April 2008

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Sangria and spice

Cantina's Caribbean sangria—flavored with lime, cloves, and almonds—is scurvy's worst nightmare.

Jan Newberry, Photography by Alex Farnum

Bartenders borrow from chefs all the time. It may have started when someone stole a pickled onion from the salad station to float in a martini, but these days, beets, Thai peppers, and even mushrooms are being tossed into cocktail shakers. Recently, Duggan McDonnell of Cantina took another idea from the kitchen and started offering a liquid amuse-bouche—that little bite served to both whet and temporarily sate diners’ appetites before the meal begins. When he’s faced with a thirsty horde six feet deep and a list of labor-intensive cocktails to mix, McDonnell sends a bartender into the crowd with shots of his Caribbean sangria. Made from ingredients that sound like they were raided from the hold of a pirate ship, the drink includes hibiscus syrup, claret, the traditional Barbados spirit falernum (flavored with lime, cloves, and almonds), and a generous dose of Jamaican black rum. One of these down the hatch can make the wait for a proper drink a little more bearable, and, from the bartender’s point of view, it just might prevent a mutiny. Cantina: 580 Sutter St., S.F., 415-398-0195, cantinasf.com

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