Fern Bar Opens in Sebastopol with Michelin-Approved Cocktails | Eater SF

"Opened yesterday in Sebastopol’s outdoor marketplace The Barlow, I found the new wine-country cocktail destination to center on cocktails from Sam Levy, formerly bar manager at the three-Michelin-starred Restaurant at Meadowood. Levy says, "I always want people to feel comfortable and have drinks that taste really good with housemade ingredients," and his preference for twists on classics with recognizable ingredients, great balance, a refreshing, refined quality, and a bit more acidity is evident in drinks like the Hot Blooded (tequila, mezcal, jalapeño-blood orange cordial, lime, egg white), a classic sour elevated by a housemade cordial and finished with dehydrated blood orange. Other intriguing cocktails include Whiskey for Breakfast (brown butter bourbon, lemon, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup) and Grandpa’s Coffee (whiskey infused with coffee, walnut liqueur, amaro, orange bitters), while bar manager Alec Vlastnik’s apple-cider Moscow Mule—made with local apple cider infused with rosemary and housemade ginger beer, with the rosemary charred by torch before service—adds a savory, incense-like aroma. Nonalcoholic options are similarly creative (for example, the Spirited Away with makrut lime, matcha, and lemongrass-galangal syrup), many using Seedlip in collaboration with partner Gia Baiocchi of The Nectary. The space, designed to evoke a conservatory, features hanging greenery, fern-printed wallpaper, vintage knickknacks, a marble-topped bar, tufted leather banquettes, and macramé accents, with live jazz or Americana filling the main dining room; chef-owner Joe Zobel’s shareable small plates—chicken liver mousse with squash, apple cider, and pistachio; a sopaipilla stuffed with rabbit, chile, and cotija; and ancient grains with mandarins and trumpets—rely largely on produce from the owners’ nearby Two Belly Acre farm. Hours are Thursday through Monday from 4 p.m. to midnight." - Janelle Bitker