Destination bars mix creative cocktails in beguiling settings for a truly unforgettable experience.
Inside Passage
1108 Pike St
insidepassageseattle.com
Giant tentacles dangle above the bar in this underwater-themed Capitol Hill spot, where expert mixologists whip up a menu of tropical classics and reinventions. The Four Boys, named for the original Filipino bartenders who created tiki cocktails, is a delightful blend of rum, mango, rice milk, and ube, and comes served in a rice cooker with a lumpia garnish.
Rob Roy
2332 Second Ave
robroyseattle.com
There are no gimmicks at this classic Belltown cocktail bar unless you count a menu of timeless drinks (try the Japanese Highball), gilded picture frames, tufted-leather barstools, and a James Beard nomination for outstanding bar.
Phocific Standard Time
1923 Seventh Ave
thephobac.com
Sisters Yenvy and Quynh Pham run their family’s chain of seriously excellent Vietnamese restaurants, including this bar hideaway in South Lake Union. Try the Trà Atiso, artichoke tea mixed with pandan leaf and cynar, or the Khoa Was Here, Jameson with a shot of pho broth.
Bad Bishop
704 First Ave
badbishopbar.com
Statement wallpaper, exposed brick, and stacks of vinyl tell you exactly what kind of cocktails to expect from this inviting Pioneer Square spot. Among the first-rate offerings, don’t miss the Blind Swine, a unique blend of vodka, pepper brine, and a chorizo-wrapped pepper.
Carnelian Bay
3401 Evanston Ave N
dreamlandfremont.com
Technically, it’s the heated, covered patio at Fremont’s Dreamland restaurant, but Carnelian Bay is also so much more: an immersive sci-fi world of drinks like the Banana Sutra, a combo of chai-infused aquavit, pineapple, banana, apricot, and bitters.
Courtesy Carnelian Bay
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