DeLuxe

I’ve always loved pinball but good machines are hard to find and I can never get enough. There used to be a great place in South Berkeley that had a bunch of machines but I don’t know what became of it. I was delighted to discover the Lucky Ju Ju. Hidden behind a laundromat in Alameda, this place is a gem. They’re a non-profit and only open for limited hours Friday through Sunday. If you love pinball this is the place for you. You pay $10 at the door and all the machines inside are set on open play. You can play dozens of different machines including classic ones from the 50s and 60s as well as more modern machines. They’ve even got a fridge with sodas and $1 popcorn. A great value and lots of fun.

Lucky Ju Ju
713 Santa Clara Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501
510.205.9793

I first heard about Absinthe two decades ago and was always curious what all the fuss was about. In December 2007 St. George Spirits in Alameda became the first distillery to produce legal absinthe in the US in decades. It wont make you crazy because it only contains federally approved miniscule parts of thujone. I waited in line for two hours on the day of the first release on Dec 21 so I could make it a Christmas gift for Susan. It tastes like cough syrup or perhaps a lot like Jagermeister but smoother.

On Mother’s Day this year, we decided to go back there to try the other spirits they make at St. George which is housed in a former airplane hanger on the former Alameda Naval Air Station. It’s a perfect location for a distillery with plenty of room for the giant copper stills which condense the extracted spirits that make their products. We ended up going home with some lemon infused vodka, white tea and pear liqeur, and some pear eau de vie. You get to taste most of their products for just $10 and get to keep your glass. It was lots of fun and the staff are very friendly and well informed. I even got myself a “gree is the new black” t-shirt.

St. George Spirits
2601 Monarch Street, Alameda, CA 94501
510.769.1601