Kate's Global Kitchen: Fog City Diner Drinks

Fog City Diner Drinks

You may not have eaten there, but if you watched TV circa 1998 you likely saw the credit card commercial featuring The Fog City Diner. One of San Francisco's hippest and most popular retro-restaurants, the Fog City Diner was just one of numerous successful eateries from chef Cindy Pawlcyn. You can plate up your own versions of their homey Chicken Curry Pot Pie, the spicy Soft-Shell Crab Sandwich and the buttery Buttermilk Biscuits, all recipes contained in the Fog City Diner Cookbook (Ten Speed Press).

Here's a few of Cindy Pawlcyn's most memorable thirst quenchers from the Fog City Diner Cookbook.

Fog City Diner Lemonade

Very refreshing. For a lemonade that packs a punch, add 1-1/2 ounces Stolichnaya vodka.

2 ounces fresh lemon juice
Soda water to fill glass
Simple Syrup, to taste

Combine the above ingredients and serve over ice in a 12-ounce water glass. Garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Simple Syrup:

This sugar syrup is used in several of our drinks. It keeps well refrigerated, so I often make a double batch and keep it in a bottle in the refrigerator. In Japan they use a similar syrup to sweeten chilled teas. It's a great idea because it's already dissolved and you can use less.

1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Combine the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a full rolling boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Cool before using.

Bay Breeze

Our nonalcoholic answer to the sea breeze, soon to be a San Francisco classic—and Fog City's remedy for the common cold.

4 ounces cranberry juice
4 ounces freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

Combine the ingredients and serve in a 12-ounce water glass over ice.

Vanilla Shake

This recipe is dedicated to Tyler Higgins, my partner's son. Tyler drinks 250 to 300 of these a year as he makes the rounds of our restaurants with his father. According to him, Fog City Diner's is the best!

3 scoops vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup milk

Combine the ingredients in a blender and blend. Serve in a 12-ounce glass.

Variations:

For a Chocolate Shake, use a touch less milk and blend in 1/4 cup of chocolate sauce.

For a Strawberry Shake, blend in about 3 ounces of strawberries.

For a Malted Shake,—vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry—just add 2 mounded tablespoons malt to the other ingredients before blending.

Recipes from:
Fog City Diner Cookbook
by Cindy Pawlcyn
Ten Speed Press, $21.95
Reprinted by permission

This page originally published as a Global Gourmet Today column in 1998.

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