43. W. San Salvador St., San Jose; 408.792.7356. Open daily from 5am to 2pm. Bartender Cache Bouren makes you want to drink. Not drink to get drunk, but to appreciate the art, history and science that goes into a well-crafted cocktail. Bouren and business partner Joe Gradillas own Single Barrel, a speakeasy-style bar behind (and underneath) the Agenda in what used to be the Cellar. There’s no sign outside, just a single oak barrel hung on the brick wall.
The Singe Barrel posts a chalkboard menu of just 10 classic cocktails for $10 each. Ramos fizz. English cosmopolitan. Mai tai. Gin and whisky drinks are especially well done here. Bouren’s laboriously constructed old-fashioned (made with just sugar, bitters, soda water, lemon, whiskey and one large spherical cube of ice) gives one a new appreciation for this great American cocktail.
