San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Martinis at the top of their game in S.F.
Classic or reinvented, here are 14 exemplary cocktails to seek — dry, dirty or with a splash of espresso
If historical plaques are to be trusted, the martini was invented in the Bay Area — twice.
First, according to a framed article at what’s now the Occidental Cigar Club in San Francisco, the story starts there. Legendary bartender Jerry Thomas, working at what was then the Occidental Hotel in the 1860s, spun up a variation of the popular Manhattan cocktail with sweet vermouth but gin instead of whiskey. He called this martini ancestor the Martinez, because he made it for a customer on his way to catch the ferry to Martinez (which he may have ultimately missed).
The city of Martinez begs to differ. Its own bronze plaque claims the cocktail was invented at a saloon there in the 1870s, named for the city but losing the “z” somewhere after the first round of drinks.
Maybe. But evidence for either claim is scant, and scholars of the subject consider the martini more of a historical inevitability, with dry vermouth supplanting sweet as it became available. The name, too, might come from elsewhere, like the Martini of the Martini & Rossi Vermouth label.
What’s more certain is the enduring appeal of gin (or in certain cases vodka) and vermouth in a frosty glass. And while there are purists who insist on particulars, there’s still no fixed recipe.
In fact, at bars in San Francisco, the martini is constantly reinvented, with a twist of seaweed here and a splash of espresso there. Try these 14 bars for the best classic and modern martinis in the city.
— C.P.
ABV
Martinis have gotten progressively drier over the years, going from a 2-to-1 ratio of gin to vermouth to a 5-to-1 ratio and beyond. The old joke is that instead of adding vermouth, you should just think about it. But this refreshing version at the consistently excellent cocktail bar ABV is on the wet side, emphasizing the bewitching power of fortified wine, with the addition of briny manzanilla sherry, which is only made in — and somehow tastes of — a particular port in southern Spain. Called the Senora Sol ($17), it arrives ungarnished in a coupe glass, as clear as a cold glass of water.
— C.P. 3174 16th St., San Francisco. abvsf.com
Aphotic
Fine-dining seafood restaurant Aphotic stuns in every field, especially its cocktail program. One drink in particular takes the aquatic theme to the limits: the Aphotic martini ($30). While the price is steep, it’s a flashy concoction that displays the many in-house made distillates, five of which make it into the cocktail along with vermouth and sherry. The seafood component is a spirit made from dulse seaweed, infusing an umami quality further encouraged by a caviar-stuffed olive. It’s worth ordering for a special occasion, even if you might need to take out a layaway plan to afford it.
— C.H. 816 Folsom St., San Francisco. aphoticrestaurant.com
Brazen Head
This unmarked tavern in the Marina district feels like a slice of old Manhattan, dark except for lamps at small tables and booths set closely together. Behind the wooden bar, where glasses hang upside down at the ready, bartenders make classic cocktails as perfectly as you’d hope. Order how you wish — dirty or dry, gin or vodka — but the classic here is the Brazen Head Martini ($15), with vodka and savory blue cheesestuffed olives. The menu’s steak house fare, like Caesar salad and prime rib, and the bar’s late hours — open until 2 a.m. daily — have made it an industry favorite.
— C.P. 3166 Buchanan St., San Francisco. brazenheadsf.com
Causwells
Causwells is a casual restaurant in the Marina district known locally for its comfort fare and a top-notch cocktail program by bar director Elmer Mejicanos. There are flashy drinks served in a coconut, drinks topped with sesame seed-studded lollipops and an impressive roster of classics — with some classy remixes. Those include the “freezer martinis” ($16), which are indeed kept in a small freezer in bottles; try the cucumber-forward Causwells Martini with cucumber-infused gin, dry vermouth, eucalyptus bitters and a dash of white peach balsamic vinegar for bite. Mejicanos reimagines the coffee martini ($16) as well. Salt wakes up the bold coffee while new additions like roasted banana and a cloud of smoked coconut foam leave a fun impression of the form.
— C.H. 2346 Chestnut St., San Francisco. causwells.com
Corzetti
A new coastal Italian restaurant in Union Square from the steady hands behind Beretta and Super Super, Corzetti serves a martini that’s all about the olive. The olive leaf martini ($18) is made with Sipsmith’s juniper-forward VJOP gin and two vermouths. It’s washed with olive oil, bottled, and served over olives and a lemon twist at freezer temp, with the bottle buried in ice as a sidecar. The mouthcoating olive oil will make you wonder why more martinis aren’t made this way.
— C.P. 398 Geary St., San Francisco. corzettisf.com
Dalida
This gorgeous new Mediterranean restaurant offers a surprising take on the coffee martini ($14). The foamy-top, vodka-based drink is served in a mug with a sprinkling of spice. Lemon oil gives it a fragrant brightness and the
use of cold brew scales the coffee notes to seem chocolatey. Another option is the Anatolian martini ($17), a toast to good olives with olive-oil washed gin from Napa’s Four Pillars (or vodka, if you prefer), dry and blanc vermouth and house-made olive brine. The restaurant’s location means it’s a win-win for folks seeking a cocktail followed by a stroll to see the Golden Gate bridge.
— C.H. 101 Montgomery St. Main Post Suite 100, San Francisco. dalidasf.com
Good Good Culture Club
The 1990s produced a glut of fruit-flavored vodka martini variations, from appletinis to nectarinis. The lychee jelly martini ($17) at Mission District restaurant Good Good Culture Club is a throwback to that era, but it’s also contemporary, more floral than sweet and still spirit-forward and sophisticated as a martini should be. It’s made with a Vesper martini style base of both Roku gin and Nikka Vodka, plus a bouquet provided by Giffard’s Lichi-Li liqueur, St. Germain elderflower liqueur and manzanilla sherry. A cube of nata de coco, a chewy coconut gel, is waiting at the bottom of the glass.
— C.P. 3560 18th St., San Francisco. goodgoodcultureclub.com
Harris’ Restaurant
Harris’ is sometimes overshadowed by its steak house neighbor, House of Prime Rib. But the place is historic and stylized in its own right. It also has the advantage of its own bar, with classic Brunswick-style mirrors and columns, where you can waltz in for one of the city’s best, and most generous, martinis. It’s dealer’s choice — dry or dirty, vodka or gin. But beverage director Scott Taylor does have recommendations: He thinks people don’t add enough vermouth to their martinis — they’re just drinking a cold glass of gin or vodka, he says — and he recommends olives for vodka martinis and lemon for gin. Like everyone should, James Bond’s advice notwithstanding, he’ll stir rather than shake the martini to control dilution and keep the drink clear. The excess is kept on ice in a carafe in a little Harris’-branded wooden barrel.
— C.P. 2100 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. harrisrestaurant.com
Ofena
Found on San Francisco’s west side, new Italian restaurant Ofena has a martini for the dirty crowd. Known as Stemware at Dolores ($16), each glass has pickle and olive brine, topped with a focaccia plank flavored with salt and vinegar. The booziness is
offset with the salty and sour attributes, accentuated by the crisp bread garnish. Gin works well for this cocktail, since it adds more aromatics and flavor, but vodka is available too.
— C.H. 2529 Ocean Ave., San Francisco. ofenasf.com
Pearl
What if you could drink ocean water and it was delicious? That’s the hypothetical posed by the martini at the Richmond District restaurant Pearl 6101, not far from the rugged sea spray of Lands End. Devised by Nahiel Nazzal, the Pearl Martini ($14) is made with briny gin (distilled with kelp in British Columbia), manzanilla sherry and Italian vermouth, and is served with an all-too-rare cocktail onion and, rarer still, a spindly green sea bean.
— C.P. 6101 California St., San Francisco. pearl6101.com
The Progress
This one’s for those who like it salty and savory. The trick is smoked Castelvetrano olives and brine that smells like mesquite, swirled in with your choice of gin or vodka and topped with floating drops of rosemary oil. It’s served thoughtfully with a little glass on the side for your single olive pit, a nice reminder you’re in a Michelin-starred
establishment. Order one ($16) at the walk-in friendly bar with an off-menu hot dog for the ultimate combo meal.
— C.P. 1525 Fillmore St., San Francisco. theprogress-sf.com
True Laurel
There’s a studied cool about this Mission District bar from the owner of Lazy Bear, and it’s on display in the Laurel Martini ($17) from bar director Nicolas Torres. It’s a harmonious marriage of London dry and Islay gins, three vermouths, and a tincture made from foraged California bay leaves, one of which is clipped to the side of your glass. Pair it with the very highbrow bar nuts ($8), featuring fried kale, hazelnuts and Meyer lemon zest.
— C.P. 753 Alabama St., San Francisco. truelaurelsf.com
Wayfare Tavern
Stepping into Wayfare Tavern is like stepping out of time. The wait and bar staff share the same white smock uniform and welcome diners with markedly kind service. The coffee martini ($16) is among the best in the Bay Area. Instead of the usual Mr. Black coffee liqueur, Wayfare Tavern employs St. George Nola coffee liqueur, which brings a bolder profile, and a shot of espresso, which supplies lively cacao notes.
558 Sacramento St., San Francisco. wayfaretavern.com
Zam Zam
San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen called this Haight Street bar the “Holy Shrine of the Dry Martini.” Designed in 1941 to resemble a Persian palace, it does have something of a shrine about it still, and the martinis remain as dry as they come. Robert Clarke, who owns the bar with his wife, Dianne Epping, took the torch from its longtime steward, Bruno Moonshei, who was legendary for enforcing a code of old-time barroom etiquette by frequently tossing out patrons. “Bruno, of course, would say that the martini is the RollsRoyce of all drinks, and he was very particular about how to make a martini and what went into it,” said Clarke. Plymouth, Hendricks and St. George are popular gin choices here. Moonshei’s ideal ratio of gin to vermouth? “He would say it’s a thousand to one,” Clarke said.
— C.P.