, made with an infused vodka, to the Dolce Rendicion. The Neon Shadow Garden was my second favorite sip.
 

 

The Hadley

The drink that won was The Hadley by Madison Kaviyakoen of The Battery. The Hadley was both cubes and my third favorite sip. cubes and I aren't big rum drinker's and The Hadley features Papa's Pilar Blonde Rum. (I'm a Tequila and Mescal kind of gal, and cubes typically chooses Scotch or Bourbon.)
 

 

The drink that won was The Hadley by Madison Kaviyakoen of The Battery. The Hadley was both cubes and my third favorite sip. cubes and I aren't big rum drinker's and The Hadley features Papa's Pilar Blonde Rum. (I'm a Tequila and Mescal kind of gal, and cubes typically chooses Scotch or Bourbon.)
 

 

Urban Oasis

Another drink we liked was the Urban Oasis; it was made with one of our favorite bourbons, Basil Hayden.
 

 

What are your favorite cocktails?
 

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Credits: All layouts designed by and images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life.

Disclosure: I received our tickets from EventBrite through participation in a Twitter giveway initiated by @BriteSF. I am not being compensated to write about this event. All opinions presented are my own. Tickets to this event were $45 a person inclusive of all food and drinks.