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Meet Your Mixologist: Janell Moore, Cantina
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Bartender Janell Moore uses her anthropological smarts at Cantina, where she works when she isn’t traveling everywhere from Idabelle, Okla., to Panama City, Panama.
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.
Cantina
580 Sutter St., San Francisco, 94102; (415) 398-0195; www.cantinasf.com
The competition is getting tough around Union Square and Nob Hill. What with Bourbon and Branch, Rye, Swig, Tunnel Top and Cortez, it’s no wonder Cantina co-owner Duggan McDonnell is feeling the heat. He keeps a tight lid on his bar’s drink recipes: “It’s intellectual property. It’s how I make my living. I don’t give out recipes.” He eventually cut us some slack, and thankfully so, because it meant sipping the liquid delights mixed by bartender Janell Moore, one of the most articulate people we’ve come across. We’d be nervous to have a buzz around her because she’s so darn smart. Except Moore goes above and beyond to make guests comfortable, never judging, always willing to learn from them. She’s a newbie on the job, learning the trade under McDonnell’s esteemed tutelage, and one of her homework assignments is to try the contents of every bottle behind the bar. Where’s the enrollment application? We’re ready to make the dean’s list.
So, where are you from? I’m from Seattle.
How’d you get out here? Berkeley brought me out here. I went to UC Berkeley. I got my degree in anthropology.
That’s probably pretty handy for bartending. I always tell people, “Watch out, or you’re going to be in my dissertation.”
How’d you get into bartending? It wasn’t a direct route. It’s a culmination of 11 years in the industry.
And how did that get you to Cantina? I was hired as a cocktail waitress at Frisson. Then I came and helped open Cantina.
Is this your first time bartending? I was at a college bar in Berkeley, but this is my first time bartending at this caliber. I knew how to pour a cocktail rather than mix one.
Which cocktail on the menu do you enjoy making the most? The Carmen Amaya; equal parts rye [whiskey], equal parts sherry. Whether you’re a bartender or a chef, you eat with your eyes. [This drink] is not that pretty, but it tastes amazing.
What do you typically order when you’re out? It depends ... on the weather, the bar. If the lighting is sexy, then I get a Negroni. If I want to kick-start my night, it’s a shot of tequila and a beer.
We have a theory that the way to fix Muni would be to install a bar on each bus. What bus do you take, and what would you serve on it? The 31 Balboa, and it would have to be something calming because it’s rowdy. I’d say Hot Toddy, but people get rowdy on whiskey. And you can’t do tequila, it’s an upper. I guess the Caribbean Cup: cucumber, ginger, rum, effervescence.
If you could sip a cocktail anywhere in the world, where would it be? The neighborhood of Casco Viejo in Panama City, Panama.
Why there? I was there for a month between January and February. It was my first trip on my own, and it was my first night, and the adrenaline had worn off and it kind of hit me, “It’s 30 days until my return ticket, and I don’t know a soul here.” So I had a cocktail, and it was the most amazing rum I ever had.
Any crazy insects in Panama City? I hadn’t seen any insects larger than I did when I lived in Texas.
Texas? To meet family in a little town, Idabelle, Okla. It literally has one stoplight. I thought people were exaggerating. My grandma’s maiden name is Bible, so we’re the Bibles from Oklahoma: “Hi, I’m a Bible.”
Featured recipe
Blackberry and Cabernet Caipirinha
» 2 oz. cachaça
» ½ oz. simple syrup
» 1 oz. cabernet
» Fresh lime, blackberries and orange
Muddle together four or five blackberries and simple syrup in a glass. Add cachaça, cabernet, a handful of chopped orange and two handfuls of quartered limes and stir well.
Comments from Examiner Readers
2:52 PM MST on Fri., Sep. 19, 2008 re: "Meet your mixologist - Jake McClain"
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4:31 PM MST on Sun., Jul. 6, 2008
re: "Meet Your Mixologist: Robert Schramm, Slide"
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11:26 PM MST on Fri., Jul. 4, 2008
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11:23 AM MST on Sat., Mar. 29, 2008
re: "Meet Your Mixologist: Robvell Smith, Rose Pistola"
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4:31 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008
re: "Meet Your Mixologist: Tim Stookey, Presidio Social Club"
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3:44 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 29, 2008
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12:06 AM MST on Fri., Nov. 30, 2007
re: "Meet your mixologist - Jake McClain"
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Examiner Reader said:
Jake's Hot!
2 agree | 1 disagree
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E.B. said:
Yeah went to slide this last week - best bartender I've ever seen, the man is insane.
8 agree | 5 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
6 agree | 5 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.
8 agree | 8 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!)
18 agree | 16 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
58 agree | 50 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!
46 agree | 59 disagree
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Concerned Examiner Reader said:
Peskin in a bar? How shocking! Was he using his cell phone to berate anyone?
75 agree | 69 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.
184 agree | 125 disagree
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