The lovely people at San Francisco’s Bong Su (upscale Vietnamese, South of Market) hosted a small gathering to show off their new cocktail menu, devised with the exotic Southeast Asian food menu in mind. We rolled through all five unique concoctions (each paired with an appetizer to match). All in all, very good libations, but some easy favorites emerged.

No question, the Mekong Martini (pictured, recipe at end of post) was my personal best (and also the first drink out of the gate). While not really “challenging,” the blend of lychee vodka and mango nectar, plus half a lime and 1/2 oz. of Pandan syrup (a house-made syrup from aromatic Pandan leaf) was a light and summery drink that wouldn’t be out of place on the beach in Hawaii. A mound of black tea tapioca balls in the base of the glass add to the cool factor of the drink, but fishing them out to eat is more chore than joy.

The Hibiscus Bud, a fiery red drink topped with an edible hibiscus flower,
was the most striking item on the menu, but it isn’t the Hurricane wannabe you’re probably expecting. A blend of Maker’s Mark, pear eau de vie, various flavored syrups, and bitters, this is a Manhattan for the beachcomber in you, though it was a little overdone for my purist Manhattan tastes.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the Cherimoya Sidecar, a typical cognac and lemon mixture with the addition of Creole Shrubb orange-flavored rum and a tablespoon of cherimoya puree (cherimoya is a green fruit that looks a bit like an artichoke with white flesh inside the skin). I can’t put my finger quite on what I didn’t love about the drink, but the orange of the Creole Shrubb was just too overpowering, even beating down the lemon in the drink.

The Saigon Sun is a nice cocktail with a little bit of a surprise. The mango on the rim cues you to the mango puree inside, and the mix of rum, peach liqueur, and lime all work perfectly well here. The surprise is the addition of coconut water, which gives the drink a nice coconutty aftertaste without overpowering the other elements. This is a good one to pair with a seafood appetizer (we had it with a calamari dish).

Finally we tried the Golden Dragon (pictured), which matches a quinoa-based vodka with a touch of Creole Shrubb, lime, tea-infused syrup, and honey. Everything here works well, though you won’t notice any tea flavor. The end result is something like a tablespoon of orange-blossom honey turned into a cocktail. But it’s not too sweet. Everything here works well in harmony. Another fine cocktail!

The new cocktails are being served now. Check them out at bongsu.com!

Mekong Martini
1 1/2 oz. Kai Lychee vodka
2 oz. mango nectar
1/2 oz. Pandan syrup
1/2 fresh lime, juiced
black tea tapioca balls to garnish

Shaken and served up in a cocktail glass.

Sub simple syrup for the Pandan and forget the tapioca and you can easily make this one at home.

More proof to my theory that grapes make the best base for vodka arrives in the form of Swan’s Neck Vodka, an artisan spirit from French grapes distilled in copper pots and named for part of the alembic still used to make it.

Swan’s Neck is a very sedate vodka, smooth and silky, offering flavors that hint at white wine: Apple and grape, perfume with flowers. A slight bitterness mars the finish just a tad, unfortunately, but Swan’s Neck offers a taste of the earth, soul-satisfying in a good way, nut musky and stinky in the way that “earthy” often connotes.

In cocktails, Swan’s Neck shines as that bitterness fades away, leaving that apple/grape flavor to work with whatever mixers you add. It should work well in anything, really, but it should shine exceptionally in wine- or fruit-based cocktails.

Swan’s Neck is hard to find (and expensive when it’s found), but if you do, snap it up.

A- / $40 / swansneckvodka.com

It’s easy to see why Grey Goose has become one of the most successful new liquor brands in recent years. This is a fantastic vodka, smooth and lightly sweet, with a nutty nose and aftertaste that works well in cocktails and adds an interesting complexity when served straight.

Grey Goose is very mild, quite neutral on the whole. Maybe a hint of pepper, or citrus fruit, if you search for it. It’s also not too oily, even when ice cold, a common trait of virtually all vodkas.

And yet, for all its heralded luxury status, Grey Goose is not all that expensive. $27 compares well to some similar ultra-luxe brands and it tastes far better. Sure, I’d rather have Tito’s or Boomerang at about $16, but those are boutique bottles that you aren’t likely to find in the average bar. Grey Goose? It’s everywhere, and if you’re calling a vodka brand, this is one that merits the hype that surrounds it.

A / $27 / greygoose.com

Only about a week until Cinco de Mayo… time to get some tequila coverage out of the way, no?

Herradura is one of the bigger tequila brands, and for good reason. Nothing at all wrong with this smooth sipper with the horseshoe on the label. This tequila is a pale pale yellow, aged 45 days in white oak barrels, which gives it the slightest amount of butter, almond, and wood on the palate. The tequila heat shows in the finish, making it unmistakably a silver, but it’s easy to drink despite the kick.

The price, at $33, is on the high side for such a spirit that otherwise doesn’t offer a whole lot of surprise. But if you’re looking for a good standby tequila that you can rely on and, equally importantly, is sure to be in stock wherever you go, Herradura’s a solid.

B+ / $33 / herraduratequila.com

Rather than focus on a specific grape varietal, this event had the unique idea to get the word out about three small parts of Napa Valley, specifically, the mountain regions of Spring Mountain, Mount Veeder, and Diamond Mountain, which run one after another along the valley in the Mayacamas mountain range that makes up Napa’s western flank (and separating Napa from Sonoma). (A decent map can be found here.)

Tastings were broken up by region, with each AVA filling its own room in the Fort Mason Officer’s Club. Overall, the wines were extremely impressive. The focus across the board was on Cabernet, which does well in the mountains of Napa, with many single-vineyard wines being poured. And though these regions are only miles apart (and Diamond and Spring are virtually on top of each other), the differences among the wines were striking, with obvious character showing through for each region. Before I get to the highlights, one thing was clear: 2005 is shaping up as considerably better than 2004 for all of these regions. While good, even great, wines can be had from ‘04, it’s the ’05s that consistently knocked my socks off.

Spring Mountain - The largest number of wines could be had from Spring Mountain, and it’s obvious why this room was picked to house the snack table. Spring Mountain cabs are so thick and tannic that you can’t drink much without needing a slice of ham or something to cut through the tannin. If you’re looking for a “textbook” Cabernet, Spring Mountain is where it’s at. Highlights include Fantesca’s Chardonnay, the best white (of only few poured) I had at the event, full of grapefruit and perfume and only lightly oaked. Best of the reds go to Frias’ “Red Wine,” a $30 blend of Cab, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah, an easy drinking wine overflowing with fruit that’s also a huge bargain. Another standout: Anything from Guillams (pronounced “gwilliams”) and Sherwin’s 2005 Cab (a $90 powerhouse full of blackberry flavor).

Mt. Veeder - These wines were much more earthy, more characteristic of Old World Burgundy at best, a little barnyardy at worst. Some standouts: Brandlin’s $80 2004 Cab, its first Cabernet bottling ever. Robert Craig’s 2005 Cab, which won’t be released until the fall, was also outstanding, a “big” wine that still managed to pack in a ton of fruit.

Diamond Mountain - I unwittingly saved the best for last: Diamond Mountain has historically been known for producing wines with a dark chocolate character, and nowhere was that more apparent than in Andrew Geoffrey’s 2004 Cabernet (pictured), a nutty, chocolatey, and rich wine that was probably my favorite wine of the event. Lots of other good, cocoa-toned wines, but nothing quite lived up to Geoffrey’s juice.

Prices were unavailable for many of the wines so I’m not including them in the full tasting report that follows.

Full Tasting Report

Spring Mountain
2004 Cain Five - C+
2004 Fantesca Cabernet Sauvignon Estate - B
2006 Fantesca Chardonnay - A
2005 Frias Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - B+
2005 Frias Family Vineyard Red Wine - A
2004 Guilliams Merlot - A-
2004 Guilliams Cabernet Sauvignon - A
2006 Keenan Chardonnay - A-
2004 Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon - B
2004 Keenan Cabernet Reserve - A-
2004 Marston Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - A-
2005 Sherwin Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate - A
2005 Terra Valentine Cabernet Sauvignon - A-
2005 Terra Valentine Cabernet Sauvignon Yverdon Vineyard - A
2005 Terra Valentine Cabernet Sauvignon Wurtele Vineyard - B
2004 Vineyard 7 & 8 Cabernet Sauvignon - B-

Mount Veeder
2004 Brandlin Cabernet Sauvignon - A
2004 The Hess Collection Cabernet Sauvignon - A-
2005 The Hess Collection 19 Block Cuvee - B
2005 Robert Craig Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder - A
2004 Robert Craig Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder - B
2005 Vinoce Cabernet Franc Blend - B+

Diamond Mountain
2004 Andrew Geoffrey Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - A
2005 COHO Wines Cabernet Sauvignon SummitVine Ranch - B+
2005 COHO Wines Headwaters - A-
2004 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain - A-
2005 Reverie Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve - A-
2005 Reverie Cabernet Franc - B+
2005 von Strasser Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain - B+
2005 von Strasser Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Estate - A-

Yes, this is a review of a bag of ice. No, it’s not ice made out of diamonds and pixie dusts, it’s just ice. From water.

And yes, I was skeptical too. Premium ice? At $4 a bag, On the Rocks is about four times as pricey as your average supermarket ice. But the company has a compelling story that might make you consider buying a bag.

First off: According to On the Rocks, supermarket ice has no FDA oversight. Who knows what you’re really getting in those thin bags. On the Rocks is made from spring water, follows the FDA requirements for bottled water, and comes in a tough, tamper-resistant plastic bag that won’t rip when you heft it out of your trunk. It’s also resealable… not that that helps when your wife instead rips it open from the bottom.

Of course, the big sell here is taste: If you spend a lot of money on super-premium spirits, then drop a few ice cubes in, what might you be doing to the subtle flavor of the drink? Appearance is another selling point. Though On the Rocks cubes have a somewhat unnatural cylindrical shape with a hole in the middle, they are much nicer looking than both the irregular chunks you get with supermarket ice and far better than the awkward crescents that come out of your refrigerator’s ice maker. But best of all, the ice is frosty looking in the freezer, but once it gets wet it’s totally clear, which makes for a very attractive presentation for rocks drinks.

The flavor is as pure as promised. I have tried it in cocktails and even melted a few cubes (they melt slowly) to drink the water straight. It’s as totally flavorless as water gets, which is perfect. If your local tap water has a funky smell or is heavily chlorinated, you’ll probably do well to keep a bag of On the Rocks ice stashed in your freezer. It’s not something you need to use all the time; but it’s quite striking for special occasions. One bag goes an awfully long way.

The ice is currently only on sale in a few specialty shops in New England. Check the website for new additions.

A / $4  per five-pound bag / iceisfood.com

Yeah, you read that right: Vodka, sparkling. The idea of carbonated vodka is either genius or stupid. I mean, you can pour your vodka into a little soda and it’s got plenty of carbonation right there, doesn’t it? Well, maybe you don’t want soda… maybe you just want sparkling vodka. Great idea! I think.

Those looking for a Coke-style fizz will be instantly disappointed in O2. The carbonation here is extremely light, and in a cocktail you’ll likely have trouble picking it out if you don’t already know it’s in there. Even straight, the carbonation is very light. It comes across more as a spicy, peppery note initially. Only after you think and roll it around for a few seconds do you realize it’s not a flavor that’s tickling your mouth but bubbles popping on your tongue.

O2 vodka comes from Britain and is distilled from grain, then filtered three times and bottled at 80 proof. Putting aside the carbonation factor, the flavor is very, very mild, surprising for a grain-based spirit. It’s got a hint of smoke and nuttiness, but otherwise is quite neutral.

O2 works well in cocktails, departing just the faintest amount of bubbling into the beverage. You can watch a couple of columns of bubbles rise up for a few minutes, then they dissipate.

If nothing else, O2 is at least an interesting conversation piece. All the more so if you try one of O2’s recommended cocktails, some of which include caviar and raw fish. (Check them out on the O2 website.) Whoa.

B+ / $33 / sparklingvodka.com

In the world of wine, Portugal is known for two major things: Expensive, fortified dessert wines (Vintage Port), and super-cheap whites (primarily from the Vinho Verde region). Recently, nearly 40 Portuguese wineries, importers, and distributors gathered in San Francisco to offer an updated perspective on the wines of Portugal. The verdict: About the same as it was in the ’70s.

That’s not meant as insult, and in fact I met a number of Portuguese winemakers who’d flown all the way here to show off their wines, standing stoic in their suits with nary a grin as they earnestly, yet calmly, intone that the wine you’re tasting costs 3 euros a bottle. It’s safe to say this is the only event I’ve attended where you could try both Mateus and Lancer’s — and yes, both brands are still around, though hardly as strong as they were 30 years ago.

On the other hand, a smattering of producers were on hand with Tawny and Vintage Ports, some of which were truly dazzling.

And then there were the oddities, wines made with every grape under the sun, many of which I’d never thought would work in Portugal — Pinot Noir!? — but far more that the average U.S. wine drinker will have never heard of: Trincadeira, Moreto, Bical. The list never stops.

I tasted nearly 40 wines at the event and, I’m sad to say, you won’t find a lot of them on the shelves at your local wine merchant. Many of these wines haven’t made it to the U.S. yet, and even fewer of them have arrived on the west coast. If you’re in New York, your odds are better, but I can’t imagine a lot of people will spend days seeking out a $12 bottle of Vinho Verde. (That’s pretty common here for Portuguese whites, though the dip as low as $6 or $7. Prices were unavailable for most of these bottlings and aren’t included below.)

Some highlights. A lot of Portuguese white is surprisingly good. At its best, Vinho Verde can be a refreshing, lemon- and apple-like wine with light floral notes and without that overpowering butter and woodiness in a lot of American whites. Look for wines made from Alvarinho grapes, if you can find them. My favorite of all, a bottle called Clemen Reserva (I doubt there’s a non-Reserva), which embodied all the characteristics I mentioned above; it’s a blend of Alvarinho and Trajadura grapes.

Some interesting reds emerged, too: Goanvi sells a full line of reds, and the two I tried were surprisingly nice. The cost of the Capote Velho Reserva, a blend of Syrah, Touriga Nacional, and Aragones? $6.

Naturally, there was plenty of Port to be had, though many of the major producers were absent from this event. Barros’ 1957 Colheita was a treat, a wonderful, caramel-and-chocolate sipper that has mellowed perfectly in 51 years. Quinta do Portal’s 2003 Vintage Port, while representing a much younger wine, was surprisingly mellow for being in the bottle for such a short time. If you are looking for Vintage Port to drink now and don’t want to pay out the nose (maybe $60, if you can find it), I highly recommend tracking this bottle down.

Bottom line: Looking for something light, easy, and fun? Serve a Vinho Verde and ask your guests to guess what it is. For a more unique experience, pick up a Portuguese red. Quality is all over the map, but you likely won’t spend a fortune on the experiment.

A full tasting report follows.

Vini Portugal Full Tasting Report

2005 Entre II Santos Doc Bairrada - B
2005 Campolargo Doc Bairrada - C
2005 Coisas Antigas Doc Bairrada - B+
2005 PV VT’05 DOC Douro - B
2007 Terras de Alter Fado - A-
2006 Terras de Alter Fado Reserva - B
2005 Ramos-Pinto Adriano White - B-
2006 Ramos-Pinto Adriano Red - B-
2004 Ramos-Pinto Duas Quintas Reserva - C+
NV Ramos-Pinto Porto Quinta Ervamoira 10 Years - B+
NV Ramos-Pinto Porto Quinta Ervamoira 20 Years - B+
NV Ramos-Pinto Porto Reserva Collector - B
1998 Krohn Colheita - B
1987 Krohn Colheita - B-
1978 Krohn Colheita - B+
NV Krohn Lagrima - B
2007 Catarina Regional Terras Do Sado Peninsula De Setubal - B+
2006 Casa Santos Lima Sousao, Regional Estremadura - C+
2006 Palha-Canas Regional Estremadura - C+
2005 Goanvi Capote Velho Reserva - A-
2006 Goanvi Terra Grande - A-
2003 Quinta do Portal Grande Reserva - B
NV Quinta do Portal Moscatel - A-
2003 Quinta do Portal Vintage Port - A
NV Quinta do Portal 30 Year Tawny - B+
NV Quinta do Portal 40 Year Tawny - A-
2007 Azul Vinho Verde - D
2006 Companhia Das Lezirias Fernao Pires - B+
2007 Clemen Reserva Vinho Verde - A
NV Barros Very Old Dry White Port - B
1957 Barros Colheita Port - A
1975 Barros Colheita Port - A-
1994 Barros Colheita Port - B
2005 Barros Vintage Port - A-
1995 Smith Woodhouse Late Bottled Vintage Port - B+
2005 Post Scriptum Douro - B
2005 Messias Vintage Port - B+

Continuing on the summer theme here at Drinkhacker we turn to this unique summer beer, a pre-mixed shandy! Leinie’s Summer Shandy is a Weiss beer mixed with lemonade (or at least, per the bottle, “with natural lemonade flavor”), and it doesn’t take long to find both flavors in the bottle.

The beer side is very light, almost like a Mexican lager, but any nuance of Weiss beer is lost to the lemon overtones, which are obvious in every sip. Alas, it’s less lemonade and more lemon juice. Frankly I think the brew is missing some sweetness that would make it taste a bit more like a homemade shandy.

Overall impression: Not bad, very drinkable, light (just 4.2 percent alcohol), and indeed very “summery,” just as the name implies. A little tampering with the recipe ought to make this brew a real standout.

B / $8 per six-pack / leinie.com

Sloe Gin Fizzes were the first cocktail I mastered, but it’s been years since I’ve had one. No reason why, really. Sloe gin, a liqueur flavored with sloe berries, the fruit of the blackthorn tree, has hardly seen the renaissance that other spirits have in recent years. There hasn’t exactly been a clamoring for the stuff in the market.

Well, Plymouth (which I’m on record as stating, unequivocally, makes the best gin on the market) is trying to change that by introducing a premium sloe gin, perhaps the first of its kind. Plymouth threw a swanky party for its new bottling last night at Bourbon & Branch here in San Francisco, and I was fortunate enough to try the spirit along with a number of cocktails made with it.

First, a bit more about sloe gin: It’s made by steeping sloe berries in gin (Plymouth gin, of course), and watered down to 52 proof. 26 percent alcohol makes it a pretty standard liqueur rather than a true gin, so plan accordingly. Served straight, it’s quite tart, really too sour to enjoy on its own, but in cocktails it really shines.

Sloe gin’s natural habitat is the Sloe Gin Fizz, and in its preparation here (with fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, fresh egg white, and a splash of club soda) it was a real delight, creamy, with a good mix of sweet and sour. In a good cocktail, sloe gin tastes a lot like cranberry, and in The Wibble (recipe below), you get the essence of sloe gin at its best. This concoction, which includes grapefruit juice and blackberry liqueur, is like a Cosmo on steroids. Really good.

Amazingly, the addition of sloe gin to gin and Campari made the “Sloegronie” impressively drinkable, still quite bitter, but much better than a real Negroni. Finally, I finished up the night with Plymouth’s Southside (pictured, because it was so cool looking), which actually didn’t include sloe gin at all. Essentially a Mojito with gin instead of rum, I was impressed with how much more interesting this now-tired drink could be. Sub in lemon for lime and add a shot of sloe gin and you’ve got a Sloe Gin Genie (pictured at top, next to the bottle). I’ll give it a try when I get a bottle of my own to play with.

Plymouth Sloe Gin isn’t quite yet available in the U.S. yet, but keep an eye out for it. (If it’s sold at the same price here as it is in Britain, it’ll run about $35 a bottle.)

The Wibble
1 oz. Plymouth Gin
1 oz. Plymouth Sloe Gin
1 oz. freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
1/4 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/8 oz. simple syrup
1/8 oz. Wild Blackberry Liqueur (Creme de Mure)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.