It’s an exciting time to live in the East Bay. With the sustainable, local, green, and farm-to-table movements now interwoven as one mega-movement that today has infiltrated just about every industry imaginable, truly groundbreaking business philosophies and ideologies are emerging and affecting the lives of millions. It’s a world of pure imagination and the cocktail movement is no exception.
Arguably to many the East Bay is the birthplace of the seeds that created this mega movement. While other cities and towns across the world play key roles, simply look back through the history of the local food scene in the East Bay to see the passion and forward thinking mentality of its pioneers. Starting with Alice Waters and Chez Panisse in early 1970’s Berkeley, the sustainable and local food movement has steadily developed, and with 40 years and millions of devotees, has become not just a movement but a way of life in the East Bay. More recently this positively awesome hysteria has seeped into the heart and mind of local bartenders and Mixologists. Place the right Mixology minds at the core of this farm to table lifestyle and the possibilities are limitless. Talk about a kid in a candy shop.
The cocktail scene in the East Bay is still somewhat developing, especially when compared to San Francisco, Los Angeles or New York. However, with local farms stretched out past where the eyes can see, a plethora of organic everything, a host of local distilleries trying their hand at small batch spirits, and canning afficionados creating amazing preserves and butters East Bay Mixologists are literally knee deep in all that a delectable cocktail make. If snozzberries actually existed, you’d find them in the East Bay.
Walking into Berkeley Bowl, one of the most well stocked markets in town, or any of the local farmers markets it’s hard not to feel like Charlie walking in to Wonka’s mysterious factory with eyes open wide. It brings about that child like notion that anything and everything is possible. What better mind frame can a passionate Mixologist have? This is when magic happens. “The candyman can cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good.” In the East Bay, the candyman of yesterday is today’s cocktail Mixologist. With limitless goods at their fingertips and the boundless freedom to create, the recipe for a cocktail renaissance is brewing. Simply look around and taste it.
Here are a few places to start. Flora, located in downtown Oakland pays homage to some of their favorite cocktails from around the world, while also offering amazing creations of their own. Their absinthe fountain is truly a sight. Rivoli, located on Solano Ave in Berkeley is newer to the cocktail scene with an evolving, season appropriate cocktail program created to compliment chef Wendy Brucker's ever-changing menu. Hudson, a newcomer to Rockridge's College Avenue has Alex Conde at the helm of its cocktail revolution. Trattoria Corso on Shattuck Ave, known for its lively bar scene and excellent food is also putting out creative cocktails using various house-made ingredients. Sidebar, located on Grand Avenue near Lake Merrit has a four sided bar as its centerpiece. Well-dressed bartenders create both the classist and locavore variations of some of the best classic cocktails. Dip your hand into any of these candy jars and savor the East Bay's cocktail renaissance in all its glory.
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