A tip of the cap to Laine Clifford for calling our attention to this piece from the BBC. This is a splendid quintet of watering holes, IMO.
I've been wondering how Bix has been doing due to its location and its patronage, or lack thereof, in this decidedly declasse culture.
I had the pleasure of seeing Charles Pierce at Gold Street back in the 70s. A true tour de force, I also wonder if Charles would pass muster in this hypervigilant, hypersensitive, and often seemingly thin-lipped and humorless woke world.
19th November 2023, 06:00 PST
By Jenna Scatena Features correspondent
A tour of San Francisco's best bars from mixologist Josh Harris (Credit: SiliconValleyStock/Alamy)
From Tadich Grill to Comstock Saloon, famed mixologist Josh Harris shares five of his favourite bars inspired by the city's notorious Barbary Coast era.
San Francisco's Barbary Coast, a red-light district which lasted from the 1849 California Gold Rush until roughly the Roaring 1920s, was one of the most colourful and notorious neighbourhoods in American history. For much of the 19th and early 20th Centuries, it was populated by miners, sailors, criminals and a variety of other unsavoury characters who flocked to the city's bustling waterfront. The Barbary Coast became renowned for its saloons, dance halls, brothels and nightlife, and it set the stage for a cocktail revolution that swept across the country. Here, drinks weren't just viewed as libations, but instead acted as a form of entertainment, with bartenders held in high regard due to their skill and showmanship.
Today, the Barbary Coast's legacy can still be felt (and tasted) in many of San Francisco's best bars. This spirit of "Old" San Francisco remains especially alive in parts of the modern North Beach, Chinatown and Financial District neighbourhoods that once comprised it. Connected to this iconic period of history is a unique array of cocktails that earn awards and praise from imbibers around the world.
Josh Harris is the proprietor of Trick Dog, a James Beard Foundation Award-nominated bar that captures the spirit of the city's Barbary Coast days by infusing each craft cocktail with distinct flavours that echo the city's rich history. Here, he recommends his favourite cocktail bars around San Francisco.
A tour of San Francisco's best cocktail bars from mixologist Josh Harris
Greg