FOUR BOURBONS AND THREE SWEET VERMOUTHS ARE BARREL-AGED FOR MONTHS AND OFFERED AS A CLASSIC DRINK THAT’S TOTALLY NEW. JACK ROSE LIBATION HOUSE LOS GATOS While parking in nearby Los Gatos can be challenging, there’s plenty of car room at this out-of-the-way roadhouse between Saratoga and Los Gatos. Locals knew it as the 1904-vintage La Hacienda Inn, but now it’s a popular, intriguing spot for superb drinks that can reinvent nostalgia. For example, countless Manhattans must have been consumed here over the decades but none like those served at Jack Rose. Four bourbons and three sweet vermouths are barrel-aged for months and offered as a classic drink that’s totally new. The bar was named for the favorite cocktail of John Steinbeck, who once lived nearby. The Jack Rose packs a punch from 100- proof apple brandy blended with lemon juice and house-made 56 South Bay Accent grenadine. Evoking an early F. Scott Fitzgerald novel is The Beautiful and Damned, which combines artisan vodka, housemade pistachio syrup, walnut liqueur and lemon. Patrons can sip the bar’s carefully made drinks on the patio or in a Pinterest-like indoor area featuring eclectic decor such as animal heads, hanging paper birds, literary quotations and a miniscule “library.” For noshing, there’s a pizza oven delivering tasty pies and other drink-friendly choices like meatballs, charcuterie and baconwrapped dates. Given the middle-of-nowhere location, Jack Rose has events like Sunday rum days, beer fests and music performances to draw crowds. 18840 SARATOGA-LOS GATOS ROAD, LOS GATOS; 408/395-3500; JACKROSEBAR.COM THIS SIDE OF PARADISE
South Bay Accent - Dec 2014/Jan 2015
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