Interval(stellar)

I spent the whole day in the city on Sunday; starting with brunch at Fog City, a walk through Union Square, and a three hour spell at the Metreon watching the new Christopher Nolan sci-fi epic Interstellar. What a mindtrip that movie is! Not only with the physics and the relativity issues, but also with the humanistic struggles. I'm still thinking about everything that happened in that film. After the show ended, we decided to finally head over to my friend Jennifer Colliau's new bar: The Interval at Fort Mason. Part of the Long Now Foundation, a group devoted to long-term thinking and curation, Jennifer's incredible knowledge of pre-Prohibition era drinks was put to use; creating a cocktail menu that brings old libations out of extinction, with a full explanation as to the origins.

I wasn't planning on doing a blog post, so I didn't have my camera on me. The iPhone images would have to do. Jen started us off with a Kopstootje, or "little head butt"; the Dutch way of drinking genever that involves filling the glass to the brim, so that the only way to take the first sip is literally to lower your head to the glass. That way two friends have to nod to one another before beginning their drinking session. Jen accompanied it with a small bowl of brandied raisins, which are eaten in between each sip. it's part of her educational "Drinks From Around the World" feature. The raisins are to die for.

We were told that Jen's Navy Gimlet, made with lime cordial (which involves infusing lime zest into the syrup, rather than just mixing juice and sugar), is a pre-batched cocktail delight and maybe the best drink at the Interval. Mixed over ice with a thermometer, so that the temperature is a perfect 25 degrees, the flavors are incredibly pure and delicate. It's the first thing you should order when you go.

In an homage to Cuba's legendary Bar La Florida, a Prohibition era escape for Americans where Hemingway once drank and wrote numerous stories, Jen has five Daiquiri variations which you can see on the menu here. We drank three of them; the orange-flavored #2 was maybe the best.

I would encourage all of you locals to go check out Jen's new project and indulge in her incredible cocktails. You need to get over to Fort Mason and see the place for yourself. I didn't even cover the aesthetics. An iPhone camera can't do it justice.

-David Driscoll