People have lived on the site of San Francisco since at least 3000 BC and there were Native American villages on the bay when the first Spanish explorers arrived, but it was on this day in 1776 that Spanish colonists first established the Mission of San Francisco of Assisi.
A sleepy little place originally, San Fran expanded hugely during the Gold Rush of 1848, after gold was found in its streams. Treasure seekers, among them the bartender Jerry Thomas, flooded into town, while bars sprang up that combined rough spirits with glitter and gold and often had a brothel up top.
What better way to mark San Francisco's anniversary, and its many fabulous bars, than with a Cable Car cocktail? It was created by Tony Abou-Ganim at San Fran's 21-storey-high Starlight Room in reference to the bar's catchphrase, "between the stars and the cable cars".
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