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<\/a>San Diego has seen the rise of handcrafted drinks make success stories out of places like Craft and Commerce and The Lion\u2019s Share. Sycamore Den isn\u2019t reinventing the wheel by offering high-quality craft cocktails, but they are taking careful consideration in giving it their own flavor (pun intended). Handcrafted syrups, juices fresh-squeezed daily and talented mixers behind the bar have made the spot a quick favorite for those that have discovered it.<\/p>\n
Co-owner and cocktail curator Eric Johnson \u2014 who was recently named one of America\u2019s 25 Best Bartenders by TheDailyMeal.com \u2014 enjoys mixing up the menu with seasonal changes in fall and spring.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe stick to basic ingredients but we do everything fresh,\u201d Johnson said, adding that his prep guy already spends two hours a day preparing cocktail ingredients. \u201cI don\u2019t want to get too crazy and make that four hours [laughs].\u201d<\/p>\n
One upcoming cocktail will have extra local appeal due to a collaboration with Dark Horse Coffee, also located on Adams Avenue. The coffee house has created a coffee syrup which Johnson and company will be blending with a Jamaican rum, sweet vermouth and whiskey bitters for a Manhattan knockoff they hope to debut on a new menu around the end of the month.<\/p>\n
While the cocktails put The Den on the map, there\u2019s now a new reason to wander down Adams for a stiff drink: live music. The bar has a \u201870s-style hunting lodge motif and its multi-level seating gives patrons their choice of being intimate or social; the plan is for the music to add to this ambiance.<\/p>\n
Tucked into one corner is a refurbished player piano made in 1905, which, by all accounts, works beautifully. On Thursday and Sunday nights, bands set up shop in front of the vintage instrument.<\/p>\n
For the most part the bands booked are in the folk and mellow rock vein of things, but that\u2019s not to say other types of bands won\u2019t be welcome. Kelsey Breunig, the Den\u2019s exclusive live entertainment booker, was brought on board after success with many great venues including Bar Eleven and The Void, and is the guiding hand in Sycamore\u2019s music events.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Breunig] was probably the first person I think we were able to give creative control to outside of our group,\u201d co-owner Nick Zanoni said. \u201cSo far she has completely nailed it \u2014 great music, great crowds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zanoni said he was nervous about what the added element of live performances might do for business.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou put so much in to this business and this is definitely an artistic expression,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe really try to set the atmosphere \u2014 it\u2019s lighting, it\u2019s smell, it\u2019s taste \u2026 what you hear is one of your senses and if that\u2019s something I\u2019m not controlling at this point \u2014 it takes a lot to let go of that. That could change everything. But the response has been really good.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo far, everything seems to be going great,\u201d Breunig reported. \u201cI have heard nothing but good feedback. My plan is to just add to what Sycamore Den has become to Normal Heights. I love working with bands and I love to help people to have fun, and that is what I will keep doing, all while keeping the venue and its creators in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shelbi Bennett of Creature and the Woods and The Midnight Pine (playing at the Den on March 16 and 20, respectively) is among the local musicians excited to see a new location entering into the scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m really excited that there is an up-and-coming venue in Normal Heights,\u201d Bennett said. \u201cSycamore Den has a great atmosphere, and I like both playing there and just coming to watch or grabbing a drink. So many great acts are lined up, it seems like it happened over night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Creature and the Woods will share the bill with Erik Canzona, best known as the front man for local alternative rock mainstay The Heavy Guilt. Canzona also played the Den last month and is looking forward to coming back for another solo performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s about time Normal Heights stepped it up in the live music department!\u201d Canzona exclaimed. \u201cThe room has a cool \u2018Twin Peaks\u2019 vibe to it. The piano is also a nice touch. In tune and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sycamore Den plans to stick with the current music schedule with live bands at 9 p.m. on Thursday and Sundays. Members of the Euphoria Brass Band warm up crowds from 5 to 7 p.m. on the first and third Sundays. Mondays and Wednesdays feature DJ sets which Zanoni assured is more ambient than dance oriented.<\/p>\n