Best San Francisco & Bay Area Cocktails
If there's anything that inspires loyalty to a bar or restaurant, it's a killer cocktail and a bartender to match. We all have our personal favorites -- a few of mine are on this short list.
Name Your Cocktail Bests
Love or hate these options. Name your own spot, your best cocktail. Any category, self-designated or other. This is your chance to give your favorites some good press and a free plug. Commentary will be featured here and, those most worthy, on the front page. Use a byline or not.
Personal Picks
Cocktail Classes: Bourbon and Branch
Tenderloin - 501 Jones
With runner up, Elixir's Cocktail Club lessons. The modern speakeasy with house rules (no cell phones) and splendorous choice of bourbon, rum, tequila and other noble spirits -- with specialized instruction. It's a bit of an experience, so you decide if you want to be a regular. It is, however, worth at least one stop. For the bar itself, don't show up without a reservation.
Tequila Cocktail: Sweet Heat at the St. Regis
South of Market - 125 Third
My first Sweet Heat was just a new form of agave expression, of my favorite spirit, a departure from the snifter and the margarita rocks. With chili and basil, it's almost a meal. Almost. For me, it's got the perfect mix of kick and soothe.
Best Back Yard: Wild Side West
Bernal Heights - 424 Cortland
A lesbian bar in Bernal Heights, always with a mix of customers across demographics, with no pretentious vibe, supreme bartenders . . . and an awesome, Midsummer Night's Dream, multi-tiered patio, lush with greenery and lights.
San Francisco Classic: Tosca Cafe
North Beach - 242 Columbus
It's hard to pick another venue in this category, given Jeanette Etheridge's attention to the place's historic details, and the timeless pedigree Tosca has in terms of clientele and longevity in San Francisco. It's a welcome leap in time and place.
Karaoke Pianist: The Alley (Oakland)
Lake Merritt - 3325 Grand Ave - Oakland
Once in a while, your houseguests need to see Rod Dibble and the thousands upon thousands of business cards plastered on the bar's walls. If you haven't been, if you're in Oakland, stop by. Don't go for the food. The cocktails are okay. The entertainment is pure cheese, with Dibble the piano man cranking out karaoke style classics for a generally older crowd. It's a subjective experience, but I miss my Seattle days with piano man Lou Bianchi, and Rod Dibble sort of fills the void.
Tourist Trajectory Top of the Mark to Buena Vista
Nob Hill to Fisherman's Wharf
People get jaded to the visual experience that is San Francisco. But not tourists and newbies. One of the best introductory scenes -- when you want to impress your guests with San Francisco's glory -- is a drink at the Top of the Mark (on a view day), and a cable car ride down to the Buena Vista Cafe for an Irish Coffee finish. It never fails to please the first-timer. Go on a weekday, early, when there's no entertainment cover at the Top of the Mark Hopkins.
Monk Magic: The Trappist (Oakland)
460 8th Street, Oakland
Back to the east side of the Bay -- I'm a big fan of those Trappist Monks and their potent brews so I could just as easily put in a vote for both La Trappe and Monk's Kettle (both SF). And Toronado is no slouch in the selection department. But what's a bridge or a bay between a beer lover and their Orval? The Trappist is a good lead-in for one of my favorite libations. Nutritious, too, and hoppy, if you need more rationalizations.
Liquor-Flavored Candy: Lollyphile Absinthe Pops
The local, San Francisco candy venture from the creators of the SwapSF clothing and book swaps. The pops don't contain alcohol. As their own FAQ says, "our absinthe lollipops will get you as wasted as will beer-battered chicken, bourbon-infused BBQ sauce, or lasagna alla vodka." But the licorice bite will have you believing in your green muse.
Fireplace: Durty Nelly's
Outer Sunset - 2328 Irving
A holiday pick to be sure, in homage to hot toddies and Irish Coffees. And, of course, a toast to small spaces with warm fireplaces.
