Tipsy Pig, Nevermind the pigs, with thirst quenchers like the Pickwick Julep (rye whiskey, grapefruit, mint, gomme syrup), we’re ready to get downright tipsy. That’s where we met up with bartender Ellie Fitzgerald, who interestingly enough, is in no way named for the famous singer named Ella. When she’s not behind the bar, she’s often on a road trip with her fiancé, where she’s as likely to keep crafting cocktails on the open road as she is on a shift. On their last trek, she whipped together impromptu golden raspberry vodka lemonades. We wondered if this was when her beau decided to pop the question. “No, but I think that’s when he fell in love with me.” Lucky guy. We fell in love at Rhubarb Collins and Blueberry Gin Fizz. 2231 Chestnut St., San Francisco; (415) 292-2300, www.tipsypigsf.com
Where are you from originally? Originally, I’m from Belgium. I moved over to the States when I was 11. We moved to the East Bay, then I moved to Northern California for a little while in high school. And then I moved to Santa Barbara for college and went to [University of Santa Barbara] and studied political science.
If you’re going to order a cocktail, what will it be? I’m always a beer and wine girl, and maybe with some shots of tequila, but I found a liking for just fresh-juice cocktails. So anytime I can find a cocktail that they use fresh juice in, from a Greyhound to a margarita, if it’s fresh juice, I’m interested. I can like anything that’s made with real fresh produce.
So your name, amazingly enough, is Ellie Fitzgerald. We have to ask, do you sing? No, not at all. Just by myself. My nickname is Ellie, I’ve been called it my whole life. And it just happens to be that my last name is Fitzgerald. I don’t know where the reference came from. Since I was born in Belgium, my first name is French, and my grandma couldn’t pronounce it, so they always called me Ellie.
We understand there’s an interesting story behind the name Tipsy Pig. It’s a neat story. Apple farmers in England, to help clean up their orchards and also to sweeten up their pork, they let the pigs roam around and eat rotten apples that have fallen off the tree. A lot of the time these apples have started to ferment as any fruit with sugar usually does after a little while, like wine. So the pigs get a little drunk from the apples sometimes and they tip over. And so the farmer would call them the tipsy pigs.
Has anyone that you’ve served at the bar tipped over yet? I will be honest that I’ve seen a couple people tip off the bar stool.
What neighborhood do you live in? Russian Hill.
If you were to create a cocktail that best characterized that neighborhood, what would it entail? Well, I guess I’d want something colorful because I’ve seen the wild parrots. There’s something we actually have on the menu now … a Rhubarb Collins, where I made a rhubarb syrup, so it adds this light pink, orangey tint to it. And it’s served tall, like the hill. So probably something like that: A little refreshing and tall, and a pretty color.
If you could serve a drink to anyone, who would it be? I really like making gin-and-juice-type cocktails, so maybe Snoop Dogg.
Featured Recipe:
Blueberry Gin Fizz
- 2 oz. blueberry-infused gin
- ½ oz. egg whites
- Juice of a whole lemon
- ½ oz. simple syrup
Shake all the ingredients together vigorously. Strain and serve.
