The Best Cocktails in Oakland, Berkeley, and the East Bay | Eater SF

"It’s easy to get distracted by all the wonderful non-cocktail bits of North Light: there’s the book section, the charmingly lo-fi scratchiness of records played over the speakers, plus the cozy barside and patio out back. But the drinks at North Light are their own worthy reason to stop in, with a bar menu put together by a team that obviously loves experimenting with flavors. Most of the drinks come with a strong spirits backbone then expand into unusual ingredients, such as the Jaguar Shark cocktail, made with whisky, lemon, egg white, orgeat, orange curacao, toasted sesame oil, and squid ink. Given the menu, the bartenders are unsurprisingly not afraid to try something new on customers, if you ask politely." - Nico Bianchi