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The Best Dollar Oyster Deal In Town

Trust Restaurant Group’s beverage director and Bebemos Tequila’s founders join Happy Half Hour to chat cocktails, creativity, and community

By Jackie Bryant June 12, 2025

NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDES Know the Neighborhood Where to eat, where to drink, and what it's like to live there. EXPLORE THE GUIDES

This week, Happy Half Hour goes on the road to find the perfect Joven tequila pairing with local restaurants, brought to you by Bebemos. This week: Fort Oak.

Hosts Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant sit down with Jess Stewart, Trust Restaurant Group’s beverage director and the mind behind some of San Diego’s most quietly brilliant cocktails. She breaks down her kitchen-driven approach to drink-making (yes, there’s salt in that watermelon margarita), why bartenders hate mojitos, and how she turned “Oyster Mondays with Friends” into a must-hit Mission Hills hang.

Joining us are Preston Caffrey and Patrick Tracy of Bebemos Tequila, the new San Diego-based brand bringing a dreamy, vintage California aesthetic to modern sipping. Together, they show how good design, local collaboration, and a damn fine bottle can elevate the way we drink.

About Jackie Bryant

Jackie is a long-time freelance journalist covering cannabis, food/restaurants, travel, labor, wine, spirits, arts & culture, design, and other topics. Her work has been selected twice for Best American Travel Writing, and she has won a variety of national and local awards for her writing and reporting.

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