Sun Liquor

Opened in late May by the owners of Top Pot Doughnuts, Sun Liquor is a ready-made rendezvous spot on a relatively sleepy street. The dark, cozy lounge is outfitted with the kind of vintage details that have made Top Pot (located next door) such a success, but here they're more exotic. Bamboo bar stools, wall-climbing tin flowers that glow red, and tasteful Southeast Asian accents set the scene for serious drinking. Serious meaning top-shelf liquors, hand-picked herbs, and freshly squeezed juices in concoctions like the Punetazo, whose multiple rums are topped with a float of 151 and a tiny orchid (a garnish that appears on every drink). They move a lot of mojitos, and the house specialty is the mai tai, but you'll find beer, too, in the spectacular vintage refrigerator, a salvaged-piece-of-junk-turned-centerpiece. There are even mini bowls of warm cashews to munch on. Cocktail culture never really goes away, but Sun gets retro just right.607 Summit Ave. E., Seattle, 206-860-1130.