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Whether your drink of choice is a margarita, a Manhattan or something spirit-free, enjoying a cocktail can be the perfect way to unwind on vacation. And if you prefer cocktails over beer and wine, it’s not always easy to find places that mix the best examples, rather than just include them among other adult beverage options on their menus.

Luckily, the Monterey region has some excellent options to consider when you’re in the mood for a cocktail. From an upscale bar to a saloon, island-style retreat, rooftop bar or golf-course grill, you may just find your new favorite drink.

Named for “the interval between day and night when time stops and examines itself” in John Steinbeck’s “Cannery Row,” Pearl Hour in Monterey is a good place to spend that interval. The blue-hued, upscale cocktail bar has an expansive list of options, including seasonal cocktails that make use of local plants, herbs and fruits from nearby farmers’ markets.

Duck in any night, or plan your visit around a live music offering or monthly drag show. Taste the Tea With Maestra, a seasonal concoction with Mijenta Reposado Tequila, elderflower and honeycomb bitters served in a fancy teacup. Or consider the house-favorite Cali Old Fashioned, combining whiskey, California bay laurel and Big Sur citrus bitters. Those in search of spirit-free cocktails won’t be disappointed by the Forest Bath with wild-foraged herbal tea and citrus cordial.

Blend the bohemian style of historic Carmel with a Western saloon and the quirky elegance of old-school San Francisco, and you get Barmel. Inside, you’ll spy the bar from Sally Stanford’s Sausalito restaurant Valhalla, which attracted celebrity customers like Marlon Brando and Lucille Ball. Earlier, it was part of the Prohibition industry of San Francisco with illegal liquor being brought in through the docks of Sausalito.

Swing by for Supper Club, catch some live music or belly up to the historic bar and celebrate the freedom to imbibe with a classic drink in a fun, hip setting. Try the Prickly Pear Lemon Drop made with Ketel One vodka, prickly pear and Giffard triple sec, or even the Mezcal Negroni with Madre Mezcal Espadin, Carpano Classico and Aperol. It’s pretty hard to go wrong.

During an island time escape to Hula’s Island Grill in Monterey, discover that despite the vast ocean miles between California and Hawaii, it’s really not far in spirit. At this California twist on an island classic, it’s appropriate that tiki drinks abound here, poured into fun ceramic glasses that add to the tropical atmosphere.

If you’re a tiki traditionalist, pick the Hula’s Mai Tai, a blend of gold rum, orange Curacao, pineapple and lime juice, orgeat and topped with a dark rum float. Or perhaps the One-Eyed Pyrat speaks to you, made with Pyrat rum, pineapple juice and ginger brew. The premium cocktail menu includes C & K (Don Julio Blanco Tequila, fresh lime, house-made orgeat, orange Curacao, pineapple and Fortaleza Añejo Tequila) and POG Punch (Plantation Pineapple Rum and house-made passionfruit/orange/guava juice).

Grab a cocktail-time perch at this Monterey rooftop bar atop Hotel 1110 and get a bonus — views of Del Monte Beach and Lake El Estero. The LindaRose Bar & Grill is a relaxing getaway even in chilly months with heat lamps to tame the evening breeze. Tucked into a neighborhood between the Naval Postgraduate School and Downtown Monterey, it gives guests the sense that they’ve discovered a secret spot away from the crowds.

Depending on your cocktail preferences, try a Ginger-Tumeric Marg (tequila, ginger-turmeric syrup, lime juice, mint and chili salt), a locally appropriate Dock Ricketts Negroni (the Botanist gin, Amaro Lucano and Carpano Antica Vermouth) or dive into a Tiki Bowl (light and dark rum, passionfruit, lemon juice and 151 rum). Then, kick back and watch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean.

On the grassy grounds of the municipal Pacific Grove Golf Links and across Asilomar Avenue from the Point Pinos Lighthouse, (the oldest continually operating lighthouse on the West Coast), the Grill at Point Pinos is ideally placed with great ocean views at the edge of Pacific Grove. Certified by the Green Restaurant Association, the Grill has replaced single-use plastic beverage containers with refillable sport bottles, used green cleaning products, corn starch-based straws and recycled post-consumer waste beverage napkins among other responsible practices.

For a refreshing cocktail option, taste the Ramos Gin Fizz with Junipero gin, fresh lemon and lime juice, orange flower water, egg white and sugar. Those celebrating the end of an early golf day might prefer the Smashing Basil with Sipsmith Gin, fresh lemon juice, muddled basil and sugar.