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What to drink in San Francisco? Top 17 Local Beverages in San Francisco

Last update: Wed Mar 19 2025
Top 17 Local Beverages in San Francisco
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Best San Francisco Beverage Types

01

Cocktail

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
3.8
Lemon Drop Martini
Lemon Drop Martini infographic
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This refreshing cocktail is made with a combination of vodka (preferably of the Citron variety), triple sec, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. To prepare Lemon Drop Martini, all ingredients are shaken and strained into a chilled cocktail glass.


The glass should be rimmed with sugar and garnished with a lemon slice. It is believed that the cocktail was invented in the 1970s by Norman Jay Hobday in San Francisco. Originally, it consisted only of vodka, sugar, and lemon juice, and it was inspired by the lemon drop candy. 
02

Hybrid Beer

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
3.7
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California common is a hybrid beer style that is brewed with lager yeast but is then fermented at ale temperatures. Modern interpretations were made to reflect historical steam beer that first appeared on the West Coast during the Gold Rush era.


It was an improvised and somewhat rustic style that grew out of necessity. This upgraded modern version was introduced in the 1970s by the Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco. Anchor protected the label steam beer, while California common is used for other examples of the style. 
03

Soft Drink

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
3.6
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MAIN INGREDIENTS

Despite its name, Italian soda is an American soft drink consisting of flavored syrups and soda. The syrups are usually flavored with spices or fruit, creating popular flavors such as cherry, raspberry, or chocolate, but they also mimic desserts or other drinks, resulting in flavors such as limoncello or amaretto.


Italian sodas will be served over ice. Sometimes, they may include cream, but the cream-based version is usually known as French soda or cream soda. Italian soda was popularized by Rinaldo and Ezilda Torre, who mixed Italian-style syrups with soda and started offering flavored sodas in North Beach, San Francisco. 
04

Cocktail

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
3.6
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This Prohibition-era cocktail is made with a combination of gin, lemon juice, and honey. In order to prepare it, all ingredients should be shaken with ice, then strained into a cocktail glass. The cocktail is typically garnished with a lemon peel.


The name Bees Knees is a Prohibition-era slang, meaning the best. Originally, the drink was prepared with lemon and honey in order to mask the unpleasant smell of bathtub gin. The first written recipe can be traced back to 1930 in San Francisco, where it appeared in bartender Bill Boothby’s compendium called World Drinks and How to Mix Them.

05

Cocktail

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
n/a
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MAIN INGREDIENTS

Pisco Punch is an American cocktail that first started its way to fame in San Francisco in the late 19th century. It is made with a combination of Pisco, pineapple gum syrup, lemon juice, and distilled water. There is also a secret ingredient which has been lost due to the passing of time, although it's quite possibly Vin Mariani (cocaine-infused wine which is nowadays made with the addition of decocainized coca leaves).


The ingredients are shaken with ice, then strained into a cocktail glass garnished with pineapple wedges. It is believed that Pisco Punch was invented in San Francisco's Bank Exchange, and there are a few people credited with its invention: John Torrence, one of the early owners of the bar; Duncan Nicol, the bar's last owner, or Professor Jerry Burns, also of the Bank Exchange. 
06

Cocktail

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
n/a
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Cable Car is a modern cocktail invented in 1996 in San Francisco by Tony Abou-Ganim. Although the recipes can vary, it is typically prepared with a combination of spiced rum, orange liqueur, lemon juice, and sugar syrup. In order to prepare it, all ingredients should be shaken with ice, then strained into a chilled cocktail glass.


If desired, the rim of the glass can be garnished with sugar and cinnamon.

07

Cocktail

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
n/a
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MAIN INGREDIENTS

Tommy’s Margarita is a cocktail made with a combination of tequila, lime juice, and agave nectar. In order to prepare it, all ingredients should simply be shaken, then strained into a chilled cocktail glass. The cocktail was invented in the 1990s by Julio Bermejo at his family’s Mexican restaurant and bar in San Francisco, called Tommy’s, hence the name.


In the restaurant, Tommy’s Margarita is traditionally served with tortillas and salsa on the side.

08

Cocktail

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
n/a
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MAIN INGREDIENTS

Gibson is a cocktail made with a combination of gin and dry vermouth. In order to prepare it, the ingredients should be shaken with ice, then strained into a chilled martini glass, which is garnished with a pickled cocktail onion. It is believed that Gibson was invented in San Francisco in the late 1800s by a businessman named Walter D.K. Gibson, hence the name of the cocktail.


Gibson thought that consuming onions prevented common colds, and that is the reason why the mini allium is in the drink instead of a briny olive. The most notable reference to Gibson in pop culture can be seen in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, when Cary Grant orders it on a train while having dinner with Eva Marie Saint.

09

Cocktail

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
n/a
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Black Manhattan is an amaro-based version of the legendary Manhattan cocktail. The drink is made with rye, Averna (bitter Italian amaro), orange bitters, and Angostura bitters. To make the drink, all the ingredients are stirred with ice, and the cocktail is then strained into a chilled cocktail glass.


This Manhattan variation was created in 2005 by Todd Smith, a mixologist at the Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco. The cocktail is now considered a modern classic. Black Manhattan is served in a coupe glass garnished with a cherry.

10

Cocktail

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
n/a
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Classic Frisco cocktail is an old American cocktail that combines bourbon and Bénédictine—French herbal liqueur. The original recipes did not specify the type of whisky, but in the 1940s, bourbon became a more prominent choice.


Contemporary recipes often suggest rye as the preferred option, and most modern variations also include freshly squeezed lemon juice. The drink can be stirred or shaken, and it is usually served in a coupe glass and garnished with a lemon twist. Not much is known about its history, but the first written mention is often accredited to William Boothby in his World Drinks and How to Mix Them, published in 1934. 
11
Cocktail
SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
n/a
12
Cocktail
SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
n/a
13
Cocktail
SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
n/a
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Best San Francisco Beverage Producers

01

Liqueur

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.7
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AWARDS

SFWSC - San Francisco World Spirits Competition - Double Gold

2024, 2023

Bartender Spirits Awards - Double Gold

2023

BEST Brucato Amaro Liqueurs
02

Beer

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.7
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AWARDS

World Beer Cup - Gold

2023, 2022

BEST Fort Point Beer Co. Beers
03

Spirit

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.7
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AWARDS

SFWSC - San Francisco World Spirits Competition - Double Gold

2023

BEST Mestiza Negra Spirits
04

Spirit

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.7
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AWARDS

World Gin Awards - Country Winner

2020

BEST Gothic Gin Spirits
05

Spirit

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.6
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AWARDS

Bartender Spirits Awards - Gold

2021

USC- Ultimate Spirits Challenge - Chairman's Trophy

2023, 2021

USC- Ultimate Spirits Challenge - Top 100

2023

06

Spirit

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.6
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AWARDS

SFWSC - San Francisco World Spirits Competition - Double Gold

2024

IWSC- International wine & spirit competition - Spirit Gold

2024

The Gin Masters - Gold

2022

07

Spirit

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.5
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AWARDS

SFWSC - San Francisco World Spirits Competition - Double Gold

2024

The Rum & Cachaça Masters - Gold

2022

08

Spirit

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.5
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AWARDS

ISC-International Spirits Challenge - Gold trophy

2011

BEST Hiscot Co. Ltd Spirits
09

Spirit

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.5
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AWARDS

The American Whiskey Masters - Gold

2023

BEST Fat Labrador Distillers Spirits
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Best San Francisco Beverages

01

Liqueur

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
5.0
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AWARDS

SFWSC - San Francisco World Spirits Competition - Double Gold

2024, 2023

Bartender Spirits Awards - Double Gold

2023

02

Beer

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
5.0
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AWARDS

World Beer Cup - Gold

2023, 2022

03

Liqueur

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
5.0
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AWARDS

SFWSC - San Francisco World Spirits Competition - Double Gold

2024

Bartender Spirits Awards - Double Gold

2023

04
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AWARDS

SFWSC - San Francisco World Spirits Competition - Double Gold

2024

05

Spirit

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
5.0
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AWARDS

SFWSC - San Francisco World Spirits Competition - Double Gold

2024

06

Spirit

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
5.0
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AWARDS

SFWSC - San Francisco World Spirits Competition - Double Gold

2023

07

Spirit

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
5.0
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AWARDS

World Gin Awards - Country Winner

2020

08

Spirit

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.9
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AWARDS

Bartender Spirits Awards - Gold

2021

USC- Ultimate Spirits Challenge - Chairman's Trophy

2023

USC- Ultimate Spirits Challenge - Top 100

2023

09

Spirit

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.9
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AWARDS

Bartender Spirits Awards - Gold

2021

USC- Ultimate Spirits Challenge - Chairman's Trophy

2021

10

Spirit

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.8
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AWARDS

IWSC- International wine & spirit competition - Spirit Gold

2024

11
Spirit
SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.8
12
13
Spirit
SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.8
14
Spirit
SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.8
15
Spirit
SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.8
16
Spirit
SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.8
17
Spirit
SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.8

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