A place with a modern take on classic libations, and a clientele that's a raucous mix of office workers letting loose and mixology aficionados. Try the Sazerac with locally distilled Old Potrero Rye. Read more.
A bar that marries sexy to vintage typewriters in the Hearst Building with a stage for live music. The serious cocktails are also available with a noticeable lean towards mod era classics.
An easy breezy Castro-bordering spot to rely on for a solid, sometimes rather inventive, cocktail. Blackbird has super-nice bartenders, and a fun-loving mixed crowd that rarely gets out of control.
Inventive cocktails, great pizza, and delicious antipasti. Busy for dinner but open late and shockingly chill for brunch.
Once you get the daily passcode online, walk into a dark moulin-rouge setting and have yourself the finest cocktails around. This place is the french laundry of bars, good luck getting in. -Yigit Pur
The culmination of the hyper-fresh, hyper-local cocktail movement. They grow some of their garnishes on site & contract with local farms & artisanal spirits makers. Expect awesome. Read more.
The Tradition is complete with its own proprietary bottled, aged spirits, and a lengthy drinks bible divided into various genres of drinking: tiki, Irish pub, speakeasy, dive bar, etc.
The godfather of the market-fresh cocktail movement in San Francisco, situated in an unexpected nook of the TenderNob, with a pool table, a smoking patio and some flattering soft lighting, to boot.
Good locally invented cocktails on the menu: Pisco Punch, The Martinez, Hop Toad (Jamaican rum, apricot brandy, lime, & bitters)
The menu at Maven pairs every single dish with a cocktail and beer/wine option, like the tremendous Global Warming (a gin/sake/lemon cocktail topped with a floating absinthe sorbet). Read more.
Trick Dog serves some of the most novel and inventive cocktails in the city. The menu changes every quarter or so and each one has a new theme and format; a record binder, a horoscope wheel, etc.
Elegant and classy vintage inspired lounge in the Crescent Hotel. Attractive and attentive bartenders will expertly make you a delicious Dutch Blood or a Kerouac.
This is my favorite bar in the city. Great cocktails at $11 a piece. Get whatever the special is and take it upstairs or out to Dalva. I will probably be there too.
Incredibly cool space and great (though extra-pricey) cocktails featuring lots of interesting infusions. Check out the "Corpse Reviver Machine" a bizarre mechanical drink-making device at the bar.
Tell the bartender what flavors you like and let them be your mixological guide to a tasty time.
Billed as a detective agency set inside Bourbon & Branch, it’s really a reservations-only cocktail bar with only a few tables & a prix fixe menu, where $30 gets you 3 cocktails. Read more.
SRO is to Oddjob what Hideout is to Dalva. It's a classy affair with no menu & a bartender who customizes your cocktail to your personal taste preferences. Expensive and cash only but worth it!
Great place to get a delicious cocktail, especially if you love rum. Go early it's a small bar and will fill up fast. Worth the wait. Try a El Draque or Smugglers Cove signature drink in a Rum Barrel.
This place has high quality drinks and a small, but interesting menu – including choices like duck hearts & quail eggs. As recommended by Travel Channel host, Anthony Bourdain.
Great rooftop cocktail bar with views of downtown SF. Huge and good for groups. The pisco cocktail was perfect.
