Expert Picks: Summer Cocktails

1199 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110 (map)

Agricole Mule: This cocktail, on the menu at Beretta since it opened, calls for several summer drink essentials: rum, lime, a ginger beer approximation and mint. It's also a perfect fusion of two other summertime drinks--the Moscow Mule and the Mojito.

1700 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94115 (map)

The Smoked Cup: The Pimm's Cup is already a quintessential summer drink and, at Dosa's Fillmore location, they do it one better by adding the flavors of the grill into the mix. This drink calls for smoky organic mescal, Pimm's, black cardamom tincture and ginger beer, and it's garnished with cucumber and smoked sea salt.

Pier 1.5, San Francisco, CA 94111 (map)

Pisco Sour: Take advantage of the pier-side patio seating this summer--and of a drink that tastes like summer all year round: the Pisco Sour, Peru's national cocktail. The wonderfully simple drink is just Peruvian grape brandy, lime, simple syrup, egg white to give it a nice frothy texture and a couple of dashes of bitters on top for decoration.

1469 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94107 (map)

The Shipwreck: Tiki drinks, with their exotic names, custom ceramic bowls and abundance of garnish, were designed to be year-round escapist cocktails rather than summer fun drinks, though they work just as well as those. At Potrero Hill's Lingba Lounge, your Shipwreck is made with dark rum, fresh coconut juice, vanilla syrup and orange bitters, and comes served in a coconut shell.

1000 Great Hwy, San Francisco, CA 94121 (map)

Sage Press: The ocean-facing Beach Chalet has the better view, but the Park Chalet on the backside of the building has the better weather. Surrounded by trees and the building to fend off the fog, you can sit on lawn chairs (on a real lawn) and enjoy a summer drink like the Sage Press (gin, sage, sugar, lime, ginger and soda) in real summer-like conditions.

1 Ferry Bldg, San Francisco, CA 94105 (map)

Indian Summer: This drink one-ups the gin-and-grapefruit Salty Dog by adding biodynamic elderflower syrup to the recipe. While there are only a few coveted outdoor tables at this Ferry Building restaurant, this drink will have you feeling shipshape for a walk along the water soon after.

1725 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117 (map)

Ramos Gin Fizz: This tiny bar and restaurant can be hard to squeeze into at night, but it opens at noon Fridays through Sundays, and you can stretch out with a paper, a meal and cocktails from the separate daytime drink menu. The best is the Ramos Gin Fizz, the foamy, fizzy, citrusy classic from New Orleans, where it's considered a breakfast drink.