The Victorian tin ceilings are hammered, and you could be too unless you sip these potent concoctions slowly – all expertly crafted from 250 specialty spirits. Classics include the newfangled old fashioned with brown-butter bourbon, but the seasonal menu features limited-edition wonders like summer's Swizzle Me This (gin, run, black pepper, strawberry, Angostura bitters) and winter's Warm Core (citrus, pickled pineapple, Brugal 188 rum float).
Pace yourself with gourmet bar snacks, especially the jerk-spiced duck hearts. Alembic is co-owned by the Booksmith, so boozy book browsing at their next-door shop and event space is encouraged – when you wake up tomorrow amid piles of signed San Francisco novels, you'll know exactly what happened last night.
