Smoked glass bottles of vodka lined the shelf in a bar. The window behind lent a ghostly glow to the display.

Remains of a night before discarded on the bricks of the Folger's Building. Trapped inside that bottle were experiences never thereafter remembered.

A Cosmo, she knew, that must be sipped slowly. Not because it stung or burned, but because that one drink was special and needed to be savored.

That day only, she said a prayer before drinking. Not because she thought drink was a sin, but to hope for a better life in spite of the need to drink.

Wine is not considered a hard drink, but modern wines can have an alcoholic content of up to 13% or 26 proof.

Vodka with cranberry juice is one of two variations on the screwdriver (vodka with orange juice). The other is vodka with grapefruit juice. Lessor known for good reason are vodka with Red Bull and vodka with milk.

A Christmas toast was made on the bay cruise. The annual Christmas party took place on a Hornblower bay cruise.

The brandy passed out before reaching coffee. Or the coffee fled in fear of the brandy.

This Blue Agave tequila drink was mixed right at the table. The content of the mixing jar was then poured into the glass and the remainder left at the table.

A Cosmo in a conical glass was served on the 4th of July Hornblower Cruise. The cruise concluded with a closeup view of the fireworks.

An empty bottle of Cointreau and a pile of discarded manuals were found on the sidewalk on Chestnut Street. It appeared to be the end result of a thief's adventure.

One aspect of Litquake was to visit bars to hear writers speak. The speakers that night were from SFgate and were terrific.

Happy hour at DiMaggio's serves great appetizers such as Baked Cambozola Cheese for a mere $US 5.00. They also serve special cocktails such as this Flame Of Love Martini, also for a mere five bucks.