JAMES BEARD AWARD-WINNING BAR AGRICOLE IS POPPING UP INSIDE THREE-MICHELIN-STARRED QUINCE

Starting later this month, San Francisco diners will be able to get a drink from one of the city’s best bars inside one of the city’s top restaurants. Bar Agricole, the James Beard award-winning cocktail bar, will be mixing cocktails and pouring spirits inside Quince, the three-Michelin-starred fine dining destination from owners Michael and Lindsay Tusk. The bar’s residency will run about two or three months, according to a spokesperson, while Bar Agricole owner Thad Vogler works on relocating the bar from its former SoMa location to its future home in the Mission.

Veteran bartender Craig Lane will be behind the stick at the Quince bar — which, by the way, features a top-of-the-line system designed and built by Norwegian manufacturer Behind Bars — shaking and stirring a menu of about a half dozen cocktails he created with Vogler. The list includes versions of classic drinks all made to showcase the single-origin spirits procured and sold by Bar Agricole. The martini, for example, uses Bar Agricole’s biodynamic gin made by St. George plus Alpine amaro and chenin blanc; the Scotch sour stars Kilchoman 100% Islay Malt Scotch with orange and honey. For tequila fans, a daisy cocktail features Destilado de Verde, an agave spirit by Rezpiral, alongside seasonal fruit — namely, lemon and blackberry. All of the Bar Agricole single-origin spirits will also be available by the ounce to sip on-site or the bottle to take home.

And it’s not just drinks on the table. Chef Michael Tusk will also roll out a tweaked a la carte menu to pair with the Bar Agricole cocktails. The restaurant, which reopened after an extended closure and renovation in late 2023, introduced a limited a la carte menu in the Salon (the restaurant’s bar space). Now, they’re holding some of the Salon tables for walk-in diners, so even if you haven’t planned ahead, you can stop in for a plate of spaghetti with yuzu vodka and caviar and a Hawaiian cocktail made with Lemorton Reserve Calvados, lime, pineapple, and Chartreuse.

It was Lindsay Tusk who approached Vogler about a partnership after hearing about the upcoming Bar Agricole move. But the couple and the cocktail master have had a longstanding relationship built, in part, over their shared appreciation for meticulous sourcing and highlighting California-grown ingredients. As in the kitchen, Vogler and Lane will be using produce from Fresh Run Farm in Bolinas — keep an eye out for some of the first-of-the-season strawberries hitting both the food and beverage menus soon.

Bar Agricole’s residency at Quince (470 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco) begins April 23.

2024-04-18T21:05:44Z dg43tfdfdgfd