Steph Curry’s bourbon bar is a brick

A single piece of ice shaped like a basketball is the only detail that hints at The Eighth Rule’s (opens in new tab) association with one of the greatest NBA stars of all time. That is, except for the prices, which are so stratospheric that they might seem reasonable only if you take home a paycheck as big as that of one of the greatest NBA stars of all time.  

Steph Curry’s partnership with prolific restaurateur Michael Mina, The Eighth Rule is one of the year’s most-hyped bar openings. There are half a dozen cocktails in the $22 to $28 range, but no food. The biggest draw — the only reason to go, really — is the six-course, $145 bourbon tasting flight, a showcase for Curry’s whiskey brand, Gentleman’s Cut (opens in new tab).

I visited the bar, located inside Union Square’s Westin St. Francis Hotel, with a friend who agreed to join me for the tasting. She ordered one cocktail for herself: the Sam Brannan ($28), made with bourbon, chamomile, mandarin liqueur, and an oversize film of edible gold pasted to the side of the glass. We also said yes to the offer of two bottles of San Benedetto still water — no one mentioned they were $15 each — so, with tax and tip, happy hour for two came to a mind-boggling $264. 

For that amount, you could take a date to a Warriors game, order a round of overpriced Chase Center beers, Uber home — and have a much livelier night out.

The tasting flight runs for about 90 minutes (assuming you finish all six full-size drinks). It also runs sickly sweet, starting with an apple-and-elderflower highball that looks like autumn in a glass. There are notes of clove and star anise to be had, but it’s sugary like apple juice. An aromatic clarified milk punch the color of chenin blanc follows; the texture is lovely, and the finish tastes like pear, but it’s also as coconut-y as suntan lotion. The third course, served in a blue ceramic vessel shaped like an owl, is listed on the menu as “savory.” Surprisingly, it may be the sweetest drink of all, consisting of bourbon with vanilla ice cream plus a shaving of truffles on top of the ice. Their faint aroma is the only savory thing about it.

The fourth and fifth courses are barrel-aged whiskey drinks prepared tableside from a rolling cart — always a classy touch. One is fruity and served on a single cube; the other is spicy and served up with a skewered Luxardo cherry. Both are thin and watery. The finale, made with Tempus creme de cacao and creme de menthe, and spritzed with orange oil, is the flight’s standout. A rich and balanced digestif, it’s chilled and strained at the table, then poured over that basketball-etched ice sphere. 

But overall, the Vegas-tier price tag fails to deliver much spectacle; the experience felt more like a colossal, saccharine shakedown. Does Curry, who’s worth an estimated $240 million, (opens in new tab) need the cash? Does Mina, with a 40-restaurant empire spanning three states plus Dubai, not aspire to more?

The Eighth Rule’s menu is designed to showcase the versatility of Gentleman’s Cut, and it at least succeeds at that. Anthony Attanasio, The Mina Group’s beverage director, believes Curry’s bourbon can be combined with a particularly wide number of ingredients. It’s because of the ratio of corn, rye, and barley in the mash, he says, which yields a roasty-sweet backbone with enough spice to bring out other flavors without “becoming muted in the mixing.”

So, is Curry actively involved in The Eighth Rule? Attanasio insists that the Warriors’ point guard has given input to him and Mina at every step. “It’s been a roundtable conversation about what we feel the space will warrant and the clientele will demand,” he said. Although Bourbon Steak, another Mina project, also opened recently inside the hotel, it’s hard to imagine what Mina’s role might be.

Above all, The Eighth Rule seems to be doing everything it can to prevent people from thinking it’s a sports bar. Named as a nod to the seven rules (opens in new tab) of bourbon production, it’s got plenty of brown leather and midcentury modern chairs. There’s not a television in sight, although a rep says some Curry memorabilia is forthcoming. 

Mostly, it bears the imprint of an upscale hotel bar. The servers aren’t versed in bourbon or mixology; rather, they seem pulled from elsewhere on the property. And while The Eighth Rule advertises itself as a speakeasy, the lighting is bright for that mood. The door to the bar, fronting an interior hotel corridor, isn’t mysterious or sexy but awkward. Guests knock to be let in, but as there’s no one stationed there, they invariably press the wheelchair-entrance button and tiptoe apologetically inside. “We’re still activating that space,” Attanasio says of the entrance.

The Eighth Rule is neither for diehard Warriors fans nor anyone who likes their cocktails stiff. It’s for well-heeled hotel guests so excited by a famous athlete’s liquor brand that they’re willing to overpay for it in an atmosphere devoid of rizz. In the end, I wished I had just sipped a single pour of Gentleman’s Cut, neat.