The Piso Trail Bar at Omnivore Books
For the past few weeks, I was brimming with excitement and counting the days until Tuesday’s event at Omnivore Books — a talk on the history of bitters and cocktails by Brad Parsons, author of Bitters, A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All. And though I’ve attended many fabulous events at Omnivore before, this time I was delighted to stand behind a makeshift bar to mix Pisco cocktails for the enthusiastic attendees.
A few days before the event, I stopped by Omnivore to pick up a copy of Brad’s new book, and as soon as I opened it, I looked for two of my favorite drinks: the Pisco Sour and Sazerac — “Yes! They are in his book, I am going to like this book…” And when I got home, I immediately grabbed a bottle of Pisco, Angostura bitters, Peychaud’s bitters and started to make some simple syrup on the stove top. This is going to be a blast.
Pisco Trail's Pisco Sour and Pisco Sazerac
As I stood behind the bar at Omnivore Books, I counted over 50 attendees who were enjoying listening to Brad’s stories, full of wonderful anecdotes, historical facts, and advice for the bitters and cocktail lovers in the crowd. It was a real pleasure to be there to support his event, and meet a fellow mixologist who is truly passionate about history. I was also very grateful to Omnivore books for hosting and having me there.
At the end of the evening, after serving over 80 Pisco cocktails, I saved two for the guest of honor and asked him to sign my copy of his book:
Thank you for your support and inspiration on the Pisco Trail!
Stay bitter my friend!
No, thank you coming to San Francisco to share your spirited stories with us — happy to mix a Pisco cocktail for a friend anytime!