As cocktail connoisseurs explore the Bay Area's beverage bounty and continue to reach for the ever-more unconventional libation, local creators of spirits feel the demand for innovation.
Unfortunately for our livers, distillers have risen to the occasion, experimenting with new techniques and ingredients in a never-ending hustle to secure a coveted spot at the bar, where we can't help but order them over some obnoxiously large orb of ice.
These days distilleries are putting twists on millennia-old traditions because a GNS (grain neutral spirit) is one thing, but what one does with it before it goes into the bottle is where the real artistry comes into play.
Here are five of our favorite Bay Area craft distilleries pushing the elixir envelope right now. Pay them a visit and collect some spirit-sipping tips and tidbits about the hooch Smitty's been mixing into your fancy cocktails—specifically the ones that take forever to make. So what are you waiting for? We've got lots of drinking, we mean research, to do.
Seven Stills Distillery
(Courtesy of SF Brewers' Guild)
The newbie of the bunch, Seven Stills Distillery is wonderfully schizophrenic in that it is both a brewery and a distillery.
Launched in 2013 by Tim Obert, Clint Potter and master brewer Rylan Ortiz, Seven Stills specializes in high-quality brews that can be distilled into high-quality booze. It's the only distillery in the Bay Area (and possibly in the U.S.) where you can taste a hand-crafted beer alongside a whiskey made from that same beer, both produced under the same roof.
The Seven Stills Core Series of whiskeys are made using their own beer recipes and are inspired by the Seven Hills of SF, each bottle designed by a different local artist. They also produce a corn-based vodka and several bitters. Enjoy the spirits neat or over a giant chunk of ice, allowing the complex flavors to transform as the beverage dilutes. The distillery is open for tastings ($15) and one-hour guided tours ($23).
// 1439 Egbert Ave Unit C (Bayshore), sevenstillsofsf.com
