The Bay Area has no shortage of excellent destinations for sipping the spirits the great George Bernard Shaw called “liquid sunshine.” We’re speaking of whiskey, of course — or whisky, depending on where the spirit hails from. The “e”-less version is made in Scotland, Canada or Japan.
Here are three great whiskey bars to try in Walnut Creek, Oakland and Sunnyvale.
Hops & Scotch, Walnut Creek
When there are 16 different old fashioned cocktails and more than 350 whiskeys on the menu, a bartender’s help is recommended.
The entire vibe at Hops & Scotch is friendly and welcoming, with a large patio warmed by heaters and string lights, and a board game shelf that can trick you into believing this is a casual hangout for college kids and visitors to the nearby hotels.
What it really is, though, is a deep dive into the world of brown liquor, with secret passageways throughout that extensive menu. More than 50 rotating beers are on tap, too.
During a recent visit, the bartender pulled out a bottle of Weller, the first bourbon to use wheat instead of rye a century ago. Made by Buffalo Trace, which also produces Pappy Van Winkle, Weller and Pappy are said to use the same recipe, with Weller seen as the more affordable, less complex version of Pappy. But while Weller’s retail value is only about $25, its rarity has led to high markups online and a cult-like reputation that has fans scarfing up bottles whenever they can.
What to drink: At Hops & Scotch, the Weller Special Reserve makes a subtle appearance in the Larue Old Fashioned ($16). Paired with elderflower, sugar and bitters and finished with a sweet cherry and orange peel, this drink is so smooth it’s hard to remember it’s alcoholic.
A Larue Old Fashioned ($16) at Hops & Scotch in Walnut Creek. (Jason Mastrodonato/Bay Area News Group)
While an old fashioned is often served with higher-proof spirits, so it can be sipped slowly over ice, Weller Special Reserve checks in at a modest 90 proof. It’s sweet, with notes of caramel, butterscotch and oak, and smooth with a honeysuckle finish.
The bar’s house cocktails are all named after ’90s TV shows. A nearby customer was dazzled by the “F.R.I.E.N.D.S.” ($16), which features Buffalo Trace, Laphroaig Select and Old Forester Rye with an herbal syrup of rosemary, thyme and sage, finished with a big twig of rosemary seared by a flame. The smoke swirled into the air, leaving a beautiful aroma.
What to eat: Hops & Scotch also has sneaky-good food. Look for flatbreads, salads and a sandwich rotation that includes a very good smoked brisket sandwich ($16).
Details: Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. at 7001 Sunne Lane in Walnut Creek; hnsbar.com.
Bar Shiru, Oakland
This hot spot is a hi-fi listening bar, a concept popular in Tokyo, we’re told. Owners Shirin Raza and Daniel Gahr take honoring the groove seriously, playing great vinyl records – often jazz and soul – in their entirety. A turntable booth is situated like a shrine behind glass and black curtains, more than 75 acoustic panels line the walls, and patrons are encouraged not to talk above the volume of the music. (Though on busy nights, few seem to care.)
Bar Shiru is a hi-fi listening bar with Japanese themes and whisky in downtown Oakland. (Courtesy Daniel Gahr)
What’s another thing Japan loves and does extremely well? Whisky, of course. The menu features domestic and international spirits as well as widely sought-after Japanese single malts that can be extremely hard to find nowadays. You can order them neat – though if you ask for ice, they won’t shrug – or get them mixed into refreshing highballs. The darkly lit, classy-but-hip bar interior is well suited for appreciating these tipples. Take a seat, pick something intriguing to drink and settle in to expand your audio horizons with an incredible record. On a recent night, it was “Enter The 37th Chamber” by the El Michels Affair, a retro-funk outfit from Brooklyn who works with the Wu-Tang Clan.
Be sure to check the website for special musical events, including a series featuring Bay Area creatives who spin records for an entire night. Recent participants include Geoff Davis, chef-owner of Oakland soul-food restaurant Burdell, and DJ Umami, the house DJ for the San Francisco Giants.
Bar Shiru is a hi-fi listening bar with Japanese themes and whisky in downtown Oakland. (Daniel Gahr)
What to drink: The majority of the whiskys are Japanese, ranging from $11 per glass for Toki to $125 for Yamazaki 18. There are also selections from Scotland, Ireland and the U.S., plus mezcal, tequila, cognac and absinthe. If you don’t want to shred your wallet, try something middle-range but intriguing, like a Kanosuke Single Malt made in the volcanic city of Kagoshima in charred oak casks used for aging shochu – it’s a punch of smokiness and fruit notes like citrus cake and banana.
If you’ve never had a Japanese highball ($12) before, now’s your chance. They’re mixed with diamond ice and fresh fruit for potent but light-tasting sipping. Cocktail lovers have a small but interesting selection to choose from, like High Heel Sneakers ($16) with fernet, Earl Grey gomme and ginger shrub or a Freezer Martini ($14) with Fords Gin and shio koji. There’s local beer, wine and sake – including Oakland’s own Den Sake – and very good zeroproof cocktails ($12) that incorporate fresh citrus and boutique bitters.
Bar Shiru is a hi-fi listening bar with Japanese themes and whisky in downtown Oakland. (Courtesy Daniel Gahr)
Eat: There’s no kitchen here, but given that you’re in Oakland – recently named the No. 1 food city in the U.S. by Conde Nast Traveler – a good bite isn’t hard to find nearby. Go with the Japanese theme at Itani Ramen or Yonsei Handrolls.
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Details: Open from 5 to 11 p.m. or later Monday-Saturday at 1611 Telegraph Ave., Oakland; barshiru.com.
Nokori, Sunnyvale
Bartender Alfredo Velazquez pours a shot of Yamazaki Japanese whisky at the Nokori Japanese Whisky Bar inside Sunnyvale’s Tetra Hotel. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Step inside the elegant yet restrained lobby of Sunnyvale’s TETRA Hotel on a Saturday night, and you might wonder where the people are. Turns out, it’s a buzzier destination on weeknights at this hotel nestled amidst Silicon Valley’s corporate campuses. But our weekend timing made it easy to get a seat at Nokori, which specializes in Japanese whisky highballs and cocktails. The bar uses a special soda machine to pair the whisky in the highballs with super-fresh bubbles and impressive bars of ice to keep each drink refreshing from first to last sip.
What to drink: While the bar specializes in highballs with Japanese whisky — the straightforward classic highball ($15) made with Suntory Toki and soda water hits the spot — they do more involved cocktails, too. The Yuzu Old Fashioned ($17), made with Suntory Toki Japanese whisky, yuzu marmalade and bitters was a hit, as was the East Meets West ($18) made with Legent bourbon — a Kentucky bourbon with Japanese finish— blended with matcha honey, lemon, mint, ginger ale.
The Grilled Lobster Sando served at the Nokori Japanese Whisky Bar inside Sunnyvale’s Tetra Hotel is accompanied by a miso aioli. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
What to eat: The Japan-inspired bar bites range from furikake-dusted fries ($11) to torched Hokkaido scallops ($25) and a grilled lobster sando ($24) served atop milk bread with miso aioli. And the crispy, late-night karaage-style fried chicken has a following.
Details: Open from 3 p.m. to midnight daily at the TETRA Hotel, 400 W. Java Drive, Sunnyvale; tetrahotelsv.com/dining/nokori/.
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