Restaurant Realty had the pleasure of selling Martin Cate the Jade Bar on Gough Street in San Francisco which he successfully converted into Smuggler’s Cove several years ago. Martin was recently awarded the James Beard Foundation Award for the Best Beverage Book for 2017.
Martin is a rum and exotic cocktail expert. Smuggler’s Cove features the largest rum selection in the United States and features cocktails from over three centuries of rum history. The Sunday Times of London has named Smuggler’s Cove one of the 50 Greatest Bars on Earth. In a global industry survey for Drinks International Magazine, Smuggler’s Cove has been named one of the Top 50 Bars in the World for five consecutive years. Smuggler’s Cove was just named one of the Top Ten Food & Beverage concepts of the last 25 years by Cheers Magazine, and one of the 13 Most Influential Bars of the 21st Century by Liquor.com. Smuggler’s Cove was named one of America’s Best Bars by Esquire Magazine in 2013 and by Playboy Magazine in 2012, and was named to Esquire’s Best Bars Hall of Fame in 2016. Martin is a passionate rum collector and conducts educational seminars and officiates rum & cocktail competitions across the United States, Europe and the Caribbean. In 2015, along with partners Alex Smith & John Park, Martin opened Whitechapel in San Francisco to bring the same passion for history and craft to the world of gin. He is also the co-owner of Hale Pele in Portland, False Idol in San Diego, and a partner in Lost Lake in Chicago. In June of 2016, Martin’s book “Smuggler’s Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki” was published by Ten Speed Press.
We wish Martin continued success in all of his future endeavors and Restaurant Realty looks forward to completing another transaction with him in the near future.