Name: The Alchemist

Effect: A potion for the perfect night.

Components:
1 managing partner (Gitane’s Kinson Lau)
1 longtime pal and business partner (Phil Chen)
3 mixologists (Comstock Saloon’s Seth Laufman, The Tipsy Pig’s Jessica Everett, and Burritt Room’s David Jones)
1 floor of a brick-walled SoMa space
A dash of steampunk (industrial accents, exposed copper pipes)-meets-eccentric professor (quilted leather couches, phonograph, shuffleboard) decor

Variables: Count on a house menu of ten rotating drinks (made with floral gin and smoky mezcal), a weekly chalkboard special (infused with recommendations from a Chinese herbalist), and a series of emerging and established guest bartenders.

Two projectors display an ADD alternative to artwork: Depending on the night’s vibe, they’ll beam anything from cult classics to sepia-tone imagery.

Instructions: Mix well and visit often.

The Alchemist, 679 3rd Street, between Townsend and Brannan Streets, second floor (415-746-9968 or alchemistsf.com).

Photos: Phoebe G. / Courtesy of The Alchemist