While thinking about my 12 Days of Local Christmas, I wondered if there were any local beverages that could be added to the mix. I was especially interested in spirits, as my husband and I enjoy a cocktail (or two) every so often.
A simple request on Twitter, followed by a quick answer by Genie at The Inadvertant Gardener, led me to St George Spirits, a company in Alameda, California, distilling Single-Malt Whiskey, American Vodka, Absinthe, Eaux du Vie (with locally sourced fruit) and now Tequila!
The story of how they make the Agua Azul (Spirit of Agave) is hysterical – first, they pound the agave pina, which does nothing (agave pina being extremely difficult to crack), then use machetes, chainsaws, hammermill and finally, a tree chipper. This last one they describe as “going all Fargo on the stuff”, which I think will appeal mightily to my mid-western husband!
St George Spirits has a tasting room in Alameda, but if you need to find some of these spirits closer to the Peninsula, I recommend Cask in San Francisco, on the corner of 3rd and Market, or Beltramo’s in Menlo Park (thanks Vanessa at Italy in SF for that tip!).
St George Spirits/Hangar One
2601 Monarch St, Alameda, CA 94501
Tasting Room open Wednesday through Saturday, noon-7pm, Sunday noon-6pm.
Distillery tours every Saturday and Sunday at 1pm
Reservations required for groups larger than 4.
Tasting Room: 510.864.0635
Main: 510.769.1601
December 19th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
I love your 12 days of Christmas!! And all of the spots you have covered are great favorites too. The bartenders at Martuni’s make a killer Cosmo with Hangar One’s vodka. My friend used to work in that hangar after the decomissioning of the Naval Base and my mom grew up on base near that hangar too! So fun, I shall go to Cask and check out the rest of their line. Merry Christmas!
December 20th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
and that is what I love about eating local, the stories that go with it! In the new year, I plan to road trip over to Alameda to visit the tasting room.
Thank you for sharing your story, and Happy Holidays!
January 14th, 2010 at 5:14 am
St George spirits rock… have been drinking their Hanger One Vodka a little too often over the past few years
Included it in quite a few of our blog posts http://blog.weotta.com/2009/01/18/party-weotta-style-part-1/, and really like their raspberry flavored vodka.
If you want the best selection of their products, for the best prices that I have seen in SF, go to K&L http://www.klwines.com
Enjoy your blog,
Grant