Today marks the last day of Singlebarrel, my favorite bar in the San Francisco bay area. Located in downtown San Jose, Singlebarrel is a speakeasy-themed cocktail bar that takes you back to the old days of prohibition. At the door, you see no sign of the bar except a lone barrel, mounted to the brick wall above the entrance. At the front of the line, you are greeted by the doorman, dressed in a long pea coat and herringbone duckbill cap. He briefs the newcomers and rewelcomes the oldcomers.
“Maximum parties of six allowed. We ask that you speak softly inside or you may be hushed. Please refrain from chewing gum and respect the privacy of other groups. Lastly, have a good time.”
When the stars align, the doorman ferries you through the door and alerts the bar of your imminent arrival (via earpiece of course). Down the stairs, the light quickly fades to black. At the bottom, a quick turn takes you through a dark, curtained hallway, opening up to the dimly lit room, the bustling bar, and the jazz-filled ambiance. You are greeted again by another staff, who walks you to an opening at the bar counter, reserved specifically for your group. Your bartender awaits.
“How’s it going tonight, fellas? What’ll you have?”
The fun begins.
While it’s easy to pick out a drink listed on their menu, Singlebarrel’s experience comes from crafting a drink customized specifically for you. That means it’s up to you to describe what you’re in the mood for. Something sweet and light, or something bold and complex? Smoky with hints of citrus? Maybe something spicy… As you piece together your desired traits, your bartender accesses their mental database of drinks and selects one that they believe will hit the mark.
You see, the bartenders here are not ordinary bartenders. They undergo months of rigorous training before they even serve their first cocktail to a customer. They learn a broad range of new drinks with new recipes, as well as the various ingredients that can be used as suitable alternatives. Their range of beverages is so vast, you may want to compile your own set of notes just to keep track (spoken from experience). As new skills are picked up, they are practiced and perfected. And the result is a concoction served up in a glass, magically conjured from the descriptive words that you had uttered moments earlier.
Then the taste test ensues. Good? Great! No? Then you’re welcome to provide feedback toward a slightly modified recipe and see if the next round seals the deal. There’s always a next round.
If you happen to be in the neighborhood today, go have one last hurrah! Although Singlebarrel is closing after today, it will be reopening in the coming weeks under the same staff, but a different vision: Haberdasher. Looking forward to it!
To Tomoe, Patrick, Raymond, and all my present and former Singlebarrelers: cheers.
izrofel 