Drink of the Week
Santa Barbara News-Press column, 2007 – 2014
Information: Drink of the Week appeared in the Santa Barbara News-Press from 2007 to 2014 or so, when the powers-that-be killed it off for whatever reason. Each week photographer/fellow drunk Nik and I would go to a bar/restaurant, try 3 drinks, and nominate one for the Drink of the Week, along with a recipe.
When we started, the mixology revival was just starting. We didn’t know this. By the end of the column, every restaurant and bar worth its salt had hired a “mixologist” and industry folks were actually picking up the paper to see what we said. (Industry folks wanted to see if bartenders were pushing the latest top-shelf booze).
Around 2012 a new editor took over, moving the column from the Friday Arts/Nightlife section to the Thursday “Life and Style” section, and I got pushed to divvy out “themed cocktails” usually around things like “National Oreo Day” or whatever press release from corporate America crossed the desk. There is no real reason for a Peeps Cocktail, but we made it work. By this time we also had a cadre of reliable mixologists on speed dial for whatever got assigned.
The complete archive presents a time capsule of Santa Barbara’s fickle restaurant bar/scene. Often we’d return to the same location a year later to find a brand new restaurant and a totally different menu.
2007
10/12 Legends Lounge
10/19 Tiburon Tavern
10/26 The Tee-Off
11/2 The Press Room
11/9 The Brown Pelican
11/16 Old King’s Road
11/23 Bricks
11/30 EOS
12/7 Epiphany
12/14 Acapella
12/21 Q’s Sushi
12/28 La Rumba
2008
01/04 Study Hall
01/11 Dargan’s
01/18 Trattoria Vittoria
01/25 Monty’s Sports Bar
02/01 Roy
02/08 Mel’s
02/15 Biltmore
02/22 Coast
02/29 Cafe Bueno Aires
03/07 Sharkeez
03/14 Chuck’s
03/21 Cold Spring Tavern
03/28 Longboards
04/04 Old Town Tavern
04/11 Breaktime
04/18 Shalhoobs
04/25 The Nugget
05/02 Statemynt
05/09 Chase Grill
05/16 Harry’s Plaza Cafe
05/23 Hungry Cat
05/30 Zodo’s
06/06 State & A
06/13 Madison’s
06/20 Ruth’s Chris
06/27 Arnoldi’s
07/04 Palmieri’s
07/11 Sandbar
07/18 Whiskey Richards
07/25 Blue Agave
08/01 Mesa Cafe
08/08 Cava
08/15 Cliff Room
08/22 Matador
08/28 Bay Cafe
09/05 Stateside
09/12 Milk & Honey
09/19 The Neighborhood
09/26 Boathouse
10/03 El Paseo
10/10 Harbor Restaurant
10/17 Opal
10/24 Endless Summer
10/31 Brophy’s
11/7 Eladio’s
11/14 Fishouse
11/21 Enterprise Fish Co.
11/28 Montecito Inn
12/5 James Joyce
12/12 Lucky’s
12/19 Intermezzo
12/26 SOhO
12/26 Drink of the Week Year End Review
2009
1/2 The Sportsman
1/9 Crocodile
1/16 Derf’s
1/23 Bak’Dor
1/30 Jimboz
2/6 Don’s John
2/13 Joe’s Cafe
2/20 Elements
2/27 Alcazar
3/6 Bistro 1111
3/13 Holdren’s
3/20 The Palms
3/27 Beachside
4/3 Frog Bar
4/10 Whiskey Richards
4/17 Dublin’s
4/25 O’Malley’s
5/1 Emilio’s
5/8 Cafe del Sol
5/15 Wildcat
5/22 Stonehouse
5/29 Palazzio
6/6 Peabody’s
6/12 Ruby’s
6/19 Left at Albuquerque
6/26 Coral Casino
7/3 Pepe’s
7/10 Cafe Luck
7/17 Creekside
7/24 Bacara
7/31 Tonic
8/7 Indochine
8/14 Rodney’s
8/21 Barra de Arcos
8/28 Los Arroyos
9/4 Brewhouse
9/11 Melting Pot
9/18 Twig Room
9/25 Downtown Brewing Company
10/2 Santa Barbara Brewing Co.
10/9 Hollister Brewing Co.
10/16 Stella Mare
10/23 Pascucci
10/30 Mai Tai Contest
11/6 Olio e Limone
11/13 Arts & Letters Cafe
11/20 Sly’s
11/27 Blush
12/4 Press Room
12/11 Palace Grill
12/18 The Nugget (Goleta)
12/25 Wine Cask
2010
1/1 Holdren’s
1/8 Pastavino
1/15 Paradise Cafe
1/22 Red’s
1/29 Overlook Cafe
2/5 Bucatini
2/12 SBIFF Cocktails
2/19 Marquee
2/26 Ming Dynasty
3/5 Marmalade Cafe
3/12 EOS
3/19 Hobnob
3/26 Study Hall
4/2 Cody’s Cafe
4/9 Union Ale
4/16 Shoreline Cafe
4/23 Tiburon
4/30 Tupelo Junction
5/7 Las Aves
5/14 Piatti
5/21 Tre Lune
5/28 Mulligan’s
6/4 Chili’s
6/11 Moby Dick
6/18 Ca’Dario
6/25 Carlito’s
7/2 Whiskey Richard’s
7/9 Dargan’s
7/16 Bay Roadhouse
7/23 California Pizza Kitchen
7/30 Rounding Third
8/6 Rounding Third
8/13 Breaktime
8/20 Trattoria Vittoria
8/27 The Willows
9/3 Root246
9/10 Maverick
9/17 The Savoy
10/1 Mel’s
10/8 Arch Rock Fish
10/15 The Mecca
10/22 Tee-Off
10/29 Roy
11/5 Old King’s Road
11/12 Monty’s Sports Bar
11/19 Montecito Country Club
11/26 Sharkeez
12/3 Chuck’s of Hawaii
12/10 Square One
12/17 Longboard’s
12/24 Marquee/Drink of the Year
2011
1/7 Old Town Tavern
1/14 Tony Ray’s
1/21 The Nugget (Carpinteria)
1/28 SBIFF Cocktails
2/11 Jill’s Place
2/18 Palimieri’s
2/24 Z’s Taphouse
3/4 Harry’s Plaza Cafe
3/11 Chase Bar & Grill
3/18 Hungry Cat
3/25 Killer B
4/1 The Biltmore
4/8 Cadiz
4/15 The Bak’Dor
4/22 Arnoldi’s
4/29 Ruth’s Chris
5/6 Sandbar
5/13 Blue Agave
5/20 Madison’s
5/27 Mimosa
6/3 Playa Azul
6/10 Cava
6/17 Cliff Room
6/24 Mesa Cafe
7/1 Milk & Honey
7/8 The Neighborhood
7/15 El Paseo
7/22 Endless Summer
7/29 El Taco Tequila
8/5 Craft Cocktail Competition
8/12 The Pub
8/19 Casablanca
8/26 Blush
9/2 Meat & Potatoes
9/9 O’Malley’s
9/16 Rudy’s
9/23 Opal
9/30 Farmer’s Market Drinks
10/7 Fishouse
10/14 The Sportsman
10/21 Brophy’s
10/28 SOhO
11/4 Lucky’s
11/11 Montecito Inn
11/18 Crocodile
11/25 Mimosa
12/2 Repeal Day
12/9 Jimboz
12/16 Eladio’s
12/23 Drink of the Week Year in Review
12/30 TBA
2012
1/6 Frank’s Hibachi
1/13 Stonehouse
1/20 Ahi
1/28 Petros
2/3 El Cielito
2/10 Mixologist Donny
2/17 Derf’s
2/24 Coast
3/2 The Pub
3/9 Red’s Cupcakes and Cocktails
3/16 Bacara
3/23 Boathouse
3/30 The Pan
4/2 Wine Cask
4/13 Pascucci
4/20 Santa Barbara Brew Co.
4/27 Elephant Bar
5/4 Joe’s Cafe
5/11 Roy
5/19 Rounding Third
5/31 Brewhouse
6/7 Sharkeez
6/14 Twig Room
6/21 Lavender Inn
6/28 Adama
7/5 Los Caporales
7/12 Suzanne’s
7/19 Cliff Room
7/26 Coast
8/2 Cadiz
8/9 China Pavilion
8/16 La Arcada
8/23 The Biltmore
8/30 Cookies and Cream Cocktail
9/6 Arch Rock Fish
9/13 La Rumba
9/20 Eureka
9/27 EOS
10/4 Trattoria
10/11 Quite a Pear Cocktail
10/19 Blue Agave (Halloween Special)
10/25 Relais du Paris
11/1 Mai Tai Contest (2nd Annual)
11/8 Killer B
11/15 Tipple of Gibraltar Cocktail
11/22 Persimmon cocktails
11/29 Cranberry Granita Cocktail
12/6 Lit Fir Cocktail
12/13 North Beach Cocktail
12/20 Sean’s Egg Nog
12/27 Bronx Beet Cocktail
2013
1/3 Rum Switchel
1/10 Roy
1/17 Anchor
1/24 Opal
1/31 Red’s
2/7 Strawberry Valentini cocktail
2/14 Danny Boy’s Choc Martini
2/21 Bourbon Room
2/28 Uptown
3/7 Gone with the Wind Cocktail
3/14 Grand Monaco Cocktail
3/21 Peeptini Cocktail
3/28 The Good Land
4/4 Bee’s Keeper Cocktail
4/11 El Presidente Cocktail
4/18 Back Country Cocktail
4/25 Barrel Manhattan Cocktail
5/2 Maggie’s Negroni
5/9 El Encanto
5/16 Toma
5/23 Bo Henry’s
5/30 Bourbon Room
6/6 Red’s Lynchburg Lemonade
6/13 Bar 7’s Desert Oasis Cocktail
6/20 Rye Grin
6/27 Sama Sama
7/4 Longboard’s
7/11 Arnoldi’s
7/18 Sly’s
7/25 Finch & Fork
8/1 Cielito
8/8 Verde
8/15 Holdren’s
8/22 The Lark
8/29 Killer Shrimp
9/5 Pepe’s
9/12 Roy
9/19 Cadiz
9/26 Scarlet Begonia
10/3 Pickle Room
10/10 The Biltmore
10/17 Nasty Strawberry Cocktail
10/24 Outback Steakhouse
10/31 Dark and Stormy Cocktail
11/7 Killer B’s
11/14 Imperial Lounge
11/28 La Arcada
12/5 Repeal Day
12/12 Breaktime
12/19 Cafe Stella
12/28 Paloma/Drink of the Week Year in Review
2014
1/2 Sly’s
1/9 Alcazar
1/16 Apero
1/23 Blue Tavern
1/30 Super Bowl Cocktails
2/6 Two of Hearts Cocktail
2/13 Amor y Amaro
2/20 Red’s Daiquiri
2/27 Bay Roadhouse
3/6 Bar 7
3/13 Dargan’s
3/20 Cafe del Sol
3/27 April Fool’s Cocktail
4/3 Frog Bar & Grill
4/10 Finch & Fork
4/17 Sama Sama
4/24 Paloma
5/1 El Jefe Cocktail
5/8 Ty Lounge
5/15 Bistro 1111
5/22 Milk & Honey
5/29 Olio Crudo Bar
6/5 Press Room
6/12 Relais de Paris
6/19 Trattoria Vittoria
6/26 Cadiz
7/3 Blind Tiger
7/10 Mesa Cafe
7/17 Palazzio
7/24 Casa Blanca
7/31 El Paseo
8/7 Roy
8/14 Benchmark
8/21 Red’s
8/28 Red’s Mai Tai
9/4 Bo Henry’s
9/11 Chase Bar & Grill
9/18 Hungry Cat