Quick Info
- A walking tour about the history of San Francisco cocktails, bars, and bartenders from the Gold Rush to the Beat Era.
- Mostly outdoors, then we end in a restored 1907 saloon in North Beach for a cocktail together, included in the price.
- Tours take place every Saturday afternoon, or by appointment. More during World Cup! Tickets available here.
- Or start here if you’re interested in a private/corporate tour.
On The Tour
On the tour, you’ll learn about San Francisco’s cocktail history as we share stories, a short walk, and a sip. We’ll meet near the original city shoreline where gold miners and the liquor to supply them were unloaded from ships. We’ll talk about boats converted into bars, opulent hotels and gambling parlors, celebrity boozehounds, and the saloons in which they were seen.
We’ll walk to the site of SF’s first famous drink and learn about its suspected secret ingredient (shhh). We’ll discuss the great earthquake and fire of 1906 that destroyed almost all of the city, then stop by the original red light district. We’ll cover Prohibition in the city, the post-war boom, the birth of tiki, and Trader Vic’s Mai Tai.
We’ll end our tour in a stunning restored 1907 saloon that still serves some of the best drinks in town, and share a small cocktail in celebration of our journey.
Note that this is not a pub crawl – it’s a history tour – with a drink included in the price. After that you’re free to stay for more cocktails on-site or check out any of the other great bars in North Beach.
About Your Host, Camper English
Hi! My name is Camper English. I am a cocktails and spirits journalist and educator – and now a tour guide too.
Everything I know about San Francisco history I learned from its cocktails: I’ve been writing about drinks for 20 years but it wasn’t until I was invited to develop a tour that I put everything in order and created a walking route to show how the city changed from a port for gold miners and dingy saloons into the “Paris of the West” with opulent hotel bars, yet always with an artistic, Bohemian edge.
To fill out the story I share true stories of famous drinkers, celebrity bartenders, lost and found recipes, a few bars that survived an earthquake and more that didn’t.
In addition to my work as a journalist I am the author of two books and I lead other classes such as my Water Tasting Classes.
Tickets can be purchased at this link.
If you have any trouble with purchasing tickets via Airbnb or want to discuss a private tour, you can contact me directly.
