1) Hooch, Harlots & History: Vice in SF
How did moonshine, roadhouses and shady characters make San Francisco the sinful city we know and love? Join “Broke Ass” Stuart Schuffman, Duggan McDonnell and other local legends for a stroll down the seedy side of memory lane this Thursday evening (6:30 pm) at The Old Mint (88 5th St, @ Mission). The $10 ticket price ($5 for SF Museum & Historical Society Members) covers live music, docent tours of The Old Mint, rare archival footage of the “dark” side of SF, and a complimentary Pisco Sour or 21st Amendment brew. Food will be available on-site, and additional drinks can be had for a $5 donation to the San Francisco Museum & Historical Society.
2) Guinness-based Grub at Ice Cream Bar
Just in time for shamrock season, we've discovered yet another way to get our Guinness on. From Friday, March 14 through Sunday, March 17, Ice Cream Bar (815 Cole St. @ Carl) will be serving up Guinness-based ice cream, drink, and lunch specials. The Dublin Honey ($11) is what an ice cream float wants to be when it grows up. It features Guinness, caramelized honey ice cream and house Valrhona chocolate syrup, topped with a float of Graham's 10-year-old tawny port. There’s also Guinness Brown Bread Ice Cream, Potato Leek Soup, and House-Cured Corned Beef served with Roasted Potatoes, Carrots and Cabbage. Ice Cream Bar is a 1930s-style soda fountain and lunch counter that creates its own ice cream flavors and bakes its hot dog buns.
3) Brides of March Pub Crawl
Step 1: Don a white wedding dress and deliver yourself to Tunnel Top Bar (601 Bush Street) or Chelsea Place (641 Bush Street) on Saturday, March 16 at 2:30 pm. Step 2: Parade through San Francisco with 100+ faux-brides, stopping along the way to “shop” at Victoria’s Secret, Selix, and lots of bars in between. Step 3: Bring cash, as the drinking route is sure to include cash-only establishments. Started 15 years ago by the irreverent San Francisco Cacophony Society, the annual Brides of March pub crawl has been described as “...like Santacon, but with wedding dresses instead of Santa suits.”
4) Irish Bank St. Patrick’s Day Block Party
If a wedding dress feels like too much of a commitment, just show up and drink at The Irish Bank (10 Mark Lane @ Bush) St. Paddy’s Day Block Party, this Saturday and Sunday. The drinking commences at 9 am, giving you plenty of time to loosen up and put on your dancing shoes. The Shams take the stage at noon, followed by Bog Savages at three, for six full hours of traditional Irish music and Celtic rock. DJ Pat takes over at 6pm, spinning tunes until midnight. There will be a cover charge, though organizers won’t decide on the amount until the last minute. Plan for $5 -10, and bring additional cash for drinks.
5) “Green” Beer at Thirsty Bear
Think green beer is synonymous with swill? It’s time to broaden your horizons. This St. Patrick’s day, go green with organic craft beer at Thirsty Bear Brewing Company (661 Howard @ 3rd). As a Spanish-style pub, they’ll be ignoring St. Patrick’s Day altogether, in favor of their usual Sunday Evening Flamenco Show. The weekly, live performances - with singers, dancers and a guitarist - begin at 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm in the Flamenco Room. There is no cover charge, but reservations are recommended. Thirsty Bear serves Spanish-style cuisine and CCOF Certified Organic beer, brewed on premises. They also feature artisan barrel select wines on tap, as well as an impressive variety of reds by the glass and bottle.
