San Francisco (Café Royal Version)

The San Francisco (Café Royal Version) is a classic gin cocktail from the late 1930s. This stirred drink is served chilled and combines equal parts sloe gin, sweet vermouth, and dry vermouth. It’s finished with a few dashes of aromatic and orange bitters and garnished with a cherry.

Rich and fruity. “It’s super delicious and super simple to make,” says Rico. “It’s super sweet. You’ve got both worlds of two different vermouths, both dry and sweet, balancing it out and you have that sloe gin.”

Little is known about the history of the San Francisco (Café Royal Version), except that it appeared in a cocktail book published in 1937 by the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild.

Made with Sloe Gin, Dry Vermouth, Sweet Vermouth, and both Orange and Aromatic Bitters, this cocktail is wonderfully complex, fruity, and aromatic.

„There is another modern version, which is more like a Tall Drink and contains Pineapple Juice,” explains Rico. „This version is more like a riff on the Blackthorn No. 1. The Black Thorn No. 1 is crafted with equal parts French Vermouth, Italian Vermouth, and Sloe Gin, along with Orange Bitters and Aromatic Bitters.

In other words, the San Francisco (Café Royal Version) is essentially the same as the Blackthorn No. 1.  with different measurements.

• Cherry pick the right cherries
  When selecting Cocktail Cherries for this drink, you might be wondering what Cherries you should use. Rico recommends using Maraschino Cherries. There’s something truly luscious and decadent about the taste of Maraschino Cherries, especially in this drink.

• Use plenty of iIce when mixing
  “You want to get as much ice as possible into your Mixing Glass,” explains Rico. “The more Ice, the colder it will be. The colder it is, the higher control of dilution of your drink, meaning you won’t get a watery drink very quickly and you can really stir it to get that perfect balance you’re looking for.”

• Chill your glassware
  Speaking of a perfectly chilled drink, Rico explains: “If you’re making these stirred down drinks, which are going to be served straight up in small glasses, one of the best things you can do is chill your glasses.”

  This is most certainly the case with this drink. Believe us, it will make all the difference to the drink experience.

• Choose your favorite gin
  If you have a favorite Sloe Gin, you should use that. After all, taste is personal and it’s your drink. In the video, you’ll see Rico uses Plymouth Sloe Gin.

Kaffe Royal Vodka

In the video on this page, you’ll see Rico make a version of the San Francisco (Café Royal Version) where he swaps Sloe Gin for Vodka. And it’s what Rico calls a Kaffe Royal. 

It follows the exact same recipe combining one part Dry Vermouth and one part Sweet Red Vermouth, but instead of Sloe Gin, it uses one part Absolut Vodka, together with the traditional Bitters and Orange Bitters.

To maintain the viscosity and the sweetness of the Liqueur in the original, he then adds a couple of Bar Spoons of Maraschino Syrup, which bring out the red fruit flavors. And it’s delicious.

“Is it a direct comparison? No. Is it a great drink? Yes,” he says. But don’t just take Rico’s word for it, try it yourself. 

Here’s the drink recipe a Kaffe Royal.

• We recommend serving the San Francisco (Café Royal Version) in a Nick & Nora Glass.

  Unsure about the different types of glassware? Read our article on the different types of glasses for cocktails.

• To garnish this drink, simply skewer a single Maraschino Cherry on a Cocktail Pick and place it then directly into your Glass. Perfectly elegant.

“Yes, you do,” answers Rico. Why? “Because it’s a Sloe Gin drink”. Sloe Gin has a sweeter, fruitier taste, which is essential to the San Francisco (Café Royal Version).

Regular or traditional Gin is distilled with Juniper Berries and other botanicals, whereas Sloe Gin is actually a Gin-based liqueur made by infusing Gin with Sloe Berries and Sugar. 

Sloe Berries, also known as Blackthorn, look very similar to Blackberries but taste very, very different. The taste can be described as tart and astringent.

Yes, you can. In fact, in the video on this page, you’ll see Rico mix a version of the drink with Vodka.