RECENT RESEARCH — A newly unearthed photograph showing the north side of the 600 block of Commercial Street, San Francisco, in the aftermath of the earthquake and fires of 1906 reveals, for the first time, visual evidence of the fate of the building that housed the Eureka Lodgings, where Emperor Norton lived from 1864–65 until his death in 1880. Our analysis of the photo sharpens the focus on the identities and locations of the buildings along this stretch — and exactly what each building suffered in 1906. Includes our highly researched new infographic that can be used as a tool for understanding the history of this location.

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What's a Boothby?

December 06, 2013  /  John Lumea

Much as we'd love to be able to take care of all of your bar tabs on Sunday afternoon (RSVP here), it will be a cash bar. We're getting the space — at the fabulously restored House of Shields (1908) — for free. But drinks will be on all of our dimes!

The official drink for The Tannenbaum Toast is The House of Shields's version of the classic Boothby cocktail — created in 1908 by legendary San Francisco bartender William T. "Cocktail" Boothby, during his tenure at the Palace Hotel, just across the street from The House of Shields.

The Boothby essentially is a tweaked Manhattan — whiskey (or rye), sweet vermouth and bitters (but with the vermouth a little higher in the mix than in a Manhattan) — with the added festive fizz of Champagne or sparkler, garnished with a brandied cherry.

They'll go for $10 on Sunday.

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