Rye in San Francisco is the Tenderloin's whiskey-leaning cocktail bar since 2007, with a long rye list, a back patio and a Boulevardier spec the regulars order.
Food program: None (drink-only)
Tip: Open until 02:00; the bar has the city's most reliable late post-show Boulevardier.
Address: 688 Geary, San Francisco
Comstock Saloon in San Francisco is the North Beach saloon reopened to a 19th-century template, with the Pisco Punch made to the long-lost Bank Exchange recipe.
Signature drink: Pisco Punch
Food: Bar snacks, full dinner menu
Tip: Order the Pisco Punch and a plate of Welsh rarebit at the bar; the back dining room takes reservations.
The Snug in San Francisco is Hi Lo's Pacific Heights cocktail bar on the Fillmore corner, with a Negroni board, a long American whiskey list and a strong bar-snack kitchen.
Signature drink: Snug Negroni
Food: Snack menu
Tip: Bar seats fill from 18:00; come at 17:30 on a weeknight for a guaranteed perch.
Specs' in San Francisco is the North Beach dive in an alley off Columbus, with maritime memorabilia, an Anchor Steam draw and 60 years of regulars holding the booths.
Signature drink: Anchor Steam beer
Food: None
Tip: Cash only; bring a small bill, talk to whoever is at the bar, do not photograph the wall.
Pacific Cocktail Haven (PCH) in San Francisco is Kevin Diedrich's Union Square cocktail room, with a Southeast Asian flavour palette and a kaffir lime gimlet on the menu since 2016.
Signature drink: Kaffir lime gimlet
Food: Snack menu
Tip: Sit at the bar for Kevin's spec sheets; the room takes walk-ins after 22:00 reliably.
Trick Dog in San Francisco is Bon Vivants' Mission cocktail bar with a twice-yearly themed menu (Pantone chips, IKEA catalogue, mural maps) and a long bar list.
Signature drink: Theme-menu cocktails (changes twice a year)
Food: American snack menu, burgers
Tip: Walk in before 19:00 or after 22:30; bar seats are first-come and turn over fast.
ABV in San Francisco is Todd Smith and Erik Reichborn-Kjennerud's Mission cocktail bar with a Bywater on the menu since 2014 and the city's best bar burger.
Signature drink: Bywater (rye, falernum, chartreuse, allspice)
Food: Bar snacks, burger, daily specials
Tip: Sit at the bar back-bar to watch the build; the upstairs Over Proof tasting room is by appointment.
