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Meet Your Mixologist: Robert Schramm, Slide
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Slide bartender Robert Schramm is working on an industrial design degree and aspires to design his own bar someday.
SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - In a saloon town such as San Francisco, the bartender plays a crucial role. Confessor, friend, sounding board — the man or woman behind the plank sees to it that our needs are met with elegance, grace and often wit. They see humanity at its best and most convivial, but also offer a nod and a welcome to the lonely. But what do they see when they look at us? What are the tricks of their trade? And what lessons have they learned along the way? In this Examiner weekly feature, we talk to some of our local bartenders to find out.
Slide
430 Mason St., San Francisco, 94102; (415) 421-1916; www.slidesf.com
This week, everyone here at Team Cocktail is a little sweet on bartender Robert Schramm. He keeps the masses happy at Slide, the former speakeasy so named because you can actually take a slide from the second level to the first. In addition to sporting a most appealing disposition, we were charmed to pieces by his unbridled fondness for his girlfriend. She’s a bartender, too, at Colibri. He even named a drink after her: the Nadia Blue. Schramm also is studying industrial design. He’s going to be one of those people who decides how products look and function. When he was a kid, he liked to modify sports equipment, such as his sneakers. But in the future, he said he plans on designing a bar. If it’s any reflection of Schramm’s skills and personality, we have no doubt the whole place will sparkle.
Where are you from? I grew up all over the world. My dad was in international business. So I’ve lived in the Far East, the Middle East and Europe. This is the first city that I actually chose to move to.
Why? It’s got the right balance, in everything.
Where were you before? University of Colorado, Boulder.
What were you studying? International affairs. Now I’m starting a degree in industrial design. Just got into the program about a month ago.
This place is called Slide because you’ve got that sweet slide upstairs. Have you ever been down it? Once. Nobody was looking.
Feet first or head first? Feet first.
What was your favorite piece of playground equipment growing up? The sledding hill at a school in Alaska, circa 1980.
If you could serve a drink to anyone, who would it be? Noam Chomsky. I just got all his Netflix documentaries.
Why him? Just because he’s not beholden to anyone.
Because you’re a designer, you deal with proportions and balance all the time. So, tell us, how many drinks does it take to get a woman drunk? Three.
A man? Four.
And how many drinks do people think it takes them to get drunk? Double those amounts.
If you could drink a cocktail anywhere in the world, where would it be? I saw these guys on “Top Gear” drinking gin and tonics at the North Pole on their four-by-fours. That looked pretty sweet. It’ll definitely keep vodka cold.
How would you characterize Slide’s cocktail menu? The primary music format here is mash-ups. The club itself is a mash-up. The menu is really classic cocktails into the modern menu.
Who is your favorite gangster? There’s something about a guy who earns the name Lucky. This was an actual speakeasy. That’s what the slide is all about. It’s how you got into the club.
What would your secret password be if this was still a speakeasy? Well, you can’t do Rosebud, New England Clam Chowder. Hmmm. “I don’t know the owner.” That would be my password.
What’s your bank password? Good luck with that.
Going back to mash-ups: How about this one playing with Justin Timberlake? Are you a fan? I stopped hearing him. I don’t hear Top 40 anymore.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Owning my own design studio.
Will it be here? Depends on the girlfriend.
Wow. This girl’s really a catch. She’s a keeper. I mean, I named a drink after her.
Featured recipe
Scarface
» 1.5 oz. Grey Goose vodka
» ½ oz. St. Germaine elderflower
» ¼ oz. peach brandy
Shake ingredients with ice in shaker. Strain into a martini glass. Add a floater of Laurent Perrier Champagne. Garnish with a pear slice.
Comments from Examiner Readers
4:31 PM MST on Sun., Jul. 6, 2008 re: "Meet Your Mixologist: Robert Schramm, Slide"
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re: "Meet Your Mixologist: Janell Moore, Cantina"
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E.B. said:
Yeah went to slide this last week - best bartender I've ever seen, the man is insane.
7 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Great article...great interview and interviewee. That's Oklahoma....not Texas. Hi...I'm a Bible. Janell's Mom
5 agree | 4 disagree
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jossy said:
Just to let you know. The proper spelling of the last drink you detailed ia PICON. It is the name of the person who developed the main part of the drink--Picon--a bitter aperitif. Picon has been around since the mid 1800's. While Herb Caen may have had the drink it was around for many, many years prior to Mr. Caen. It is a traditional drink of the Basque and the Italians. Unfortunately, the French no longer import Picon. If someone makes the drink now, it is made with a poor substitute or they bring the Picon over from France.
6 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
It's true that Robvell is not only the best bartender in SF, he's one of the world's nicest people. Best time to try his special cocktails, however is after 10 on Saturday night when the action at the bar is still hot but the tourist crowd in the restaurant has died down. Then he might even make a Chocolate Love for you (if you really deserve it!)
16 agree | 14 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
It is great to see Mr. Stookey get some props. Regarding comments above: There may be good women bartenders in the city, but nobody M,F,TG or whatever makes a drink mike he does. Most of the drinks are not $12 (okay maybe $10), but such is life in the city. That's not much more than a lousy drink elsewhere, 1/6th of a parking ticket, or 2 trips over a bridge. I'd rather nurse a fine drink for 30 minutes than pay $15 for a 'green' movie ticket at the Sundance Kabuki any day... Tim can turn cheap liquor into a fine drink, but fortunately he is well researched and knows how to find a good booze for the buck. He is thoroughly unpretentious & I find it a nice change to have a well-made, well-presented tasty drink from a serious professional than the slapped together *&^%$# that most of the 20-somethings try to pass off for a $10 cocktail in this city. After a day of crowds, jerks in line, and all the other indignities one suffers to live in this city, a drink from Tim is very civil
57 agree | 49 disagree
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Michelle Lester said:
why are all the bartenders featured in this column MEN? I know alot of great mixologists (myself included) that are female!
45 agree | 58 disagree
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Concerned Examiner Reader said:
Peskin in a bar? How shocking! Was he using his cell phone to berate anyone?
74 agree | 68 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
As a blue collar working class person I'm absolutely disgusted by people who think it's hip and chic to sip 12 dollar cocktails. Paying that amount of money for a cocktail is just sickening, decadent really. Especially in a city full of homeless people.
183 agree | 124 disagree
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