22 distiller
demic with canned cocktails, takeout and outdoor din-
ing, their marriage of accessible yet interesting cocktails
confirms their appeal to cocktail geeks and the layperson
(case in point: Rangpur More mixes local Sipsong Gin,
Rangpur lime shrub, pink peppercorn, saffron, lime,
house tonic). We have no doubt their more upscale bar
Burdock will be as special as Duke's. drinkatdukes.com
Fern Bar, Sebastopol
Fern Bar may be the most beautiful bar in Sonoma
County, so it's a shame when outdoor is the only option
given the bar's airy, fern-heavy vibe. And yes, in tribute
to the classic fern bars of the '70s–'80s, they are peppered
with Tiffany lamps, velvet antique couches and chairs.
Being situated in Sebastopol's hip e Barlow area, they
have ample outdoor seating. Opened by the crew behind
the town's long-beloved Lowell's and newer Handline
restaurants, Fern Bar is heavy on gourmet comfort food
(fried chicken), with half the menu vegetarian (mush-
room-centric posole). House-made beer and spirit-free
elixirs are on offer alongside small-production wines.
Cocktails like Salt Point (brown butter-infused bour-
bon, hemp seed orgeat, CA Grand Poppy Amaro, Alley
6 Candy Cap bitters, acid-adjusted orange juice, salt) are
both interesting and quaffable. fernbar.com
Barber Lee Spirits, Petaluma
Lorraine and Michael Barber launched their wines in
2007, then a wine tasting room, Barber Cellars (barber-
cellars.com), and in 2019, a distillery, Barber Lee Spirits,
on the same block in downtown Petaluma. eir wines
are organic and natural, while Michael's Southern roots
come through in his love of bourbon and rye, both
done well here (although I'm particularly partial to their
absinthe). Partnering with SF's Aaron Lee in 2017, they
opened their distillery in a lofty, historic 1910 warehouse.
It houses a charming bar serving cocktails featuring their
spirits and local bitters. Here's to the bar reopening. In
the meantime, you can order the spirits to sip neat and/
or make cocktails with at home. barberleespirits.com
Mario & John's, Petaluma
Mario & John's has been the standout whiskey and
spirits collection in the southern part of the county (up
north in Healdsburg, Duke's has a 500+ spirits collec-
tion). e chill bar has been going strong since 1946,
while Nick Diego and Micah Porter took it over in 2013,
radically stepping up the cocktails, beers-on-draft and
spirits selection, with over 600 spirits, a good 400 of
them whiskeys. During pandemic, they gave the bar a
bit of a facelift and paid employees from March through
[ is page ] Above — Barber Lee Spirits, Petaluma, Manhattan cocktail
Top right — Fern Bar Sebastopol, Creamsicle cocktail with Lemon Love Affair
tea-infused vodka, Amaro Angelino, mandarin, orange, passionfruit, lime, egg
white, Cava
[ Opposite page ] Top — Fern Bar, Sebastopol, pre-pandemic indoors
Bottom— Barber Lee Spirits tasting room at their Petaluma distillery
