The Buena Vista Café: America’s Irish Coffee Mecca
At San Francisco's historic Buena Vista Café, the Irish Coffee has become its own American ritual.
- story: Leslie Pariseau
- photos: Eric Wolfinger
Irish Coffee
First introduced to the United States by way of San Francisco’s Buena Vista Café, the Irish Coffee was invented at the Foynes Airport’s restaurant in 1943.
Weathered Axe
Though it may seem like a breezy summer cocktail with its inclusion of citrusy Combier and herbal-sweet Cocchi Americano, the Weathered Axe easily transitions into a cold weather drink with…
Mott and Mulberry
Named for an intersection on the border of Little Italy and Chinatown in New York City, the Mott and Mulberry is bartender Leo Robitschek's autumnal Whiskey Sour riff.
Improved Whiskey Cocktail
The Improved Whiskey Cocktail, the most enduring of the "Improved" cocktails, remains a window into a moment in cocktail history when drinks were progressing to a more complex level.
Glasgow Mule
Damon Boelte of Brooklyn's Prime Meats built the basic mule structure to create this Scotch and elderflower-infused riff on the original.
Bergamot Blazer
Seattle bartender Andrew Bohrer's tea-infused take on Jerry Thomas's flaming Blue Blazer.
Millionaire Cocktail
There are five different cocktails carrying the Millionaire moniker. This one is adapted from The How and When cocktail book by Hyman Gale and Gerald F. Marco, 1938.
