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A writer, working towards his MFA at the University of San Francisco, Duggan McDonnell puts as much, if not more, creative energy into bartending. Concocting drinks such as the Farmer’s Market Sangria with Frog Hollow Farm peach-infused brandy, rosé wine, with calvados and fresh juices, has impressed many patrons at the newly opened Cantina at 580 Sutter Street in San Francisco. |
A fourth generation Californian raised in nearby San Jose, when McDonnell was finishing his undergraduate work at Seattle Pacific University, he figured owning a bar would be “glamorous and afford me time to write.” This dream of youth set McDonnell on a course to take a position as Barback at the Wild Ginger in Seattle. After two years, McDonnell returned to the Bay Area, and has since worked at such venues as Mecca, Frisson, and Absinthe. Lately, McDonnell splits his time bartending and managing Cantina, already touted as one of the best new cocktail bars of 2007. He still finds time to carry on with his MFA studies, as well as contribute to SOMA, CHOW.com, and Imbibe Magazines as a beverage writer.
McDonnell describes himself as “a bartender who simply knows a bit more than your Average Joe.” His favorite drink to make is whatever the guest wants. “I’m a pleaser; and always I like people to try something new.” Gone are the days when McDonnell would whip himself up a “crappy, half-assed Long Island Iced Tea with Lipton and coconut rum.” Today, McDonnell keeps his cocktails balanced, bright, and not overtly boozy. “I don’t believe that men and women crave certain flavors indicative of their gender—I design cocktails for the tranny palate!”
You can find McDonnell behind-the-stick at Cantina more than a few nights of the week. Behind the wooden door and Caribbean shutters lies a funky, Latin-themed establishment with a focus on libations with a Mediterranean-derived influence. McDonnell says, “Cocktails are about excitement. They are about mystery and celebration.” We couldn’t agree more.
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Blackberry & Basil Cooler
2 oz. Square One Organic Vodka
1 organic lemon, juiced
3 organic basil leaves, muddled
3 organic blackberries, muddled
1 barspoon organic agave nectar
2 dashes orange bitters
Muddle herbs and berries in a cocktail shaker. Next, pour in remaining ingredients and add ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a highball glass with ice, adding a splash of ginger beer as you pour. Garnish with an orange peel squeezed over and dropped alongside the interior of the glass.
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