Cocktails With Dina by Dina Novarr
The day I met him, Phil Collins—the beverage director at TableOne, not the musician—sauntered in wearing a crop top, leggings, and the most magnificent trench duster I’d ever seen. In the back of my mind, all I could think was: I wish I could be as cool as him one day (spoiler alert: I’m still working on it).
That’s the thing about people like Phil. They have this gravitational pull that comes from complete ownership of their space, like they’ve figured out some cosmic secret. He doesn’t just craft cocktails; he orchestrates liquid storytelling with the same fearless confidence he brings to everything else, including showing up to professional meetings dressed to impress.
When I asked Phil about this year’s Pride, his response was pure gold wrapped in a rainbow: “I have a feeling Pride this year is going to be extra special and extra loud. It’s a terrifying time for our community when someone as unhinged as our president teeter totters between tantrums and has the ability to impact my entire life in the swipe of a pen. But our community has never not taken the opportunity to live more out loud when people try to darken our shine. I’m personally excited to be surrounded by us in all capacities … . It’s scary, but we all have each other’s backs.”
Phil embodies this philosophy like he was born for it. This is particularly resonant here in San Francisco, where Pride isn’t just a celebration—it’s our reminder to the world that we invented fabulousness and we’re not giving it back. This is where the modern Pride movement found its voice. In the Castro, Harvey Milk reminded us that hope is never silent. Every June, Market Street becomes a glittery testament to the power of living out loud.
San Francisco’s cocktail culture mirrors this same spirit of unapologetic creativity and community, with a healthy dash of “watch me make magic happen with three ingredients and a garnish.” From historic queer-friendly speakeasies, to the legendary bars of the Castro, up to the newest cocktail lounges in SOMA, our city’s drinking establishments have always been more than just places to get tipsy—they’re spaces where identity is celebrated, where chosen family gathers, and where the art of hospitality becomes an act of radical inclusion served with the perfect ice cube. The drinks are strong, but the stories are stronger.
Phil speaks with the passion of someone who’s clearly found their calling: “I’m a gay hospitality professional that is in active pursuit of opening my own bars and restaurants, not just to take up space, but to bring a true sense of community. We are excited to base the mission of our group in giving back to our neighborhoods by offering scholarships to LGBTQIA+, female and minority students who want to pursue a career in hospitality … we then bring our students back on to our teams to offer them real life experience in their chosen profession.”
It is giving back while instilling Pride in a tangible, digestible, and impactful manner.
Phil’s been perfecting his approach—make it taste great, make it look great—in his work around the country: “I’ve been back behind the bar working at various different spots, and one thing I’ve loved is sharpening up my classics. I have been on an Old Fashioned kick lately trying to hone in on the perfect build. I’ve been adding a slight pinch of salt into the mix to balance out the sweet, and split basing the whiskey with a mix of bourbon and rye to add in a hint of spice.”
His Old Fashioned is basically Phil in cocktail form—a classic with a twist, sophisticated yet approachable, and guaranteed to make you feel like you’ve got your life together.
That pinch of salt he adds? It is San Francisco genius, conveying a city surrounded by ocean, where the fog carries brine and every great drink needs that mineral kiss to make it sing. The split base of bourbon and rye mirrors our city’s own beautiful contradictions: rooted in Gold Rush grit, but always reaching toward the future.
There’s something Phil taught me without ever saying it directly: the people who scare others are often the ones who possess the power to sway hearts and minds. Phil has mastery over his craft, and complete comfort in his own skin. He doesn’t shrink to make others comfortable, and that’s exactly the energy our community needs right now, especially as we prepare for Pride in the city that wrote the book on celebrating queer joy.
In San Francisco, we’ve always known that the best cocktails—like the best lives—require equal parts skill and fearlessness, tradition and innovation, precision and passion, plus just a pinch of that indefinable something that makes people stop and think, “I wish I could be as cool as them one day.”
Phil Collins gets that. And honestly? I’m still trying to be as cool as him.
1 oz Buffalo Trace
1 oz Michter’s Rye
.5 oz Rich Demerara
4 dashes Angostura Bitters
3 dashes Angostura Orange Bitters
A pinch of sea salt
Orange peel expressed and stirred in a glass with a big rock
San Francisco-based Dina Novarr enjoys sharing her passion for fine wines, spirits, non-alcoholic craft beverages, and more with others.
Cocktails With Dina by Dina Novarr
Published on June 12, 2025
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