Where to Drink Absinthe in San Francisco
March 5th will mark the nineteenth annual Absinthe Day, celebrating nineteen years since the “green fairy,” or absinthe, was made legal again in the United States. I remember a time when a trip to Paris meant many afternoons at Le Petit Pont in the Quartier Latin, downing generous quantities of the anise flavored spirit. The euros spent and hangovers suffered were a toll I was willing to pay in exchange for the bragging rights that took effect the moment I stepped foot on American soil.
Even though I’m not a great fan of star anise or black licorice, the bittersweet elixir tasted exquisite because I knew I was getting away with something I couldn’t do back home. That slightly mischievous feeling, getting away with something, carries a certain inexplicable satisfaction. And, if the truth be told, I probably consumed more absinthe in Paris in the summer of 2006 than I have in the last nineteen years in the United States.
I’m not alone. Many people find the star anise or black licorice flavor of absinthe to be as polarizing as cilantro. This slightly sweet, medicinal profile is far more popular in European and Mediterranean countries, where drinks like ouzo, raki, and pastis have remained common throughout the 20th century. Americans, on the other hand, had more of an affinity for this bittersweet flavor during the Victorian era, a time when absinthe was at its worldwide heyday, but today, most prefer sweeter, fruitier flavors.
As the late, great Herb Caen observed nearly a century ago, San Francisco marches to the beat of its own drummer. The city and its people possess that certain “only in SF” quality we still talk about today. Unlike the average American, San Franciscans have long had an appreciation for bittersweet flavors that many consider too medicinal. Around the time absinthe was banned in the United States, a large number of Italian immigrants settled in San Francisco, bringing with them culinary traditions such as the enjoyment of amari, Italian bittersweet liqueurs consumed as digestifs. San Francisco became one of the first places in the US to experience Fernet, in particular.
When Prohibition hit in 1920, the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act banned most alcoholic beverages. There were, however, a few exceptions. One was Fernet Branca, which was classified as medicinal. Anyone could visit a pharmacy, complain of digestive issues, and walk out with a bottle. Foolishly, authorities considered it unpalatable, grossly underestimating the San Francisco palate. To this day, Fernet Branca remains the unofficial bartender’s handshake in the City by the Bay. In fact, San Franciscans consume more of it than anywhere else in the world outside Italy, except for Argentina, where people typically mix it with Coca Cola.
So what does Fernet Branca have to do with absinthe? Quite a lot, actually. All that Fernet Branca consumption had well prepared San Franciscans for the comeback of absinthe in 2007. The lift of the absinthe ban coincided with the modern cocktail revival, a movement in which San Francisco played a major role. St. George Distillery had quietly perfected and stockpiled the first American made absinthe for years, waiting for the day they’d be allowed to sell it. On March 5, 2007, their patience and hard work paid off.
One of the first restaurant bars in the city to serve absinthe, carry St. George Absinthe & help lead the modern cocktail revolution was the appropriately named Absinthe Brasserie and Bar in Hayes Valley. They also imported European absinthes and offered the full ritual: lighting a sugar cube ablaze on a special spoon and dripping water over it into a glass of the bittersweet liquor. A handful of bars in the city still offer this 19th century bohemian tradition. More significantly, bartenders began using absinthe to recreate classic pre Prohibition cocktails from the early days of American mixology.
Drinks like the Corpse Reviver #2 and the Sazerac began appearing on menus across San Francisco. I was a newcomer to the city in 2007, just as it was buzzing with an exhilarating cocktail culture. A new spot around the corner from my first job, at Taylor and O’Farrell Streets, was the talk of the town: Bourbon & Branch, a trailblazer in the modern cocktail movement. Although my East Coast palate wasn’t ready for the full anise flavor of the classic absinthe presentation, I quickly came to enjoy cocktails that incorporated it more subtly. To this day, the Corpse Reviver #2 is a drink I absolutely love and recommend to others. When the aromatics and light bittersweet sensation of star anise mingle with the botanicals of gin, Lillet and the lightly sweet, fruity note of orange curaçao, something magical happens.
After nearly two decades of living and drinking in San Francisco, I have to admit my palate has changed. I’ve developed a real appreciation for amari, including Fernet Branca, and other bittersweet spirits. I’m certain that on my next trip to Paris, I’ll stop by Le Petit Pont and order the full bohemian style absinthe service, partly for nostalgia and partly for genuine enjoyment.
Best Places to try the full 19th century style bohemian absinthe service in San Francisco
North Beach
Comstock Saloon
155 Columbus Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
The Haight
The Alembic
1725 Haight Street
San Francisco, Ca 94117
The Mission
Elixir
3200 16th Street
San Francisco, Ca 94103
Union Square
Pacific Cocktail Haven
3200 16th Street
San Francisco, Ca 94108
Hayes Valley
Absinthe Brasserie & Bar
398 Hayes Street
San Francisco, Ca 94102
Best Absinthe Cocktails in San Francisco
Corpse Reviver # 2
The Corpse Reviver #2 is a cocktail that originally served as a “hair of the dog” remedy. It was enjoyed in the United States before Prohibition and later popularized in London by Harry Craddock during the Prohibition era. The Corpse Revivers were actually a family of cocktails rather than a single recipe, with the #2 gaining popularity through Craddock’s 1930s publication, The Savoy Cocktail Book. He famously warned, “Four of these taken in swift succession will unrevive the corpse again.”
Bars such as Bourbon & Branch and Absinthe Brasserie and Bar helped bring the drink back into fashion during the modern mixology movement. Today, most skilled bartenders can prepare one on request. The cocktail is made by shaking equal parts lemon juice, Cointreau, gin, and Lillet, then straining the mixture into an absinthe-rinsed coupe glass.
Where to get a Corpse Reviver #2 in SF:
Stookey’s Club Moderne
895 Bush Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
Sazerac
The Sazerac is a classic cocktail, an “Old Fashioned” of sorts, that was invented in New Orleans. It features Peychaud’s Bitters, which were also created in New Orleans, and gained popularity before Prohibition. Our own “Cocktail Bill” Boothby served the recipe in San Francisco and included it in his cocktail book. Today, it remains one of the most celebrated classic cocktails and is the official cocktail of New Orleans. Any skilled bartender in San Francisco should be able to stir a good Sazerac.
When absinthe was made illegal, New Orleans created Herbsaint, another anise flavored liqueur made without wormwood. For the last nineteen years, the original has once again been enjoyed nightly at countless bars across the United States.
To prepare a Sazerac, a sugar cube is placed in a mixing glass and soaked with Peychaud’s Bitters and a splash of water. Two ounces of rye whiskey are added and stirred with ice. The mixture is then strained into an Old Fashioned glass coated with absinthe, and a lemon peel is expressed over the top. The drink packs a punch yet feels light on the palate, a whiskey cocktail that remains remarkably refreshing even on a hot, sticky summer day.
Where to order a Sazerac in SF:
Brazen Head
3166 Buchanan Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
Death in the Afternoon
Death in the Afternoon is a tribute to one of the world’s greatest writers and drinker’s, Earnest Hemingway. This combination of booze and bubbles is the perfect tribute to this legendary man. It is straight forward and gets the job done. It typically is prepared with 1 to 1 1/2 ounces of absinthe poured into a coup or flute and topped with 4 ounces of Champagne. It is potent, so proceed with caution. In some circles it is referred to as the Hemingway or Hemingway Champagne.
Where to order a Death in the Afternoon in SF:
Vesuvio Cafe
255 Columbus Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
Remember the Maine
In 1898, the USS battleship Maine sank in Havana Harbor, Cuba. During that time, Americans adopted the slogan “Remember the Maine!” as a patriotic rallying cry. President McKinley was in office then. The Waldorf Astoria Cocktail Book from 1935 included a nearly identical cocktail named after him, called McKinley’s Delight. It was Charles H. Baker Jr., however, who published The Gentleman’s Companion in 1939 and gave the drink its lasting name, “Remember the Maine.” Baker had enjoyed the cocktail in Havana during the 1933 Cuban Revolution. For whatever reason, the name “Remember the Maine” endured and is still used today, even in a world that has nearly forgotten this moment in U.S. history.
History aside, the drink is delicious and a perfect choice for rye whiskey enthusiasts. It is made by stirring two ounces of rye whiskey with three quarters of an ounce of sweet vermouth and one third of an ounce of Cherry Heering, then straining the liquid into an absinthe rinsed coupe. It is garnished with a brandied cherry. This spirit forward cocktail offers a distinctive and elegant twist on the Manhattan.
Where to order a Remember the Maine in SF:
Spruce
3640 Sacramento Street
San Francisco, CA 94118
Chrysanthemum
This cocktail, which appeared in Hugo Esslin’s 1916 book, was way ahead of its’ time. In recent times, low proof cocktails have really been in vogue. Not to mention vermouth is quietly on the verge of a major revival. This aromatic cocktail can be enjoyed, guilt free, at any time of the day. It is made by stirring 2 ounces of dry or blanco vermouth with 1 ounce Benedictine and 3 dashes of absinthe and straining it into a coup and zesting an orange peel over top. Although it is not a super common order as of early 2026, I predict this pre-prohibition cocktail might just start showing up on more menus by year’s end.
Where to order a Crysanthemum in SF:
Bourbon and Branch
501 Jones Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
