Brad Levine really liked his job distributing grants out of the U.S. Department of Labor’s San Francisco office.

His work included helping formerly incarcerated people get back on their feet and providing free apprenticeships to high school dropouts so they weren’t locked out of the job market for life. “That was my favorite program,” he says.

Then came the Department of Government Efficiency, a slash-and-burn effort overseen by Elon Musk that tore through the federal workforce in 2025, causing widespread disruption and indeterminate cost savings (opens in new tab). Last April, Levine saw the writing on the wall and quit just before his office headcount was slashed in half. “It was decimated,” he says. “Everyone’s work had to be realigned.”

During his time with the Labor Department, Levine had enjoyed being the office “spirit guide” — the coworker everyone turned to for information about alcoholic beverages, in part due to his experience operating a liquor store in rural Washington state. So when the Castro space that formerly housed the natural wine shop Bottle Bacchanal came on the market after the trend for unfiltered vintages fizzled out, Levine leapt at the opportunity to, once again, become a purveyor of sake and gin.

Full Proof (opens in new tab) opened in February, with assistance from Levine’s partner, Jada, a full-time government worker whom Levine refers to as “my better two-thirds.” Considering the precariousness of federal employment, he declined to specify her last name or which agency she works for. But, he says, “we can rule out Area 51.”

While the Castro’s constellation of LGBTQ+ bars has an enduring reputation for pouring tequila shots and vodka-sodas, Full Proof’s customer base has more expansive tastes. “It’s a big gin spot,” he says.

One strong seller is Scarlet Aperitivo Bitter Liqueur, which claims to be the first amaro produced in Japan. “People love the amaros,” Levine says. “They’re the natural wines of 2026.” 

The only items on Full Proof’s top shelves have been hard to source in recent years: alternating bottles of green and yellow Chartreuse. They’ve been in short supply since the French monks who craft the liqueur intentionally slowed (opens in new tab) the pace of production. Levine, who favors the more herbaceous, higher-proof green variety, says the display has caught eyes. “When people see the Chartreuse, they say that’s the most they’ve ever seen in the city.” 

Levine’s willingness to open certain bottles and allow a small taste before purchase helps Full Proof stand out from other bottle shops. Take Bond & Lillard, a somewhat under-the-radar straight bourbon, charcoal-filtered and produced in small batches. It retails for $62.50 per pint — a commitment, even for fanatics. “But I’ve sold more of these than I have of Basil Hayden because I have an open bottle,” Levine says, referring to a popular premium bourbon.

The shop has something else that few others do: comfy chairs in the front window. One regular, Nancy, occasionally hangs out in the afternoons, crocheting and waving to passers-by. “They’ll see a friendly face and know there’s something warm inside,” Levine says.

Unlike bottle shops that bury nonalcoholic options toward the back, Full Proof’s NA section is on the first shelves customers see when they walk in. That decision came from Jada, who is “sober-ish,” Levine says. There’s a wide selection of Non, a brand of wine alternatives that an Australian bartender developed for his girlfriend. “It will be the first stuff to make the top shelf, along with Chartreuse.” 

The burgeoning popularity of zero-proof beverages notwithstanding, Full Proof does a brisk business in good, old-fashioned booze. Levine’s biggest surprise comes from inventory he bought from his predecessor: a stock of tomato-, anchovy-, and olive-flavored vermouths from California producer Veso.

“That olive vermouth with our salt gin and blue-cheese-stuffed olives is one of the best martinis that I’ve ever made,” he says.