Perhaps best known for their Harbor Of Broken Souls Gin, Sarah and Josh Opatz, the couple behind Young & Yonder Spirits, turn out compelling amaro, vodka, and whiskey.  The gleaming black walls of the tasting room just off of Healdsburg’s main drag frame a chic tasting lounge where brown suede chairs are at home alongside brass fittings. While you savor a Modern G&T made with the H.O.B.S. Gin, nosh on peanuts — choose from margarita, spicy jalapeno, and Virginia salted — and revel in the simple pleasure of a classic bar snack with a classic cocktail. 

After taking a gander at the gigantic stills just outside Spirit Works tasting room, sidle up to the bar or plop onto a cozy couch to taste the Four Grain Straight Bourbon, Barrel Gin, and other spirits from husband-and-wife team Timo and Ashby Marshall. A rotating menu of three cocktails — December’s include a riff on a hot buttered rum, a rye vodka-cranberry-lime-tonic creation, and a rye whiskey and sloe gin cocktail reminiscent of a spiced Manhattan — can be paired with boozy samples. To ward off hunger, head to the Barlow to find sustenance.

A classic 1944 mai tai made with lime, curaçao, and orgeat served in a tiki mug alongside a plate of Spam musubi? Check. Scorpion bowl with a pupu platter? Check. Kitschy tiki decor? Check. Check. Check. This is to say: Tiki culture is alive and well at Wilfred’s Lounge, a bar where Hawaiian shirts are welcome and ukuleles and spontaneous bursts of song are common. Sitting on the patio, Tahitian punch in hand, with views of the Napa River, surrounded by statuesque tikis and a thatched bar, you might just think the trade winds blew you here.

After 20 years of drawing crowds to downtown Napa with a well-executed menu dedicated to the culinary traditions of Northern Spain, Zuzu proprietor Mick Salyer turned his attention to gin, opening a gin-based cocktail bar adjacent to the original restaurant earlier this fall.  The rough-hewn woods and golden-hued walls enhance the tavern vibe while bar manager Josh Weed spins juniper-fueled gold with cocktails like the lavender and rose-scented April Showers or the Capisce, layered with tomato water, basil oil, truffle, and lime. Try one on the new patio.

With plenty of burnished wood and cut-out shelves meant to look like pot stills, California Brandy House might feel like stepping into a distillation apparatus rather than a downtown Napa tasting room dedicated to California’s original fermented grape beverage. Grab a seat for a flight of Argonaut and learn about the history of a product that’s been intertwined with wine production since California’s Mission days. Or discover the Cognac-driven spirit and independent ethos behind Germain Robin, a Mendocino-made, French-style brandy that pairs perfectly with a charcuterie and cheese board.

A barrel room gussied up with twinkly lights and a wide Persian rug add to the casual yet comfortable atmosphere Petaluma does so well. Design your own spirit flight — White Whiskey, Persimmon Vodka, and Sir Lord Francis Grappa are in season now, but the very popular cold brew coffee liqueur is a must — and relax for a minute with a pre-made charcuterie box or fancy popcorn. For those days when more is more, stay for a house cocktail and food from partner Stockhome; try the Wiener schnitzel or the fried chicken sandwich.

Well aware that a fermented beverage made from honey and wild yeast fell out of favor in the 5th century when fermented grain (a.k.a beer) took off, former brewmaster Gordon Hull set to tinkering with mead, looking for ways to make it less sweet. At his pastoral, greenhouse-adjacent tasting room fringed by 16 acres of forage favored by local bees, Hull crafts meads a la methode champenoise that are perfect for a BYO picnic at one of the tables on the grounds. Madras Carrot Blossom is downright earthy, akin to a Belgian saison, while Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Blossom is rich and full-bodied, an able partner for dishes like smoked duck

At once the name for a beautiful tidefall in Marin County and the old French spelling for “to the sea,” Almere is the work of restaurateurs Susannah and Olivier Souvestre. Made in a traditional alembic style in a still imported from Bordeaux, France, the French-wheat vodka, espelette chili vodka, London dry gin, and gin made with makrut lime and lemongrass are all worth a sample. Until the owners open a formal tasting room, try the spirits at the bar at Zalta, the couple’s Mediterranean restaurant in downtown Sausalito. The Positano, a riff on a Negroni topped with Aquafaba foam, is a must.

Though the mother ship in Sonoma also offers a tasting room with chocolate truffle and caviar pairings for the brand’s well-regarded vodka, Hanson’s Sausalito space is distinctly Marin. Set above an art gallery with views across Richardson Bay to San Francisco, the lounge is framed as much by the view as by the artwork. Start with a Mandarin Greyhound, then pair it with Regis Ova Caviar or Hog Island Oysters. A cheese and charcuterie plate is available for the seafood averse.