Liquor and Spirits

Maggie Is One Right-On Bartender

First Call: Pearadactyl at 611 Supreme

Ask the Bartender: What Is a "Perfect" Drink?

Ask the Bartender: What Exactly Is Schnapps?

Ask The Bartender: Single Malt vs. Blended Scotch?

Drinks of Color Rarely a Good Idea, Reason #43

Maggie Savarino Dutton is having computer problems, so I'm posting this for her.Maybe I'm just a little oversensitive, but I think some things don't deserve a cocktail named after them. The Union Square Grill usually designs a cocktail for new Seattle theater shows, which is a great marketing tool ... More >>

Ask The Bartender: What About Whiskey And Bourbon?

This question comes from Alison:OK, I'm sure this is a stupid question, but what's the difference between a whiskey, bourbon, and scotch? I noticed for the first time at the store last night that they all say whiskey on the label, and I found this frustrating.This is NOT a stupid question, and it is ... More >>

First Call: Tiger Lounge

A weekly blog feature in which we walk into a bar and ask the bartender to make us his or her favorite drink. The locale: Tiger Lounge, at 412 Orcas St. in Georgetown. It's only been open for three weeks, but I definitely recommend checking it out, not only for the kitschy retro decor, but because ... More >>

Six More Weeks of Winter Drinks

Harvey’s Buttered Rum, from Bremerton, turns boiling water and rum into the region’s official winter warmer.

Starting Over With Tequila

Your post-college primer.

Reviving Three Classics From Grandma’s Liquor Cabinet

Starting with the Pink Squirrel.

And Then There Were Two

Starting with the Pink Squirrel.

Make Your Own Nog!

It’s not that difficult. It’s not that spendy. And it’s really f#$%*&* delicious.

Here's Rye in Your Eye

Folks, now here’s the story ’bout Minnie the Moocher.

Galliano: The Long, Tall Sipper

The seventh installment on those neglected bottles at the back of the bar.

Sweden’s Greatest Gift to Humankind

After Abba, IKEA, and Ace of Base, of course.

Rehabbing the Whiskey Sour

Use egg white, not that piss from a gun.

Before There Was Bourbon, There Was Applejack

No, not the cereal, but perfectly appropriate before noon.

Why Is It So Hard to Get Drunk on Chocolate?

Gimme a drink, not a fucking milk shake!

Pearadactyl at 611 Supreme

A new series about drinking like the pros.

Oh, My Darling Drambuie

It doesn’t burn going down the gullet, and it smells of wildflowers.

Search & Distill: Finding the Right Kind of Bitter

Not just the most convenient.

Search & Distill: The Sensible Way to Stock Your Liquor Cabinet

And get your signature summer cocktails started.

Search & Distill: Scotch With an Open Collar

It's not the stuffy stuff you think it is.

Best Use of Fruit: As Cocktail Ice Cubes

​Even cocktails lose a little bit of their luster in extreme heat. Either ice melts to fast, ruining your highball, or halfway through your martini glass you start to feel a lukewarm burn. Ice cold beer may trump all in this situation, or you could get a little creative and add something froze ... More >>

Search & Distill: Marked Man

​Even cocktails lose a little bit of their luster in extreme heat. Either ice melts to fast, ruining your highball, or halfway through your martini glass you start to feel a lukewarm burn. Ice cold beer may trump all in this situation, or you could get a little creative and add something froze ... More >>

Search & Distill: You Could Use More Sparkling Wine in Your Cocktails

For starters, turn to the French 75.

Ask the Bartender: Do Drink Recipes Matter?

It's that time of week when we answer the questions you're too drunk or shy to ask...This one comes from Samuel: Last night, I overheard a bartender discussing the origin of the martini with a few cocktail connoisseurs. I was fascinated by the debate because it seemed like they couldn't agree, but ... More >>

Ask the Bartender: Do Drink Recipes Matter?

Good things come to those who tinker—and drink Sazeracs.

Ask the Bartender: What's the Lowdown on Brown?

It's that time of week when we answer the questions you're too drunk or shy to ask...This one comes from Doug: I feel stupid asking, but can you give me a simple answer to what the differences are between various brown liquors? For instance, how is brandy different from whiskey, and what are cognac ... More >>

Ask the Bartender: How Do These Brown Liquids Differ?

Differentiating brandy, whiskey, and the rest.

The Rum Diaries

The top five places to drink a pirate's favorite punch this summer.

History You Can Drink at Tavern Law

​ Tavern Law's cocktail menu was built for the bookish drinker. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say it was built specifically for this column. Not only does the menu offer a wide selection of whiskey, it also has: a table of contents, a lovingly crafted overview of the bar's goals, ... More >>

Back to Basics at Juju

The face that launched a thousand diabetic comas.​ Juju, formerly The Bad Juju Lounge on Capitol Hill, now resides in Belltown. It is no longer "Bad" or a "Lounge", which means they better be careful because they're bleeding syllables and I don't think they can afford to keep the last one on i ... More >>

Bourbon: Now at the Columbia City Theater

Daniel Stockman, 2009.​ Whiskey Wednesday's investigation into the sushi and hard liquor situation of Liberty has been postponed for the sake of a a very important event in Columbia City (and quite frankly, the need to explore bars outside of Belltown and Capitol Hill). The historic Columbia C ... More >>

First Call: Staying Cool, Expertly Mixed and Deceptively Mellow at Liberty

​The Watering Hole: Liberty, 517 15th Ave. E. CAPITOL HILL The Atmosphere: Hiding in plain sight on an awesome stretch of 15th Avenue East just down from Victrola Coffee, Coastal Kitchen and Hopvine Pub, Liberty looks and feels like the neighborhood bar you've always wanted. Eclectic and cla ... More >>

Classic Manhattans at The Whisky Bar

Keith Allison, 2010.​ There have been two fairly gaping holes in the core of Whiskey Wednesday since its inception, made not strictly out of personal distaste, but more out of predictability. The first of those is Belltown's Whisky Bar (notice the spelling), a venue I've received more inquisi ... More >>

First Call: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Drunkenness

Keith Allison, 2010.​ There have been two fairly gaping holes in the core of Whiskey Wednesday since its inception, made not strictly out of personal distaste, but more out of predictability. The first of those is Belltown's Whisky Bar (notice the spelling), a venue I've received more inquisi ... More >>

Anywhere but McRory's: A Pioneer Square Whiskey Crawl

Keith Allison, 2010.​ FX McRory's isn't the best steakhouse in Downtown Seattle. Its food can't stand up to the Metropolitan Grill, although its prices certainly attempt to. The Brooklyn Grill provides a calmer, homier ambience that doesn't feel like you've wandered into a combination Applebe ... More >>

Whiskey, Blood and Concealed Weapons at Vessel

​ Vessel sits on 5th Avenue, Downtown Seattle's unofficial home of paying too much money for underwhelming or uninspired returns. Vessel may be in the same price range as its lackluster neighbors, but if there's anything I've learned from an adolescence of Old Crow and grocery store sour mix - ... More >>

What the Hell Is Rye, Anyway?

​I've been on a real Manhattan bender lately. Had never tried one until about a month ago, when a buddy ordered one and I chimed in: I'll have what he's having. I cannot stand sweet cocktails, and was under the misguided impression a Manhattan was sticky, but it's not. So I started trying th ... More >>

Scotch Whisky: Try It, You Might Like It

​The brown liquors aren't for everyone. This is particularly true when it comes to scotch whisky. Many are pungent, smoky, and strong. If you usually drink a Crown and Coke, or a Whiskey Sour, scotch will definitely surprise and perhaps shock your taste buds. I'm a born and bred bourbon whiske ... More >>

5 Fancy Black Market Foods

To cheese? Or not to cheese? That should NOT be the question, and yet here we are.​There are three things that make food taste better than it actually is: starvation, drunkenness, and breaking the law. The United States (government that is) has built up quite the list of foods they don't wa ... More >>

Be Patriotic, Drink Bourbon

Sampling Woodinville Whiskey Co.'s bourbon straight from the barrel. They expect to bottle and sell their first batch of bourbon by fall.​The Fourth of July holiday is just around the corner, and while some people are thinking what should go on the grill, I'm thinking about what should go in t ... More >>

Aperitifs to Tempt Your Tastebuds

​Starting off the evening with a cocktail is something many Americans are familiar with. What goes into those cocktails--vermouth, Lillet, Campari, and the like--are also worthy of sipping on their own. This family of spirits is known as aperitif, a French word derived from Latin that means "t ... More >>

Building a Better Manhattan

​About 30 judges gathered last Friday afternoon in the Chairman's Room at The Metropolitan Grill for the 2nd Annual Manhattan contest. Five Met Grill staff members created variations of the classic cocktail using exclusive bourbons from Woodford Reserve, Elijah Craig, and Eagle Rare. The winni ... More >>

Go Get Your Ginger Bliss On at Rob Roy

Nothing like a Bruja Smash at Rob Roy to kick-start your Saturday.​Need an excuse to drink cocktails on a Saturday afternoon? Well, prolific Seattle-based booze book author A.J. Rathbun is signing copies of his latest, Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz, between 2 and 4 p.m. at Rob Roy. Barten ... More >>

Watch Murray Stenson Make--and Talk About How to Make--an Absinthe Julep (Video)

John KeatleyStenson leans on the bitters-stained bar at Canon.​In most drinker's heads, the term "julep" is invariably preceded by "mint"--especially at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. But Murray Stenson's mind is a little rangier than most. In fact, as this week's cover story ch ... More >>

Toast Scotland's Favorite Son With These Single Malts

What's a single-malt Scotch worthy of the poet Robert Burns?​Scotland has given us many great men--Sean Connery, John Muir...Ewan McGregor. But perhaps no other Scotsman is as celebrated as the 18th century poet and lyricist Robert Burns. January 25th is the annual celebration of the great poe ... More >>