Kiss My Glass: Shaping the way people are drinking in San Diego

Christian Siglin, who claims he’s “not a spring chicken any more,” has hopped around the bar industry since he was 21 when he started as a barback at the Hyatt La Jolla. Now, 20 years later, after stops with Noble Experiment, Cutwater Spirts and many others, he’s working to open a new space in South Park called Fernside with Adam Cook (Bluefoot).

Ahead of the bar and restaurant’s opening (any day now), Siglin sat down with host Edwin Real of Facebook group Eating and Drinking in San Diego to chat about the following:

• How the Fernside project came to be
• A long history behind the bar starting at 21
• Becoming his own boss
• Growing up as a surf kid in San Diego
• What Fernside brings to South Park
• Where Christian eats around Golden Hill/South Park
• A sense of community in Barrio Logan
• What it’s like being married to someone who also works in the industry
• Putting the best foot forward: Why real ingredients matter in cocktails
• Hiring the right people
• San Diego as a spirits city
• National perception of San Diego as a cocktail city
• Food and drinks should complement each other, not outshine each other
• Good, fast and cheap. You can have 2 of the 3, but not all.
• Drinking grocery store alcohol: Buyer beware.
• 2 a.m. musings: Why do people treat Pabst Blue Ribbon/Coors Banquet Beer different than beers like Budweiser or Miller Light?
• Big proponent of consistency
• San Diego is a big small town

Kiss My Glass is a collaboration between PACIFIC and Facebook group Eating and Drinking in San Diego.

Listen and subscribe to Kiss My Glass and sister podcast Dish It Up wherever you listen to podcasts, including iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Soundcloud.

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1946 Fern St., South Park, 619.867.2835

Instagram: @fernsideftw

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