San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
COCKTAIL BARS
tations of classic recipes — the Jack Rose, made with sweet-tart Calvados and grenadine; a very good Gibson with an aquavit-soaked onion — while others are gentle reinventions, like a Japanese whiskey highball with a kick of tangy umeshu. One popular order is the Oaxacan Standoff: a beer, a shot and a sangrita, the peppery tomato juice mixture that’s commonly used as a chaser for Tequila.
6702 Hollis St., Emeryville. 510-428-1470
Trick Dog
If Trick Dog is known for anything, it’s for its menu layouts. One season, it was a horoscope; another, a Chinese takeout menu; another, an airplane safety manual. (My personal favorite was the menu that resembled a file of redacted CIA documents, with each drink named after a different conspiracy theory.) If the Mission District bar is known for anything else, it’s for its fearless incorporation of unusual ingredients like pico de gallo, Sour Patch Kids and even, once, a tiny peanut butter and jelly sandwich (skewered on a toothpick, as a garnish). The current menu is a poetry anthology, and the drinks are as seamless as ever — though the shock factor has perhaps diminished just a bit. Order the Absinthe, which contains no absinthe, a verdant, vegetal, peppery burst of kiwi and tomatillo flavor served in a Nick and Nora glass, or the very mildly nutty Love is Not All, in which celery and sesame bring out the savory flavors of apple brandy and Sherry.
3010 20th St., San Francisco. 415-471-2999
True Laurel
The Mission District, twoMichelin-starred restaurant Lazy Bear created True Laurel as a spinoff bar in 2017. Nicolas Torres is the mastermind behind the drink menu, and he doesn’t shy away from bold, modern-feeling flavor combinations, like blueberry and Madeira, or shiso and dill. One item that encapsulates the mood is the Mai o Mai. Like a classic mai tai, Torres’ creation combines light and dark rum with lime juice, Curaçao and orgeat. But in this case, the orgeat is a house-made syrup with pistachios and orange flowers, rather than the traditional almond. The light rum is made into a clarified milk punch, rendering the typically orange-colored drink crystal clear. Meanwhile, the dark rum is infused with coffee beans and left to float on top of the rest of the drink, adding a burnt orange-colored rim. The result is strikingly beautiful and meticulous, which describes just about everything at True Laurel. This is one of those bars that can sometimes feel like a restaurant, with such thoughtful food items and full table service.
753 Alabama St., San Francisco. 415-341-0020
Viridian
Viridian bills itself as Oakland’s first explicitly Asian American cocktail bar. It also happens to pour some of the most delightful and original drinks in the region. The Tomato Beef, the cocktail that everyone seemed to be talking about when the bar opened in 2020, is a revelation. Made with basil eau de vie, tomato water and Tequila, it tastes far greater than the sum of its parts, channeling the vivid flavor of a just-ripe summer tomato — and tasting far more like a caprese salad than like a Bloody Mary. The bar is known for its desserts, and in fact some drinks feel like dessert in themselves, such as the White Rabbit, which combines the popular Chinese candy with bourbon, oolong tea, coffee and pistachio in a long, milky pour. The ambiance is just as unique as the menu: Awash in a violetcolored glow, the room has the big-night-out energy of a nightclub — just with much, much better food and drinks.
2216 Broadway, Oakland.
White Cap
Just a few blocks inland from Ocean Beach in the Outer Sunset is White Cap, a bar that offers a cozy, warm respite from the chilly sea breeze with a glowing fire pit inside. (There’s also ample outdoor seating for those sunny afternoons.) The owner is Matt Lopez, a devoted Ocean Beach surfer, who also recently took over longtime Sunset dive bar Pitt’s Pub. Many of the drinks here convey a restrained beachy attitude — whether it’s the addition of wheat grass and salt in the Nose Dive, or seaweedinfused vermouth in the White Cap martini. There’s also an element of playfulness here. An entire dried ancho chile floats atop mezcal and tropical-fruit juice in the Passport, and there’s a very serviceable boozy slushy that’s creamy and just barely sweet, with rum and smoked banana.
3608 Taraval St., San Francisco. 415-682-4215
Wunderbar
San Mateo has not historically been a hot spot for furtive, sleek speakeasy bars — until Wunderbar opened in the basement of the casual German-style biergarten Wursthall. Reservations are required, and you’ll have to follow instructions in order to find the bar, which reveals itself after you wave your hand in front of a white rabbit in a closet. (Aim for the bunny’s tummy.) You’ll then find yourself inside a swanky lounge with antique books, trinkets and framed photographs lining the walls. The tarot card-theme menu consists of standard cocktails (like a martini) and proprietary inventions. Try the Sidewinder’s Fang, a San Mateo specialty of rum and passion fruit that originated with an old tiki bar called Lanai. It’s light, spritzy and less sweet than you’d expect.
310 Baldwin Ave., San Mateo. 650-931-4282