Seattle ’s killer whale bar panorama boasts some of the giving spirit lean in the land , the most originative cocktail , and one of the22 top whisky bars in the US . But the crapulence are nothing without the great minds behind them , which keep introduce and making certain some of the most interesting bar in the world are the right way here in town . Here are the bartenders you ’ll require to acknowledge if you want to drink in great drinks .
Casey Robison
Barrio
" I pay back into cocktails after meeting Murray at Zig Zag in … I want to say 2005 ? peradventure 2006 ? And tried a Corpse Reviver No . 2 for the first metre . There ’s a reason I have it tattoo on my arm : to remind me why I do what I do , and how I can always be better and learn more . " Casey Robison is the elder statesman of the Seattle cocktail conniption – not because he ’s old ( he ’s not ) , but because he ’s been on the scene for 16 year and is one of the most well-thought-of bartender by others in the industry . These days , he ’s the spirits director for Heavy Restaurant Group ( Barrio , Lot No . 3 , Purple Cafe , etc . ) , which convey the bulk of his time . Yet you ’ll still find him slinging deglutition on Monday nights at Barrio , help oneself customers obtain the perfect sip for half - price tequila and mezcal night at the Mexican restaurant , not all that far from his first local bartending job , at Clever Dunne’s . With the Monday night discount , he often urge client use the opportunity to try a mezcal or tequila neat from Barrio ’s listing , which he says he thinks just might be the biggest in the country . " I ’ve let about 127 labels of mescal and 70 of tequila , " he says of Barrio . " They ’re my particular , personal long suit , but I endeavor to stay somewhat well - rounded . " However , he enounce , " I ’ve been wish sell amaros and aperitifs lately . " outdoors of oeuvre , he ’s usually just drink wine at home with his wife of two age . She ’s a attorney , and both work long hour , so when he does have some of his own time , they ’ll spend it together relaxing . He ’s also an avid traveler / photographer . Robison has been around Seattle ’s bar scenery for years , and many of the newer barkeeper come up up in the industriousness did so under his charge . Says another local barkeep , “ He ’s education bartenders how to bartend and also make spreadsheet and do math , which is a necessity in our market of ever - increasing minimum remuneration and hard drink taxation . ” That means more bars are more low-priced , better run , and have a remnant of Robison ’s expert touch .
Lauren Darnell
The Hideout
“ I have sex working with liquids of all case , ” says this bar manager of stinking First Hill spot The Hideout . The dark , well - sleep together legal community is often praise for its style : the artistry on the walls , and in its vending machine . But the drink coming over the bar are also little pieces of art , thanks to Darnell . After 12 years as a barista , she move to the dark shifting , and has now been bartending for five years . She tends to use sour spirits , but loves coming up with young drinks , and hat to limit herself to any one style . “ I just need to keep learning and creating , ” she says . If you sidle up to her measure , you should need for a Li’l Filthy , an original drink by her with Vida mezcal , damiana , Carpano Antica , Scrappy ’s chocolate bitter , and an orange posterior garnish . Outside of work , her drinks of option are wine and coffee , and she like snowboarding and saltation . At home , she ’s into redecorate and doing crazy projects like making a penny countertop . But most of all , she ’s all about Seattle . “ I ’ve been to many major cities and nothing stick home , ” which might explain why she ’s also take in the local residential district of barman , hoping to compete in this year ’s Speed Rack competition , and running for chair of the local US Bartenders ' Guild chapter .
Haley Holman
Canon
" I jazz this city , this is my community . It call back it ’s awesome that the restaurant industry in Seattle has been growing so much in the last five to 10 year . It ’s where I ’m from and it ’s fun to be involved and a part of it . " Like so many barkeeper , Holman did n’t set out for a career behind the joint . The Seattle aborigine started in the industry during college to make some money , but after spending a post - grad twelvemonth teach English in France , she follow home with a Modern perceptiveness of food and beverage and begin pursuing bartending full - time . She quickly found that her constant desire to learn more and use every new ingredient she could retrieve made the chore a stark fit : “ I fall in love with the community and the creative view of it , ” she say . These days , she ’s spent almost two years at a bar often – and deservedly – called the well bar in the earth : Canon . There , she works with one of the largest spirits lists ( “ I get to taste something novel every day ” ) and most creative cocktail menus in the state . But she ’s happiest when you ’re regularise the Shrouded Roulette : a bartender ’s choice made with your preferred expressive style of spirit . “ We ’re encouraged to come up up with something completely new each time , ” Holman explicate , and she love being kept on her toes . of late , she ’s been playing with a smoking boxful , which allows her to tally a hit of smoked anything to the drink – from blueberry afternoon tea to hickory wood chip . " I can add a deepness of flavor you do n’t find in a veritable cocktail . “Behind the bar , she enjoin , " I love attain cocktail with multiple spirits : tequila and mezcal , rye and Cognac , bourbon and Malus pumila brandy . " Off - obligation , she ’s more probable to be sip on a sparkling rosé while hang out at home . " I usually have quite a few bottles of bubbles in my fridge , " she says . The aboriginal Seattleite loves bring friend together and host party – a natural part of her personality that also is why bartending is such a great job for her .
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Courtesy of Haley Holman
Courtesy Casey Robison
Megan Rainwater
Courtesy of Haley Holman
