Vodka, mango shrub, Italicus, Cynar & tonic — Tiya SF
North Beach is San Francisco's Italian neighborhood — Vesuvio, City Lights, the home of the Beats. Tiya's cocktail pays tribute with Italicus (the bergamot liqueur from Italy's Calabria coast, bergamot being the citrus that gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive flavour) and Cynar (Italian artichoke-based amaro). But the mango shrub is the Indian element: shrub (drinking vinegar mixed with fruit and sugar) is an ancient South Asian preservation technique — kancha aam (raw mango) shrub is a traditional Indian summer drink. Tonic ties it together. A long drink, lightly bitter, with tropical depth.
Mango shrub is one of the most versatile Indian bar ingredients — make a large batch and use it in water, cocktails, and mocktails. Raw (green) mango shrub is more tart and savoury; ripe mango shrub is sweeter. Cynar is a 16.5% ABV artichoke-based amaro — its bitterness is essential here. Italicus is available at most specialty bottle shops.
Use gin instead of vodka for a more botanical, complex highball.
Tiya takes the intersecting immigrant histories of San Francisco's Japanese and Indian communities and distils them into a cocktail menu. Each drink is named after a San Francisco neighborhood, building a portrait of the city through layered flavour — yuzu meets curry leaf, matcha meets chai, Calpico meets tamarind. A genuinely original vision in American craft bartending.
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