This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

St. George Spirits Tasting Room Serves 'Liquid Lunch'

Venture out to a far corner of Alameda Island to try locally distilled spirits.

Today's column should really be titled “Sips Nearby,” because you won't find much in the way of solid food at the tasting room of St. George Spirits distillery, located in a former airplane hangar–Hangar One, to be precise–in Alameda.

The artisan distillers at St. George Spirits are best known for their Hangar One vodka, found on the top shelf of many Bay Area bars and restaurants. The distillery also makes whiskey, brandies, liqueurs, tequila and even recently legal again absinthe.

Despite my Russian blood, I had never really enjoyed vodka, until I tried it here. The straight vodka is as it should be: smooth and nearly tasteless, but the pride and joy of St. George are the whole fruit infusions they create with Buddha's Hand lemons, mandarin blossoms, spiced pears, raspberries and Kaffir limes.

Find out what's happening in Piedmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If you're a liquor drinker, you'll be hard pressed find anything you can't appreciate, only items that you prefer more or less. If you're more inlcined towars beer and wine, beware–as the sun sets over San Francisco, many skeptics have been seen walking out clutching their souvenir tasting glasses, completely transformed.

A regular tasting will set you back $10, but I recommend adding the extra $5 to try the Absinthe Verte at least once.

Find out what's happening in Piedmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Several times a year, Hangar One also throws parties complete with a theme, snacks, cocktail tickets, and a shuttle to BART. The smaller events have a tendency to sell out and the best way to keep up on the latest happenings as well as freshly released liquors is to subscribe to their newsletter.

Visit the tasting room at 2601 Monarch St in Alameda Wednesday through Saturday between noon and 7 p.m., and on Sunday from noon until 5 p.m. Groups of five or more require a reservation at 510-864-0635.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?