Of course there’s no way to traverse the great whiskey expanse of San Francisco, California, in only one three-day weekend, but my fellow Babe and I headed out on the Megabus and did our best. Don’t worry: We’ll be back.
DISTILLERIES:
We’d been drooling over Seven Stills since we spotted them in Santa Cruz, and jumped at the chance to tour their recently expanded spot in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco.
We tasted their line up of whiskies plus their suite of bitters. All on point!
BARS:
Be a tourist and grab an Irish coffee to complement your breakfast at the Buena Vista Cafe. Just watch out for cream mustaches.
They’re so good you’ll also want to take one to go. And guess what? You can!
We stopped in at Beretta on a whim on our way to BART and ended up staying for a long while. The bartender made us drinks with a hint of magic, and found us the perfect whiskey to match our straight-laced style.
Located on the Embarcadero, Hard Water boasts an immense collection of whiskies. Anywhere that needs a ladder to access all their whiskey is all right by us.
At Nihon Whisky Lounge, try your best to make a selection from the 1,000+ whiskey options. It may seem overwhelming, but your waiter can guide your way. (Bonus tip: Have the chef make you a custom sushi roll. You won’t be disappointed.)
NON-BOURBON EXPERIENCES:
On a tip from a coworker, we swung “underground” to White Chapel, a gin-focused bar, and found none other than our Santa Cruz favorite: Venus Spirits’ Gin No. 02, aged to perfection in whiskey barrels.
If you can make it into the city on a Thursday evening, be sure to swing by the California Academy of Sciences for their weekly Nightlife event. No children allowed, only $12 to get in, and you can have a whiskey while you peruse the museum. We were too busy being astronauts and sleuths for drinks this time, though.
NOT PICTURED, BUT WORTH VISITING
Bourbon and Branch: This famed speakeasy is an Instagram-lover’s sad face, but a whiskey lover’s happy face. Make a reservation and be sure to meet Manny.
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Travel Like a Babe is a series focusing on whiskey travel tips for destinations around the globe.
Been to any of these spots? Have somewhere we need to check out next time we’re in town? Let us know in the comments.
