Overproof, ABV's Fancier New Upstairs Bar
San Francisco bar ABV has opened Overproof, a spacious experience in the balcony. It operates on reservations (unlike downstairs), so you book a bar or table seat (I believe reservations are for 2 hour slots) and order from a different food and drinks menu than the bar downstairs.
All photos credit Grace Sager
They offer tasting flights (drinks served all at once), a tasting menu (a coursed experience, and what I'd recommend for your first visit), as well as cocktails a la carte. Rather than $15 cocktails downstairs, they are $16-$22 upstairs (all creative riffs on classics) and made with high-end spirits. They also have a selection of upscale and rare spirits for sale, but I was too distracted by the cocktails to look at the back bar.
Food is mostly not vegetarian, with tinned seafood like sardines and caviar the specialty of the menu. However the salad and potatoes I had upstairs were both great- they do a good job when they try.
On my visit I did both of the cocktail tasting menus ($40 for 3 drinks or $75 for all 6, per person). Here the drinks are a bit more creative than downstairs (where they tend to emphasize heavy spirits), with coconut-infused McCarthy's whiskey, corn and tortilla-infused mezcal, and homemade Pimm's. The Sauna Cocktail comes with pu'erh syrup and a cedar 'steam' made with dry ice beneath the glass. That's as close to razzle dazzle as you'll ever find at ABV!
Overall, I really like the new incarnation of Overproof (you may remember it used to be a timed pairing experience with no substitutions) - you have a little more space, some new food and drink options, and you can do it according to your schedule. It's a touch fancier than downstairs but this is no Artesian/impress-the-client hotel bar but more of a date night spot- the prices aren't outrageous by any means, and it's the same great staff. The only trick to it is remembering to make a reservation in advance.
