It’s like a bullet flying out of the gun shot by a dame you shouldn’t have trusted. Heading westward from Jones to Van Ness is a new microhood in the Tenderloin we’re dubbing, “The Gimlet”. While the Loin is well-known for being a verdant booze oasis, there has been something of a liquor renaissance along this hallowed corridor known to most as “38 Boulevard” or the “Look at my striped shirt! District”.
Don’t get us wrong, there are plenty of quite lovable watering holes such as High Tide, The Ambassador, RJ’s, The Geary Club, Outsiders, and Edinburgh Castle to name a few. But in between these are spots that aspire to the all too trendy drink craft and mixology that’s sweeping the city. Naturally, the difference with spots such as Koko Cocktails, Whiskey Thieves, Rye, and (just round the way on Geary) Bourbon & Branch is that they serve up some tasty drinks without the bitter twinge of bullshit, especially in our unabashedly blatant favorite, Koko.
But why “The Gimlet” for this MiniTender? Many reasons, such as the obvious one that it’s the name of a cocktail and cocktails are here aplenty. Then of course it’s a drink loved in the world of hardboiled noir, which Dashiell Hammett had the good sense to have some of his works take place not only in SF, but also in the Tenderloin. The Gimlet is mentioned and was basically made famous by Raymond Chandler’s novels as well. But probably more than anything both Geary and Gimlet start with the letter G, which allows anyone completely drunk the ability to remember this chunk of town when catching a cab/walking it off.
All hail the MiniTender of The Gimlet!
>Update 10/5
To honor this (somewhat controversial) MiniTender, the awesome folks at Koko Cocktails (we can’t praise them enough, I hope y’all have been there already) are going to have a special Gimlet Tuesday tonight. Which means they’ll have a mystery gimlet (to be determined at 5 pm) for only $4. We’re so there!
8 Comments until now
A gimlet is one of my favourite drinks
But no trendy basil, just lemon please.
A gimlet made with anything other than gin and sweetened lime juice ain’t a gimlet.
“. . . a real gimlet is half gin and half Rose’s Lime Juice and nothing else” (Terry Lennox in Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye).
QED
I object to this name. That’s a whiskey drinking part of town. This aint gin alley.
I agree with scurvy, actually. I drink boilermakers myself, so how about renaming your “mini-hood” The Boilermaker. Yeah. That’s got a nice ring to it and is better suited to the neighborhood.
Gents (and Lady), this is also a cheap beer part of town and there was no way I’d name that The PBR. It’s more about sound of it because let’s be honest, there are no Russians living on that Hill, nor a Telegraph on that other Hill, nor Dogs in that Patch, and how often is the Sunset seen out in that western area?
It’s just a silly name to more highlight places in the neighborhood that have commonality and again, if you fear I’ll come up with something you’re not so in to, hit me with a preemptive strike and suggest a MiniTender or two. I’ve got a slew of others in the pipes, but am more than happy to post yours too.
I second The Boilermaker. I almost live in this neighborhood, but not quite. Looking forward to seeing what my mini-hood is called. Maybe something having to do with murder-suicides, which happen pretty frequently on my block.
Alright then, I hereby name the area between O’Farrell, Turk, Mason and Larkin “The Boilermaker,” although the Ha-Ra and High Tide should really be included in my drinker’s version of the Tenderloin, which is based on the neighborhood’s working class roots.
Give me a real bar to drink in, where the people are characters with interesting stories, thank you very much. See y’all at The Brown Jug sometime . . .
Koko’s will be moving, you might want to talk to Laurie to get her take on it.