Third Rail Bar Dogpatch Jeff Lyon Phil West | Tasting Table San Francisco
At Third Rail, when you're drinking is just as important as what you're drinking
Hot toddies aren't the only cold-weather drink.
At Third Rail, which opened in Dogpatch a month ago, Range owner Phil West and Jeff Lyon, the restaurant's former bar manager, have put a "Seasonal" section on their cocktail list that is as wintry as San Francisco gets.
These aren't the elaborate, fruity drinks of five years ago garnished with a million leaves. They're cocktails with produce-market origins and enough twists (figuratively speaking, of course) to keep every sip interesting.
Take the Envy ($10), tinted the color of puréed kiwi: Lyon shades in the fruit's pretty aromas with the softly bitter bite of tonic water and plenty of herbaceousness courtesy of gin and fresh tarragon.
Lyon says he leans on West's cooking experience to come up with drinks. "I asked Phil what would pair with pomegranate, and he thought for a few seconds and told me white pepper and thyme." Hence, the vodka-based Sweet Thang ($10).
Our favorite may be the Harvest Moon ($10), silver tequila and lime given a subtle sweetness with puréed Asian pear and a bright absinthe anise note.
You have just a few months to try it before the season changes.