Smuggler's Cove in San Francisco is Martin Cate's three-floor tiki bar in Hayes Valley, with 500-plus rums and the most-cited tiki cocktail list in the United States.
Food program: None (rum bar)
Tip: The lower floor is the quietest of the three; ask the bar for the rum tasting trio.
Address: 650 Gough Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco is the Tenderloin Prohibition-style speakeasy, with a password door, a 200-page bourbon menu and a Sazerac that runs the room.
Signature drink: Sazerac
Food: None
Tip: Reserve a slot and ask for the password by email; the walk-in bar in the back room is easier than the front.
Vesuvio in San Francisco is the North Beach Beat-era cocktail and dive bar across the alley from City Lights bookshop, open since 1948 with the original wood booths.
Signature drink: Jack Kerouac (rum, tequila, lime, cranberry)
Food: None
Tip: Upstairs is quieter than the ground floor; the Jack Kerouac drink is the punchline order.
Tosca Cafe in San Francisco is the North Beach Italian American room since 1919, reopened by April Bloomfield in 2013 with a Roman chicken and the house cappuccino.
Signature drink: House cappuccino (brandy and chocolate)
Food: Italian American kitchen, full menu
Tip: Sit at the bar for the espresso machine theatre; the roast chicken takes 40 minutes, order it first.
Hi Tops in San Francisco is the Castro's gay sports bar with a long Sunday brunch and the city's most-cited pickle-back, opened in 2012 across from the Castro Theatre.
Signature drink: Pickle-back shot
Food: Bar food, daily specials
Tip: Game days run a kitchen-set menu; pre-order at the bar to skip the queue.
The Treasury in San Francisco is the Financial District after-work bar in a 1925 vault, with a long Old Fashioned list and a snack menu that holds up to a Friday rush.
Signature drink: Old Fashioned with house bitters
Food: Snack menu
Tip: Friday from 17:00 fills the bar fast; book a side booth via the website for groups of four-plus.
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.
Signature drink: Boulevardier on rye
Food: None (drink-only)
Tip: Open until 02:00; the bar has the city's most reliable late post-show Boulevardier.
