The birds (and especially) the bees have officially taken over CLIFT San Francisco this March, with events and launches as fresh and colorful as the season. From the debut of the Bee Sanctuary and Cocktail Herb Garden to the launch of a Spring-themed Decompression Hour menu, CLIFT Hotel ushers in the Spring season with green and open arms.
In 2015, CLIFT welcomed ten queens and 100,000 bees to their new rooftop “suites.” Local bee keeper Roger Garrison positioned the box hives to mimic the city grid below, in representation of the tiny SF metropolis of miniature sky scrapers, with the gold dome of City Hall peeking out from behind the hives. Today, the CLIFT honey bee population has reached 800,000 and annual production of up to 70 pounds per hive of delicious, local honey is expected by Summer 2016. Harvested honey will be used creatively by CLIFT’s Executive Chef, Thomas Weibull. He’ll add the bounty to menu items in the Redwood Room, to room service dishes, and to the breakfast menu and banquets. Some honey will be packaged as gifts. Some will be donated to local medical centers in need of local honey. At CLIFT, it’s all about the circle of life.
Many hotels and restaurants grow their own herbs, but few, if any, have a dedicated “cocktail herb garden” like CLIFT’s. Located in the hotel courtyard on the second floor, CLIFT has curated a garden of all-organic herbs and citrus trees with cocktails and mixology in mind. As part of their commitment to sustainability, no fertilizers or pesticides are permitted. The plants are cared for regularly by CLIFT Director of Food & Beverage Nijad Fares and Chef Thomas. CLIFT mixologist Tony Kim and his team at Redwood Room have already begun to infuse local spirits such as No. 209 Gin with home grown herbs, flowers, lemons and limes. The organic herbs will also be incorporated into select menu items by Chef Thomas.
The Honeybee initiative was implemented at CLIFT to demonstrate leadership in sustainability and to share best practices and creative ecofriendly ideas, and is part of the “Urban Bee and Herb Garden Project,” an enterprise to set up bee hives and herb gardens at ten San Francisco hotels. Garrison has led the installation and maintenance of the hives, alongside Recology (the local San Francisco recycling company), who support the herb gardens with planting advice and free local organic compost.
In late March 2016, the CLIFT’s elegant yet modern Redwood Room will debut a new Spring Menu for Decompression Hour (CLIFT’s take on the traditional Happy Hour). Sip on one of the newly created signature cocktails featuring CLIFT’s own herbs and honey while nibbling on delicious bites. Select beers and wines are $6 to $8 during this magic time of day – including house-made red and white sangrias, and select food items start at $6. Reservations for the Decompression Hour are not required. Monday through Thursday, 5-7PM. https://www.morganshotelgroup.
And last but not least in March –
Spring is a time for new beginnings, and at CLIFT they’ve cooked up a potion in their labs that helps love bloom on the first Tuesday of the month, with CLIFT’s new Chemistry Happy Hour, an event designed specifically for singles. Each month there will be an activity to keep attendees engaged, so they can mingle stress free. Go analog and meet someone special the old-fashioned way…in a bar. Tuesday, March 8th, 2016, 5-7PM. http://backofhouse.