The vibe, it has shifted. San Francisco’s cocktail scene has gone posh, with many new bars debuting on rooftops (Chotto Matte, Cavaña, Kaiyo Rooftop), designed like opulent hotel lobbies (Starlite, Holbrook House, Bar Sprezzatura), or feeling like private clubs (Dawn Club, Dark Bar). I guess we are .
At the start of 2022, many bars remained shell-shocked by the pandemic and were largely playing it safe; cocktail menus were limited to core essentials that bartenders could execute well in the age of "the new normal." As 2023 gets going, we're rounding a new corner with fancy cocktail lounges, hote.
Had someone told Joshua James five years ago that he would be organising non-alcoholic events and own a zero-proof bar, he likely would have laughed. At only 18 years of age, James joined the food and beverage industry and had a career in bartending that lasted 17 years. Bartending fitted his personality. He enjoyed being behind the bar, making drinks.
A San Francisco restaurant owner is planning to open the city's first non-alcoholic speakeasy. Nielsen data predicts “buzzless beverages” will be one of the biggest trends of 2022.
Much has changed since we last published our list of the 50 most iconic cocktails in San Francisco, back in 2019 before the pandemic struck. Some of SF s most beloved bars closed permanently (RIP Bar Agricole, The Saratoga), some remain shuttered temporarily (Slanted Door, P.C.H.), and several new o.