Rickhouse

Beautiful wood interiors (mimicking the inside of a cask), stunningly tall liquor shelves (so high that they need a rolling ladder), live music and a good crowd make Rickhouse the quintessential San Francisco cocktail bar. On choice nights, a bluegrass band sets up in the back, and enthusiasts can gather around or climb up to the second floor – a modest loft space – and watch the band from above while leaning on the railings. Whiskey is king here, though the menu also offers a wide variety of contemporary classics and punch bowls.
• 246 Kearny Street, +1 415 398 2827, rickhousebar.com. Open Sat 6pm-2am, Mon 5pm-2am, Tue-Fri 3pm-2am

Wilson & Wilson

The Wilson & Wilson is not any old speakeasy – it's a speakeasy within a speakeasy. Hidden within the famed prohibition-style Bourbon & Branch – one of the first pioneers in San Francisco's craft cocktail movement – the Wilson & Wilson is detective-agency themed, with a film-noir atmosphere, complete with 1920s-style wallpaper, old cash registers and cocktail menus fashioned to look like detective cases. In California style, the Wilson focuses on a culinary approach to cocktails. Fresh flavour combinations take the stage with unique, house-made syrups and tinctures such as tobacco and tea. For $30, you can order a "prix fixe" cocktail flight – starting with a light aperitif, moving to a "main course" cocktail, and finishing with a satisfying digestif. Highly attentive and knowledgeable bartenders guide you through your experience.
• 505 Jones Street, no phone, thewilsonbar.com (reservations via the website required). Open Mon-Sat 6pm-2am

The Slanted Door

At Slanted Door, bartenders sling perfectly tweaked classics against the backdrop of the gorgeous Bay view and famously tasty Vietnamese food. Led by bar luminary Erik Adkins, The Slanted Door's bar serves bright, rich cocktails in a modern, restaurant-oriented environment. Whether catching up with an old friend or going out on a first date, The Slanted Door is a sophisticated bar spot for solid cocktails, delicious food, and a breathtaking view of the Bay bridge twinkling over the water.
• 1 Ferry Building #3, +1 415 861 8032, slanteddoor.com. Open Mon-Sat 11am-4.30pm and 5.30pm-10pm, Sun 11.30am-4.30pm and 5.30pm-10pm

Shotwell's

History buffs and beer lovers alike will find a home at Shotwell's bar in the Mission district. The neighbourhood hangout draws an easy stream of locals with pool tables, pinball machines, and a low-key atmosphere. The menu is comprised of a wide variety of beers sourced both locally and internationally. Shotwell's is one of San Francisco's few remaining saloons from the late 19th century (it first opened in 1891) and features the original wooden back bar, which was shipped from Maine to California in 1906, and still has gunshot holes from an unknown incident … leaving patrons to imagine the skirmishes that once occurred there.
• 3349 20th Street, +1 415 648 4104, shotwellsbar.com. Open Mon-Sat 4.30pm-2am, Sun 4pm-1am

Smuggler's Cove

One of the most celebrated tiki bars in the world, Smuggler's Cove offers a vast selection of rums and historically grounded tiki drinks that range from fun to zany to seriously boozy. For groups, punch bowls provide strong and delicious fun: they come with several-foot straws and sometimes a fire show. Even on the coldest San Francisco nights, Smuggler's Cove brings patrons into a pirate wonderland with Disneyland-esque flair. The three-level space sports designs of movie-set proportions, delighting with embellishments such as long ship beams, rum barrels, anchors, colourful water buoys, and an indoor waterfall.
• 650 Gough Street, +1 415 869 1900, smugglerscovesf.com. Open everyday, 5pm-1.15am

Bar Agricole

Fresh flavours, artisan ingredients and flawlessly executed cocktails take the spotlight at this SoMa (South of Market) district spot run by bar legend Thad Vogler. Foodies will find a robust food menu of northern European and Californian fusion, and bar flies will feel equally at home at the long, wooden bar or outside on the heated garden patio (making it a perfect summer night stop). The stunning, industrial modern tavern is marked by big open skylights, warm wood tones, and cool concrete. The bar staff works hard to source rare, small-batch spirits and shake up elegant cocktails with clean flavours.
• 355 11th Street, +1 415 355 9400, baragricole.com. Open Sun-Thur 5pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-11pm

The Ice Cream Bar

For those looking for an unconventional or family bar experience, The Ice Cream Bar in Cole Valley is a soda fountain that serves handcrafted ice-cream sodas alongside a selection of alcoholic "remedies". The sodas and alcoholic libations were devised by celebrity mixologist Russell Davis, integrating innovative ingredients – such as celery, saffron, tobacco, and anise – into 1930s-style drinks. Friendly and knowledgeable soda jerks guide you through the world of phosphates, lactarts, and floats, using soda pumps actually used in the 1930s. Adult drinks spotlight ports, porters, bitters, and spiced wines.
• 815 Cole Street, +1 415 742 4932, theicecreambarsf.com. Open daily 12pm-10pm

15 Romolo

15 Romolo is a saloon-style cocktail watering hole in North Beach that prides itself on drinks made from fresh ingredients in an unpretentious environment (which you might find a bit of a surprise, based on the many seedy strip clubs that light up the street outside). Weekend nights promise large and lively crowds, and a steady streaming jukebox. Elevated bar food – such as pork rib sliders, burgers, and salads – is served alongside a drinks menu of mostly original, contemporary craft cocktails, as well as a modest list of wine and beers.
• 15 Romolo Place, +1 415 398 1359, 15romolo.com. Open Mon-Fri 5pm-2am, Sat-Sun 11.30am-3.30pm and 5pm-2am

Zeitgeist

Freedom and good times are the themes at Zeitgeist, an open-air beer garden located in a less-salubrious part of the Mission district. After passing through a small indoor bar area with a TV and pool table, bar-goers find a large open back patio, packed with locals at tight rows of picnic tables. Rowdy crowds make themselves happy with big pitchers of beer, bloody marys, and a smoker-friendly atmosphere. The food menu of burgers and fries is augmented by sightings of a San Francisco legend – the Tamale Lady – who serves up piping hot pork, beef, and bean and cheese varieties of the Mexican treat. Though you may question your senses after all the beer and the smoke, the enormous pink elephant parade mural is real.
• 199 Valencia Street, +1 415 255 7505, zeitgeistsf.com. Open daily 9am-2am

Tommy's Mexican Restaurant

For local tequila lovers, this is the only place in town. With a mission to "serve the best tequila selection on Earth", the Inner Richmond watering hole features over 300 different tequilas in an unassuming environment. Enthusiasts can even join the Blue Agave Club, which takes drinkers through all the many various styles of the agave spirit. Proprietor Julio Bermejo is as passionate as he is informative about the tequilas behind the bar, and the nine-seat bar within the colourful Mexican restaurant serves what is considered the gold standard of margaritas. The restaurant cooks up some tasty Mexican food too.
• 5929 Geary Boulevard, +1 415 387 4747, tommystequila.com. Open Wed-Mon midday-11pm

Noelle Chun is a drink blogger, videographer, and photographer at thejoyofdrinking.blogspot.com and writes about San Francisco and tech at amilliontimesyes.com

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