Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
A lightly sparkling cocktail of Peruvian pisco, pineapple-infused gum syrup, lemon and a touch of cold water. The defining Gold Rush-era San Francisco drink.
Pisco Punch was made famous at the Bank Exchange Saloon at Montgomery and Washington from the 1860s through Prohibition, under bartender Duncan Nicol who closed the recipe to the grave. Rudyard Kipling drank it in 1889 and wrote it tasted of clouds. Modern bars reconstructed the formula using period accounts; Comstock Saloon in North Beach pours the canonical contemporary version, and most San Francisco classic-cocktail bars now feature it.
3 editor picks for Pisco Punch in San Francisco, ranked by editorial score. All San Francisco signature dishes · Pisco Punch across every city.
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.
TipSit at the bar for Kevin's spec sheets; the room takes walk-ins after 22:00 reliably.
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.
TipOrder the Pisco Punch and a plate of Welsh rarebit at the bar; the back dining room takes reservations.
Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco is the Tenderloin Prohibition-style speakeasy, with a password door, a 200-page bourbon menu and a Sazerac.
TipReserve a slot and ask for the password by email; the walk-in bar in the back room is easier than the front.
Pisco Punch makes more sense with someone from San Francisco explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Explore the history-rich restaurant scene of North Beach in San Francisco on a curated, multi-course food tour. Enjoy appetizers, an entree, and a dessert as you disco...
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Leave San Francisco behind to immerse yourself in the peace and quiet of the Muir Woods. Join this guided tour to visit Sausalito and Sonoma, then enjoy two wine tasti...
