I first met Erin Rose a few months ago at Hard Water, a beautiful whisky bar in San Francisco. I was instantly impressed by her charm and savvy cocktail making skills so I decided to invite her to 1930 Milano for a guest shift. Lucky for me, she said yes!
For the May 3 event she came up with a beautiful menu on a tarot card with the theme being intemperance. Erin now also works at Bourbon and Branch, a famous speakeasy inside a speakeasy in SF. She was instantly at ease behind the stick at 1930, pouring beautiful drinks such as the classic Cock-tail with genever, bitters, sugar, water and nutmeg. This drink was invented in 1809 by Catherine Hustler and was served at room temperature, since ice was not yet available when the drink was first invented.
The cock-tail was served with a feather on the rim, to remind us of how the first cocktail got its name. In the early 1800s in Lewiston, NY, American troops asked local tavern keeper Catherine Hustler to roast them a victory dinner for a battle won against the British troops. As she plucked the roosters, taken in a raid on the British, she placed the tail feathers in glasses on the bar. The story is that one of the soldiers asked Catherine for a drink in one of the glasses with a cock's tail feather, and just like that, the cock-tail was born. Catherine called the drink a "gin mixture that warms the body and soul and is fit to be served in a vessel of diamonds".
The cock-tail that Erin served was delicious and was one of my favorites on the menu. Another exquisite drink was the Quiet American, with bourbon, creme di cacao, cream, coca-cola reduction and salt. For those who prefer sweeter drinks, La Suerte was a great choice with tequila, lemon, Cocchi americano, strawberry shrub, egg white and soda.
The night was awesome with 1930 being booked solid from 930pm til 1am. I hope Erin comes back so we can repeat this night. Of course I hope we can also see you soon in SF!
A special thanks to the boys at 1930 for ensuring the night's success. In particular, thanks to Benjamin for helping to organize the event and Marco for once again doing a masterful job mixing drinks. The beautiful photos below were by Toney Teddy Fernandez.
The Quiet American
Old Cuban
Jolly Pilot
Cock-tail
La Suerte