When a store opened up a couple of doors down from star bartender Elmer Mejicanos and chef Adam Rosenblum’s Marina restaurant Causwells, the duo knew they wanted to open a bar entirely dedicated to low-alcohol cocktails. Lilah in San Francisco opened on Chestnut Street in September and is doing some of the most creative cocktails you’ll find in the city right now.
That should come as no surprise to San Franciscans who perhaps best know the duo as the team that opened North Beach hit Red Window in 2021. They’ve since moved on from that spot, but believe it was the first bar to do a full menu of low-ABV cocktails in SF. “Since then, a few other places have opened up with half wine, half spritzes, things like that,” Mejicanos says. “But none had a twenty-and-change cocktail program with just low-proof spirits.”
Mejicanos is one of the most beloved bartenders in SF and has long predicted this movement toward lighter drinks. Instead of calling out drinks by their spirits, he prefers to categorize them by style, and you’ll find 24 cocktails in six different styles at Lilah that’ll change by the season.
Read on for the must-order drinks at Lilah in San Francisco right now, and make a booking on OpenTable.
For a citrusy spritz, order the Lilah
The namesake cocktail taps into our Aperol spritz obsession, but swaps in Martini & Rossi Fiero, a bittersweet orange vermouth. Together with cold-pressed mandarin juice, orange blossom water, an infusion of pink peppercorns, and a splash of prosecco, it’s citrusy, floral, and sparkling.
For a cocktail with sour notes, try the Easy Tiger
By far the most popular sour on the menu right now, this cocktail features Cappelletti Aperitivo (similar to bitter Campari), plus low-proof tequila, passionfruit juice, Tahitian vanilla, a sprinkle of black salt, and a pop of boba pearls. “It’s like a passionfruit margarita turned up,” Mejicanos says. “Almost like a creamsicle situation.”
If you need a martini, the espresso martini is a must
Of course, the Marina calls for martinis, and this one has rich layers of coffee and chocolate. Lilah’s version relies on low-proof rum infused with cacao, dark sherry, walnut bitters, jaggery, and espresso. It’s all topped with nitro vanilla foam and black sesame salt.
For some of the most showstopping drinks in the house, try the Strawberry Hill kakigori
Lilah has a Japanese shaved ice machine to create its showstopping kakigoris, and this strawberry cocktail is already a fan favorite. It features low-proof white rum and strawberry aperitif along with Thai basil, pandan, and soaked chia seeds. “We wanted to do a strawberry bomb,” Mejicanos says. “But I also wanted to mimic that flavor you get when you bite into a strawberry and you get to the green crown and get that bright, grassy note.”
When a Tiki drink calls, go for the I Yam What I Yam
For those obsessed with ube, don’t miss this wild purple drink. It’s got low-proof rum infused with purple yams, coconut sochu, mango juice, and hazelnut extract, all clarified until crystal clear and dusted with purple rice powder. “I wanted to do a play on a mango sticky rice,” Mejicanos says.
For something savory, get the Pho Margarita
This cocktail takes inspiration from Vietnamese noodle soup, which means low-proof tequila infused with chile, aromatics like star anise and cinnamon, a big squeeze of lime, and a generous garnish of cilantro, basil, and mint. “We don’t give people straws, because we want them to get their faces into the herbs,” Mejicanos says.
For something entirely without alcohol, try the Paloma
There’s a sizable selection of non-alcoholic drinks on the menu, and the Paloma is one of the highlights. It’s a fun combination of tequila and the grapefruit-flavored soda Squirt, all served in an old-school glass bottle with a housemade Tajín rim.
Becky Duffett is a food writer living and eating in San Francisco. Her work has appeared in Bon Appétit, EatingWell, The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, Eater SF, and Edible SF.
