The Best Bar to. . . Get the Business Scoop From a Bartender: Elixir The owner and bartender has an M.B.A. and intel on business locals in San Francisco. Try his award-winning Bloody Mary.

In San Francisco: H. Joseph Ehrmann, Elixir

As bartenders go, H. Joseph Ehrmann, proprietor of Elixir in San Francisco, is a certified rock star. He was named 2010 Bartender of the Year by Nightclub and Bar magazine. Patrons line up three deep for his Manhattans (which boast Buffalo Trace bourbon). Heck, even the selection on his 1950s-style jukebox gets props (folk meets world meets honky-tonk and more).

Still, among entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and folks in green business, "H," as he's known, is most renowned as the Bay Area's best bartender if you're on the market for some work-related gossip.

Maybe it's because he's a good listener. Maybe it's his MBA from Thunderbird. Or maybe it's those green business happy-hour events he hosts on the second Thursday of every month. Whatever the reason, customers feel comfortable chatting with H. And H is happy to spill.