Healdsburg is a beautiful part of the wine country 90 minutes north of San Francisco. It has a quintessential town-square surrounded by cafes, bakeries, artisanal ice cream, boutiques, tasting rooms, 4-star hotels, and many great restaurants, and one of the very best craft-cocktail bars in the Greater Bay Area!
Spoonbar is a bar and restaurant on the street level of the H2 Hotel - an eco-friendly boutique hotel. Spoonbar is a great place to go after a day of wine tastings when your teeth are purple and you can't discern the differences between a Zinfandel and a Syrah. The bar is wide open to the street on one side and thus well lit, airy and a great place to relax, re-hydrate on water (hint hint) and settle into a perfectly crafted and unique cocktail at the very fair average price of $10, I might add! Upon sitting at the bar you will notice the high walled bar back packed full of amazing booze and you will be hard-pressed to find many overly commercial or corporate brands here! You might also then notice in front of you a variety of bottles and jars full of house made syrups, bitters, elixirs, and shrubs; and speaking of shrubs, take note of the pint glasses at the end of the bar overflowing with stalks of fresh herbs and edible flowers, all waiting to make their way into your cocktail. Their cocktail menu is great and varied from a selection of Shrubs, to cocktails on tap, to classic twists and original cocktails. I chatted with the bartender, Carl, and let him know one big reason I love their bar is that they are always doing something new and unique. I explained I wanted something spirit forward yet refreshing so he directed me towards the Flor de Peru (Encanto Acholado Pisco, Pür Elderflower Liqueur, Verbena + Vietnamese Coriander Infused Carpano Bianco). Carl explained that he adds a little bit of lactic acid to give the drink a bit of a "mouth feel" to it, otherwise it would be utterly too subtle. This cocktail was spot-on for my needs of the moment: very refreshing, yet all spirits without being overpowering. It was delicate without lacking complexity. As I sipped this, I was joined by some tourists from England, one of whom ordered a Dark 'n' Stormy, which is made with Spoonbar's own ginger beer. Carl explained that they macerate pounds of fresh ginger into a juice, and then let it ferment for a couple of days and that their ginger beer has quite a spice to it, which was confirmed by Schweppes's-drinking British drinking friends! Todd then asked if I would be interested in trying one of his own new creations that was not on the menu. It is called the Saving Grace (Knob Creek bourbon, St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur, Dimmi, and Angostura bitters). Dimmi is an Italian wheat-based liqueur that is infused with a rustic recipe from 1932 including assenzio gentile, an Italian absinthe. This infusion also includes nuances of licorice, vanilla, rhubarb, ginseng, and bitter orange (orange peels). Dimmi also includes a second, more modern floral infusion. This infusion adds an essence of peach and apricot flower blossoms and young Nebbiolo grappa. This is a beautiful cocktail and it was surprisingly fruity along with being very full bodied. Carl explained that he created it as a way to introduce women to Bourbon, who typically say they don't drink it because its too strong, but I can see the Saving Grace as a successful introduction to Bourbon, and as a Bourbon-drinking man, I would have this cocktail again any time!
Whatever you do, if you are within 5 miles of Spoonbar, be sure to make time to enjoy one of their many incredible cocktails. read more