Thirst for Happiness: A Trip to the San Francisco Craft Spirits Carnival

by Risa Nye 

I recently attended the San Francisco Craft Spirits Carnival, which took place in one of the cavernous exhibit halls on the edge of the Bay at Fort Mason. I’ve been writing about happy hours, local bars, distilleries and cocktails for several years now, so I hoped this event would provide me with some new information about the local craft distillery scene—and the chance to “try and buy” new spirits.  Continue reading

A Solo Flight to the Hangar: St. George Spirits in Alameda

by Risa Nye

One of the few things I miss about having kids in elementary school is going on field trips. Over the years, with three kids going through school, I went to a fire station in Berkeley, the Oakland Museum of California, the zoo, the little farm at Tilden Park, Crab Cove in Alameda, and the county courthouse in Martinez, among the more memorable places. But all that is in the past—or so I thought. Last week, I decided to take a grown-up field trip on my own—to a distillery. Continue reading