Tahoe Sunrise from @1864 Tavern

It's been awhile since I've been to 1864, and as my friend was having a daiquiri, I decided to also reach a little outside my wheelhouse and try something a little...fruity.

The Cap Morgan really made this drink as boozy as possible, but the rest was like drinking out of the bottom of someone's fruit salad.  Maybe that is because the ice is slushy and the pureed strawberries just make it so hard to get to the actual liquid in the glass.

In the end I wouldn't order it again, but everyone in my party that ordered it loved it. 


The search continues!


1864 Tavern
290 California Ave, Reno, NV 89509
(775) 329-1864

Monday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Tuesday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Wednesday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Thursday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Friday	3:00 pm – 2:00 am
Saturday	3:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sunday	3:00 – 11:00 pm

Bee's Knees @1864Tavern

Yes, this is my third drink at 1864 I've reviewed.  It really is my favorite place to drink.  If KJ from Z Bar worked there I wouldn't drink anywhere else again.

Not that the bartenders aren't super awesome at 1864, they are.  While I was there with Stand Up Comedian/BFF Amanda Alvey, she told me that he was in a conversation with some other patrons saying "Caaampo or Campo? Is the food good? Then who cares??"

In fact, I actually did a stupid thing and went to the bathroom instead of writing down what was in my Bee's Knees.  Since the drink isn't listed on their online menu, I sent them a tweet asking, but it looks like they don't check it that often so I ended up sending them an email to ask. Awesomely they answered right away, and the post was saved!

Shawn emailed "The "Bee's Knees" is a classic cocktail that dates back to prohibition. It consists of Gin, Honey, and Fresh Lemon Juice.  (2oz, 3/4oz, 3/4oz ratio). Sometimes, at the customers/bartenders preference, we will sometimes substitute Elderflower water for the honey.  It gives it a slightly different sweetness, but still super good."

It was a little thin but sweet. I love that it had crushed ice, almost as much as I love their old school square cubes.  I just love a bar with different kinds of ice. It came with an elegant lemon peel garnish, so no eating for me again.

In the end it wasn't my cup of tea, but I'll always come back to 1864 Tavern.

1864 Tavern
290 California Ave, Reno, NV 89509
(775) 329-1864

Monday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Tuesday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Wednesday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Thursday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Friday	3:00 pm – 2:00 am
Saturday	3:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sunday	3:00 – 11:00 pm

Beast Post: @1864Tavern Packs Quite a Picon Punch

Neon Beast Guest Post

As a boy growing up in a small town in northern Nevada I was fortunate to share in the rich heritage of the large Basque community in the area.  It was and still is very full of great music, dance, friendships, and most important to me, food and drinks.   I did not, as a rule, engage in underage drinking of alcohol.  Everyone else around me did, but I was a rebel.  I do remember breaking that rule on three occasions.  One was a shot of Jose Cuervo at 18 when a friend was killed.  One was a Screwdriver at a party one month before I turned 21.

The last underage drink was a Picon Punch. That I had at the wedding of a Basque friend when I was 19.  It was in Winnemucca and I had gone with another friend to pick up the old Basque bartender at the Winnemucca Hotel for the wedding.  When we arrived he was making up a giant pitcher of Picon Punch for the wedding the only way he knew how: one at a time!  He would mix up a glass, then pour it into the pitcher and start the next one (which I've always found odd for something called a punch).  Eventually he finished and later that night I decided to sneak one. I immediately fell in love with it.  Strong, for sure, but still sweet and complex, it was my first real cocktail.

To this day I still enjoy them anytime I pass through Winnemucca (though sadly the old bartender has passed on and the Winnemucca Hotel is closed) or stop at a Basque restaurant.
If you don't know, the Picon Punch is the official drink of the Basque.  It was almost the official drink of the State of Nevada, but can't seem to get through the legislature. One day, I hope...

The heart of the drink is a little French apertif known as Amer Picon.  This liquor is made from some very bitter oranges soaked in alcohol, then re-distilled and flavored with such ingredients as gentiana root (apparently some king of flower), and chinchona bark (it contains quinine, both a popular ingredient for Bitters as well as a treatment for Malaria!).  Curiously, Amer Picon used to pack quite a punch at 78 proof.  However, over the last few decades it has eased up to a much more civilized, if not as much fun, 42 proof. Add grenadine and soda water, a floater of brandy, and a twist of lemon peel and you have what is still my favorite cocktail.

This brings me to the Picon Punch served at the 1864 Tavern in Reno.  At $5 (currently) it is a a great deal for one of their signature cocktails.  Each are crafted by experienced and very dapper bartenders in the traditional way to perfection.  But, what really sets this apart is the grenadine. You see most places just by the bottled stuff, which is really just corn syrup, red food coloring, preservatives, and some "flavoring".  The "flavor" is kind of fruity, though no one really knows which fruit it's supposed to be. The gurus at 1864 make their own grenadine from pure pomegranate juice (that's the fruit it's supposed to be!!!), and believe me it makes all the difference in the world.  In short, it's perfection.

While Northern Nevada is blessed with plenty of Basque bars and restaurants, I don't think you will find a better Picon Punch than 1864 Tavern's, unless maybe inside the ranch house of an 80 year old Basque shepherd.  If only they served Chorizo...

~TNB

1864 Tavern
290 California Ave, Reno, NV 89509
(775) 329-1864

Monday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Tuesday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Wednesday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Thursday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Friday	3:00 pm – 2:00 am
Saturday	3:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sunday	3:00 – 11:00 pm

Whiskey Sour and "Reno" Juice @1864Tavern

I have a confession.  I love 1864 Tavern.  It is everything I want in a bar.  Great affordable drinks, amazing decor, and it is a Nevada themed bar all the way. 

For those of you not paying attention in your Nevada History class, 1864 was the year we became a state.  You might remember because last year we had that whole 150th anniversary thing.  I heard it was fun.  I was in Las Vegas at the time, so I didn't really get to celebrate.  The only state they are in is the state of flux(or).

Back to happier things!  1864 Tavern has fuzzy wallpaper, and Nevada trivia cards at the tables, as well as board games so that you are intellectually stimulated as well having a good buzz going.  While I was there I heard people getting the trivia ghastly wrong, as well as a few people debating on how Tesla coming would impact our economical status in the city.  It was nice because the music wasn't so loud that the only thing I could hear was my companion yell "I'm soooooooooooooooooooo wasted!"  When that is all you've heard the last 10 years, it's nice to be back to a place where people have a brain in their heads.

I went a little while back after seeing Game Show Show at Good Luck Macbeth.   It stars the Utility Players, and everyone's favorite Amanda Alvey.  She is also a stand up comedian who happens to be my BFF.  If you are having trouble choosing a favorite female comedian in the next "Best of" poll, just pick her.  You'll be doing the right thing.

Although I usually go for a Picon Punch, I decided to branch out and order a Whisky Sour, as I saw they made it with real eggs.  (Don't worry, Neon Beast is covering the Picon Punch in the next post) I had a taste of someone else's when I was visiting Oakland that was so amazing, so I was looking forward to this one.

The bartender was new (to me), and it looked yummy to start.  I knew it would be my only boozy drink of the night, so it took awhile for me to start drinking it.  Maybe that was my mistake, because it was really sour.  The Neon Beast tried it and puckered up like that old Bitter Beer Commercial.  I liked it well enough, but I nursed it for a good long while because I couldn't take a lot at once.

Because I was driving, I decided to check out the juice menu for my next drink.

Since I'm not a big fan of Beets or Kale, I decided to go for a Reno.  Cucumber, Lemon, Honey, and Ginger seemed like it would be a good combination.  That turned out to be an understatement.  Though it was a little heavy on the ginger, it was seriously amazing.  All the flavors come together in a strong, but amazing way.  Sort of like how our state is strong.

It's non-alcoholic, but I'm calling it an official contender.  Strong flavors should represent our state.  The only thing that would make it better was if it had sage or pine.  We could link it up with Home Means Nevada and call it a day.

                                                                 The "Reno" Juice

1864 Tavern
290 California Ave, Reno, NV 89509
(775) 329-1864

Monday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Tuesday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Wednesday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Thursday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Friday	3:00 pm – 2:00 am
Saturday	3:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sunday	3:00 – 11:00 pm

 

Drink, Drank, Drunk.

When I graduated from UNR about 10 years ago, I decided I needed an adventure.  My brand new Husband and I packed up a large moving van and headed down to Sin City with some small savings and a lot of faith.

We did have quite an adventure there, but in the end it wasn't for us.  We missed our friends and family in Reno, as well as the culture and...tasty drinks.

You see, in Vegas it's more quantity and not quality.  You can't get a wonderfully crafted cocktail hardly anywhere in that town, and nothing for under $10.00.  I really started to miss "real" drinks.

Since moving back to Reno, my husband (The Neon Beast) and I realized that Nevada has no "official" state drink.  Unless you count Buzzfeed as a source.  Although that "Nevada cocktail" looks yummy, I think as a State we can find something even more amazing.

According to some, Picon Punch is the "unofficial" state drink of Nevada.  I'd be totally fine with that, except then the blog would be over here and now.  I'm not ready to give up just yet.  However, the Picon Punch at 1864 Tavern is both dirt cheap and the best version of the drink I've ever had.

Let the drinking begin!
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You can read about the Las Vegas adventures here.

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