Stoa, the one-year-old cocktail bar with food in the Lower Haight from the team behind Nopalito, just landed on a national list of the best new cocktail bars in the country.

Punch Magazine, a cocktail publication for booze nerds and aficionados, just unveiled their 2024 list of the best new bars — a brief list of just five, spanning the entire country.

"It's 2024, and the bar world is not immune from the algorithmic flattening of culture that has shaped so much of our modern world," the Punch editors write. "While the past few years have seen a steady rise in cocktail quality across the board, there's been a palpable rise in sameness occurring in lockstep."

While trends come and go, Punch seeks to honor cocktail spots that more idiosyncratic, bars, they say, "that can tap into the tastes and techniques of the moment and make them [their] own."

In addition to honoring Bar Contra in New York, Miami's Viceversa, and a pair of Midwest newcomers, Public Parking in Madison and Cobra in Columbus, Punch bestows high praise on Stoa, calling it "an altar to quiet minimalism."

They praise bar manager Yanni Kehagiaras, who previously managed the bars at Nopalito and Liholiho Yacht Club, who created a menu of classics and twists on classics where all cocktails "clock in at four ingredients or fewer." This means that Kehagiaras relies "on his studied expertise and deep understanding of his backbar to find perfect balance.

"The fewer the elements, the better," Kehagiaras says.

The editors especially call out the Hedge Maza (a personal favorite), a subtle but delicious riff on a Martini with St. George Spirits Terroir gin, green Chartreuse, and Dolin Blanc vermouth. The recipe is here.

Stoa - 701 Haight Street at Pierce - Open Monday to Saturday at 4 pm

Photo: SFist