Enjoy
Beverages through time
Each section of The Interval menu is a chapter in cocktail history with a story for every drink. Variations on classics like the Martini and Daisy, pre-crafted cocktails poured from the tap, drinks from around the world, and more. Plus delicious low & no-alcohol options, fine coffee and teas, and some amazing bar snacks.
Jennifer Colliau
Beverage Director
An award-winning bartender and sought after authority on classic cocktails and contemporary mixology, Jennifer has been a bartender and bar consultant for nearly two decades in the San Francisco and LA areas. She founded Small Hand Foods to revive century-old cocktail ingredients, and now makes a line of hand-crafted bar syrups that are used by bartenders in the Bay Area and around the country.
WIRED Interview with Jennifer Colliau
Bartender's Choice
Remember video stores with "Staff Picks" areas? This section is kind of like that, except every drink is an original created by one of the exceptional bartenders at The Interval. Each of us has specific cocktail interests, and here we share our creations with you.
Pictured here: The Abejita
Navy Gimlet
high-proof gin and lime cordial, ice cold
Black Sand
blended scotch, raspberry gum syrup, orgeat and lime, over ice with cinnamon garnish
Abejita
Reposado tequila, lemon and honey, over ice with a cynar float
Rube Goldberg Variation #3
bourbon, mezcal, apricot liqueur and Cardamaro, stirred and served down
Four Ways to Play
rye whiskey, amaro and Cointreau with orange bitters, served over large ice with an orange twist
I've Grown to Love Life too Much
cognac, spiced pear, and creme de cacao
Don't Pass Me By
Coppersea Raw Rye, sherry, passion fruit, served up with a kiwi garnish
Drinking Around the World
Every culture has idiosyncratic drinks or ways of drinking that delight the locals yet remain little known to the rest of the world. Here we bring you some regional specialties that are celebrated outside our borders.
Pictured here: Ponche de Granada with Pecans
Ponche de Granada with Pecans
silver tequila aged with pomegranate juice, served room temperature with spiced pecans on the side
Szarlotka
Żubrówka and unfiltered apple juice, served tall with a slice of lemon
Mezcal, Bodega Style
Xicaru mezcal served with oranges and spicy sour tamarind salt on the side
Hacker Club
lime-infused Barbados rum with maté syrup and seltzer, served tall
Kalimotxo
red wine, Italian vermouth, Czech fernet, and bitters, served over ice with grated cinnamon
Daisies for All
The Daisy is a drink family rather than a specific cocktail, comprised of spirit, citrus, and a flavored syrup or liqueur rather than plain sugar. Historically the sweeteners were curaçao, yellow Chartreuse, raspberry syrup or grenadine (orgeat was added in 01928), and were often topped with seltzer. The quintessential example is the Margarita, the Spanish word for Daisy, with tequila, lime, and curaçao, served without seltzer.
Pictured here: Gin Daisy
Gin Daisy
gin, lemon, pineapple gum syrup, grenadine and seltzer, served tall
Twentieth Century
gin, lemon, Kina and crème de cacao, served up
Mexican Firing Squad Special
tequila, lime, grenadine, Angostura and orange bitters, served tall over crushed ice
Cameron's Kick
Irish and Scotch whiskies, orgeat and lemon, served up
Pan American Clipper
apple brandy, lime, grenadine and dashes of absinthe, served up
White Star Imperial Daisy
brandy, caraway and lemon, topped with sparkling wine
The Old Fashioned in All its Glory
The Old Fashioned is the original cocktail. Comprised of spirit, sugar, water and bitters, 200 years ago this was the civilized way to drink what was often rough, poorly distilled booze. As the story goes, once creative bartenders started serving fancier drinks and calling them cocktails, conventional drinkers asked for their whiskey "the old fashioned way" and the new moniker was born. "Fancy" and "Improved" versions call for small amounts of liqueurs or flavored syrups, but the Old Fashioned is at its heart spirit seasoned lightly.
Pictured here: Whiskey Cocktail
Decanted Mother-In-Law
bourbon, curaçao, maraschino, amer, Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters, served in an apothecary bottle
Whiskey Cocktail
bourbon, gum syrup and bitters, served on large ice with orange zest
Improved Calvados Cocktail
apple brandy with dashes of green Chartreuse, Bénédictine and bitters, on large ice with orange zest
Oaxacan Old Fashioned
tequila, mezcal, chile liqueur and chocolate bitters, served on large ice with orange zest
Baguio Skin
rum, gum syrup, lime zest and bitters, served up with freshly ground nutmeg
Wisconsin Old Fashioned
brandy, marasca cherry syrup, orange, bitters and a splash of soda, served over ice with cherries and an orange slice
Tiki Not Tiki
Tiki is an American phenomenon from the tail end of the Great Depression, when the public began to have a bit of disposable income. While not everyone could go to the South Pacific, many could go to a restaurant and enjoy tropical flavors like coconut and passion fruit and different rums blended together.
This menu celebrates what are commonly thought of as Tiki drinks, but originated far from the original tradition. Kick back and enjoy one of these tropical libations that fall outside of traditional Tiki.
Pictured here: Piña Colada
Suffering Bastard
brandy, gin, lime cordial, ginger and bitters, carbonated and served on draught
Banana Daquiri
Venezuelan rum, fresh lime, and banana liqueur, served up
Hawaiian Mai Tai
light rum, fresh pineapple juice, amaretto, lime, served over ice with a dark rum float
Hurricane
three rums, passion fruit, orange, lime, served in a goblet over ice
Piña Colada
three rums, housemade cream of coconut, fresh pineapple juice, served frozen
Chartreuse Swizzle
green Chartreuse, fresh pineapple juice, falernum, served tall over crushed ice
Temperate and Teetotaling
Imbibing is often seen as part of the bar landscape, yet there are many times when we may want to go easy on our alcohol consumption or abstain completely without missing out on the social virtues of an evening get-together. Here we provide several options for the lower-octane occasion.
Pictured here: Jamaica Cooler & Bitter Orange Old Fashioned
Temperate
Port Wine Sangaree
Port lightly adjusted with lemon and pineapple, served over crushed ice, dusting of nutmeg
Petit Rouge
Imbue Petal & Thorn and cassis, served over large ice with a lemon twist
Teetotalling
Orgeat Lemonade
fresh lemon, almond syrup and sparkling water, served tall
Jamaica Cooler
hibiscus tisane, pineapple gum syrup, lemon juice and sparkling water
Bitter Orange Old Fashioned
Chinotto, dashes of bitters and a lemon peel, served over ice
Strawberry and Meyer Lemon Shrub
Wine and Beer
Wine
Sparkling Wine
Giro Ribot Cava Brut NV
White
Domaine de la Guilloterie Chenin Blanc 02015
Didier Dauvissat Chablis 02015
Tariquet Classic Sauvignon Blanc Blend 02015
Rosé
Saint Ser Côtes de Provence 02014
Red
Becker Landgraf Pinot Noir 02014
Ducceto Chianti 02014
Pelissero Long Now Nebbiolo / Barbera 02005
Domaine Le Colombier Grenache/Syrah 02011
Beer
Draught and Bottled
Dogfish Head Midas Touch, Delaware
Fort Point Westfalia Red, San Francisco
Golden State Cider, Sebastopol
Anchor California Lager, San Francisco
Tecate, Mexico
Fieldwork Brewing IPA, Berkeley
Modern Times Coffee Stout, San Diego
Ayinger Brau-Weisse, Germany
Long Now Spirits Tasting
St. George Spirits in Alameda graciously created three spirits for The Interval; they can be seen hanging in our bottle keep above you. A donation of $1500 to The Long Now Foundation gives you your own liter of gin, bourbon or single-malt whiskey, which we will pour straight or make cocktails with for you and your guests.
Long Now Spirits Tasting
1/2 oz. each: Bristlecone Gin; Single Malt Whiskey; California Straight Bourbon
Coffee and Tea
Coffee and Tea by Heart Roasters and Song Tea
Coffee
Coffee by Heart Roasters
Single Origin Drip
Espresso
Americano
Cortado
Cappuccino
Latte
Mocha
Tea
Tea by Song Tea
Fragrant Leaf
Golden Needle
Spicy Ginger and Lemon
Holy Basil
Shan Lin Xi Winter Sprout
Dark Phoenix Shan Lin Xi
Bites
Spreads by Phoebe Foods
Served with crackers (gluten-free upon request)