There are risks to allowing drinkers to control their destinies. Each month at the Savoy Stomp event, bartenders at the Alembic in the Haight allow drinkers to choose from any of roughly 900 drinks in the classic “Savoy Cocktail Book.” Guest bartender and “Savoy” expert Erik Ellestad says that for some people it may be too much freedom. It has prompted customers to order such oddities as the Prairie Hen (a whole raw egg with some condiments) and Snowball (creme de violette, creme de menthe, anisette, sweet cream and gin).
“I usually try to warn people off cocktails that I think are truly horrible,” Ellestad says in an e-mail. “But usually they persist.”
Bartenders shift from lecture to nurture
I’ve had a copy of the Savoy Cocktail Book for a few years now (a reprint, and one bought on sale at that). As a source for old recipes and sources it’s fascinating, but there are some seriously unappealing drinks in there.
