One of the most refreshing cocktails I have ever imbibed, the Spa Collins will transport you on those rare hot days, and ease you into the right frame of mind for live jazz any night of the year.

Price: $8.00

• Haight-Ashbury

One of, if not the only great cocktail with undisputed origins in San Francisco, this hot and foamy whiskey-coffee conglomeration draws drinkers from all over the world to it's point of conception at The Buena Vista Cafe.

Price: $7.50

• Fisherman's Wharf

Blackbird took the barrel-aged Negroni trend and ran with it, never looking back. This latest incarnation of their barrel-aged cocktails incorporates smoky agave with three kinds of bitters and rosé vermouth to make the meanest pink drink you’ve ever ingested.

Price: $12.00

• Castro

It's not a place you go for fancy cocktails, but Specs' is a hidden neighborhood bar—where everyone would like to get to know you while they get inebriated—surrounded by tourist traps and strip clubs.

Price: $6.00

• North Beach/Telegraph Hill

This elixir—a delicate flaxen liquid served ice-cold in a graceful coupe and dusted with flakes of actual gold—is the embodiment of elegance, but the person who makes it for you will probably have neck tattoos.

Price: $11.00

• Haight-Ashbury

There's no espresso in the "House Cappuccino" at Tosca, but this brandied hot chocolate flies off the long, well-worn bar faster than they can steam the milk.

Price: $6.00

• North Beach/Telegraph Hill

Sitting at the Perbacco bar with this appetizing array of house-cured charcuterie, a cold beer, and a crossword puzzle is my favorite way to kill a lunch hour.

Price: $12.00

• Financial District

Crispy pockets of hot duckiness with microgreens, currants, and a sherry reduction are a hidden star on the menu at this vibrant Nuevo Latino restaurant, which might seem a little out of place in the heart of the Inner Sunset.

Price: $10.00

• Inner Sunset

Fernet Branca, easiest described as Jägermeister for grown-ups, is the unofficial official drink of San Francisco. The bar that has sold more of this bitter Italian Amaro than any other spot in town is the R Bar on Sutter.

Price: $5.00

• Civic Center/Tenderloin

Innovative and outrageous cocktails like this orange zinger are at the forefront in this new Market Street restaurant, already a downtown favorite for power lunches and dinner with clients.

Price: $9.00

• SOMA

Like an iron fist in a velvet glove, a Chinese Mai Tai from this Chinatown institution incorporates just enough pineapple juice to conceal the fact that there must be three cocktails worth of rum in your glass.

Price: $9.00

• Chinatown

This adaptation of the classic gin and tonic is garnished with a contortionist cucumber and an ample allocation of aromatic bitters and served in a southwestern saloon right off Union Square.

Price: $9.00

• Union Square

The first line of this drink's description on the 15 Romolo menu reads: "0 to 60 faster than you can spell Lamborghini," and this sweet and strong Lambo cocktail is guaranteed to get your motor running.

Price: $10.00

• North Beach/Telegraph Hill

The best of both worlds, you can order some of the town's finest drinks—like this classic New Orleans cocktail—in a dingy Tenderloin dive from craft bartenders trained in fancy cocktail bars.

Price: $8.00

• Civic Center/Tenderloin

With a new outpost on one of the most notorious culinary corners downtown (6th and Market), Pearl's Deluxe is now slinging the most enticing sweet potato fries in SF from two locations.

Price: $2.49

• Multiple Locations