Mission Mission

We wrapped up our liquid brunch adventure at the Phone Booth in the capable hands of bloody maestro Chris Southgate, who calmly took in our order for 40 bloody marys with a smile and went to work.  Utilizing a recipe that included Guinness and horseradish in addition to the normal ingredients we’ve come to expect, Chris served us a simple drink without all the bells and whistles of some of the other bloodys but with a particular zest and freshness that hit the spot perfectly (while also administering an impressive yet cleverly disguised alcohol content).

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Our second stop of the day was Pop’s, and after the long walk in semi-summer weather, a bloody mary is exactly what the bartender ordered. Tommy, the resident bloody expert, was ready for our crew and had the bacon sizzling by the time we walked in.

Cranking out 12 at a time (!!!), they were able to appease the growing crowd with their mixture of the standard bloody ingredients, also throwing in a splash of Guinness, green beans, asparagus, olives, a pickle, and my personal favorite, a wedge of pepperjack cheese. Overall, between the extremely patient bartenders and the expertly made Bloody’s, I’d say Pop’s is definitely a worthy destination for a Sunday drinking adventure.

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Our first stop on the Sunday edition of the Bloody Marython, Thieves Tavern welcomed us with open arms, waffles, and enough bloody marys to sink a ship. Our bartender, J Beaman, hooked it up with the house specialty: a bloody complete with okra, celery, pickled carrots, green beans and a cucumber. As if that wasn’t enough, you had the option of making your bloody vegan if you asked nicely. In addition to the smooth Mary’s, complimentary waffles were being made right at the bar, just in case you were doubting your morning decision of purely drinking your lunch.

To make it interesting, towards the end of our stint at Thieves, barkeep J threw down the gauntlet and offered $1 shots of Jameson for five minutes only — that guy definitely knows how to get a crawl started on the right foot.

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As we threatened earlier this week, the MM Bloody Marython will recommence tomorrow at noon starting at Thieves Tavern on 14th Street by Guerrero.  We hope you join us for what definitely promises to be a shitshow.

After Thieves, we’ll traverse through several hundred scantily clad women shaking their ta-tas for Carnival towards our next stop at Pop’s on 24th by York.  From there, we’ll probably stop by the Phone Booth on S. Van Ness at 26th.   Unfortunately, Chelsea from the Attic is out of town this weekend and won’t be able to spoil us with her creativity and cheese cubes, but she hopes to be around for future tours.

Well, enough banter–see you tomorrow at noon!

[Photo by Mike Chino]

Facebook event page

Now that we can finally manage to look a bloody mary in the face again without experiencing severe nausea after all of that ridiculous indulgence during our initial foray, we figured it was time to get moving on round 2 of the Mission Mission Bloody Marython.  Last time we held the tour on a Saturday to provide us with plenty of time to recover the next day, but that unfortunately forced us to miss all of the bartenders who bring their bloody mary best on a Sunday!  Luckily, thanks to the upcoming 3 day weekend afforded by Memorial Day, this is the perfect opportunity to delve into their creations while still enjoying a buffer day of recovery.

So, please join us at 12 noon this Sunday for the next installment of the Mission Mission Bloody Marython.  We haven’t exactly solidified the route yet, but at the moment the idea is to hit up (in roughly this order):

• Thieves Tavern (14^th @ Guerrero) – home of the vegan bloody mary
• The Attic (24^th @ Mission) – tiny cubes of cheese!
• Pop’s (24^th @ York) – maybe we can get some BBQ too
• Phone Booth (26^th and S. Van Ness) – a dark horse contender
• Argus Lounge (Mission @ Valencia) – everyone keeps saying I need to try these

It will be a merry bloody mary fueled romp through the Mission, with a few nice walks in between for some exercise too!  Look, we even made a Facebook event page.  We’ll also probably post an update here when we finalize our route and schedule.  See you on Sunday at noon!

[Photo by Mike Chino]

There’s a reason Elixir calls their weekend bloody mary special a “vodka salad bar”: at your disposal is a rack full of spices, a cabinet’s worth of sauces, and there’s nothing to stop you from shoveling a plate of pickled veggies into your pint. The historic saloon’s extensive spread of ingredients makes it the perfect stop for those looking for a liquid lunch in a glass or complete control over the minutiae of bloody mary mixology.

Suggested listening: Journey – Any Way You Want It

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Our first stop on the tour was also one of the most popular suggestions in the comments back when we posted about this ludicrous idea, and  the reason for this soon became apparent as the 500 Club steadily filled to capacity within minutes of our arrival.  Rachel, the resident bloody mary specialist, attracted quite a following and the cheerful patrons contributed to a raucous atmosphere despite the early hour.  By 12:30pm, it was almost like there was a party inside, and it was clear that many of patrons were regulars who made it a mission to visit every Saturday.

We had prepared for the event by specifically abstaining from breakfast because that’s the whole reason why a bloody mary exists in the first place (right?).  This was a wise decision, as Rachel’s bloody proved to be the ultimate “breakfast in a cup” and basically ended up being an alcoholic salad.  All manner of vegetables found their way into the mix: celery, pepperocinni, olives, pickled green beans, asparagus, and even okra (!!??!!), among others.  However, the real draw was of course the bacon, and not some thin wimpy bacon either, but a nice thick slab of crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside sustenance-providing bacon that provided a solid absorbent for some of the early alcohol.

Also notable about Rachel’s bloody was the spiciness factor.  There was a solid kick of pepper to help rouse your senses and the zest of the vegetables and tomato disguised the taste of the copious amount of vodka in the drink.  Some commenters complained that this was spiciness for spiciness’ sake rather than for taste, but we didn’t find it to be too overwhelming.  Rachel also made use of what the Elixir bartender revealed was the secret ingredient, which was Old Bay spice, so aspiring bloody mary mixologists should keep that in mind for future concoctions.

In all, the 500 Club provided a solid start with what many felt was the best bloody mary in the city, and also managed to nourish us sufficiently before we continued on our tipsy journey.  There’s a real sense of community there every Saturday morning, and we could definitely see ourselves coming back here next week to join in on the fun again!

[Photo by Erika]

We’ve been on a quest to find the best bloody mary in the city for quite some time now.  There are plenty of contenders, with Zeitgeist, thee Parkside, and the Phonebooth coming to mind immediately.  Well, now it looks like we’ll need to make a new addition to the list, because the Bender’s bloody mary is a monster.

Spicy, sharp, and zesty, the Bender’s bloody may seem a bit pricey at $8 a pop, but it’s basically brunch in a cup.  For meat eaters, it even comes with a bonus Slim Jim in addition to the usual pickled green beans and olives!  Truly the perfect way to start a relaxing weekend.

Who makes your favorite bloody marys?

An offer too good to be true?

We’ve got individual rooms for rent!—think college dorm-style, a long hallway down the middle with rooms on either side, shared bathrooms, shared toilets. Below, Zeitgeist is a vibrant bar with a sunny beer garden for SF summers. We’re looking for a few good additions to our tenant base who can appreciate the bustly setting below while also respecting the solitude of their fellow hotel mates above the bar. Two rooms are available this month, two more next, each approximately 10′ x 10′. Electrical, water, and free Internet access are all included. We require a $600 security deposit, a $50 key deposit, and first month’s rent at lease signing. Here’s another cool thing: drugs are absolutely not tolerated, but well-behaved pets are. We’re dog and cat friendly. Background checks and credit checks will be run on all applicants, if only because the harmony of our living space is important to us. Interested? Please come by the bar and fill out an application or, better yet, make an appointment by contacting out resident property manager at: timeghost11@gmail.com.

I love the part about how “drugs are absolutely not tolerated.”  I’ll remember that the next time a coked-out bartender yells at me for only ordering two bloody marys.  On the other hand, you’ll be in perfect position to observe what I call the “Zeitgeist Paradox,” which postulates that on nice and sunny SF days when it seems as though it would be perfect to hang out at Zeitgeist, in actuality you don’t want to go anywhere near Zeitgeist because it’s packed to hell in there.

Zeitgeist Paradox Null-Hypothesis

And of course, if the city has their way, you won’t have to worry about smoke wafting up from the courtyard anymore either!  Burger fumes are another story, but only Vegansaurus would have a problem with that.  I also want to put on record that I really really wish my email address was timeghost11.  Totally fucked that one up.

Oh, and are you wondering how I shot all these pictures in the Zeitgeist courtyard without getting tossed?

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