There’s a brand new drink on the town known as the San Jose Bitter, that’s really a scrumptious deal with simply in time for the vacation season.
Selena Harkey, Vine Hospitality’s director of wine and spirits, crafted this cocktail — a Silicon Valley tackle the favored New York Bitter — incorporating a pair of San Jose-based elements: tenth Road Distillery’s award-winning “Dragon” whiskey and Alamitos Vineyards’ Hawk Eye Syrah.
Harkey joined tenth Road Distillery proprietor Virag Saskena and Alamitos Winery proprietor Shaun Coleman at Downtown Ice final week to assist launch the drink. Each Saskena and Coleman are former tech guys who began second careers within the wine and spirits, although in Coleman’s case, it’s additionally a household legacy: His grandfather, John Vargas, an immigrant from the Azores, was a winemaker for Outdated Almaden Vineyard, not removed from the present location of Alamitos Winery in San Jose.
Alamitos Winery proprietor Shaun Coleman, Serena Harkey of Vine Hospitality, and Virag Saksena, of tenth Road Distillery, from left, on the Downtown Ice rink in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group)
The tenth Road whiskey is robust, however the cocktail I had at Rollati Ristorante this week was well-balanced with the float of purple wine offering a great accent taste and an egg white froth including lightness.
Do I want San Jose may rejoice the vacations with an authentic cocktail as a substitute of a knockoff? Positive, however that is Silicon Valley, the place we found {that a} PC clone could possibly be simply nearly as good — if not higher — than the unique IBM product.
The drink’s launch is a part of the town’s “A Very San Jose Holiday” push to spur retail purchasing within the metropolis. The San Jose Bitter is on the market in any respect of Vine Hospitality’s San Jose places: Left Financial institution Brasserie, LB Steak and Meso Mediterranean at Santana Row and Rollati Ristorante in downtown San Jose.
HOLIDAY SPIRITS: Downtown San Jose’s two Miracle pop-up bars have returned for the season at Paper Aircraft and Miniboss, together with the tiki-themed Sippin’ Santa at 55 South, but it surely’s good to see another bars and eating places entering into vacation themes with their cocktail lists.
O’Flaherty’s in San Pedro Sq. is paying homage to the 1990 Christmas film “Home Alone,” with drinks like Kevin’s Sizzling Cup of Joe, the Moist Bandit and Marv’s Margarita. Dr. Funk Rum Home, additionally in San Pedro Sq., is having extra of a grinchy takeover with cocktails together with the Cindy Lou-Apple, the Imply One and, in fact, The Grinch.
AJI Robata and Bar on the Signia by Hilton has just a few festive choices as nicely, just like the Whiskey Wonderland and Santa’s Helper. And Haberdasher on South First and San Salvador streets has vacation choices together with the gin-based Holly Berry and bourbon-based Letter to Santa, to not point out an old style favourite, Sizzling Buttered Rum.
GETTING LIT: The twelfth annual Native Lit authors truthful is going on Saturday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Most important Library in downtown San Jose. Almost a dozen native authors can be available to share their experiences, reply questions and promote their books on the occasion, which is a collaboration between the San Jose Public Library and the SJSU King Library. You possibly can take a look at the lineup at sjpl.org/local-lit.
In the meantime, one other acclaimed Bay Space creator — Oakland resident Tommy Orange — can be in San Jose on Thursday for a studying from his new novel, “Wandering Stars,” a follow-up to the favored and highly effective “There There,” which was a Silicon Valley Reads choice in 2023. Orange’s look on the Hammer Theatre for San Jose State’s Heart for Literary Arts is already sold-out, however you possibly can nonetheless get tickets for the livestream at www.hammertheatre.com/events-list.
MAYOR OF TEAL TOWN: San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan dropped the ceremonial first puck on the Sharks sport in opposition to Seattle at SAP Heart final Friday, and he could be giving SJ Sharkie a run for his cash as a brand new mascot. The Sharks gained that sport 8-5 (and went on to beat Seattle the following evening, too), so possibly the staff must have Mayor Matt drop the puck earlier than each house sport.
