For a Martini evocative of Northern California's cool coastal terrain, stir up this herbaceous sipper from True Laurel in San Francisco. Co-owner and bar director Nicolas Torres makes a tincture using California bay laurel, a plant native to the Bay Area, for the cocktail, complementing the gin's juniper aroma with the plant's spicy, floral notes. A Meyer lemon peel is expressed over the finished cocktail for sweet, citrus brightness. "For us, the Martini isn't just a combination of gin and vermouth," Torres explains. "It's an opportunity to express place."