AJ Rathbun

Stories from Seattle: Italian Dream Vacation Cut Short by Coronavirus

Stories from Seattle: Italian Dream Vacation Cut Short by Coronavirus

La dolce vita in the Umbrian hills, followed by self-quarantine in Seattle

Panorama of the Umbrian

Seattle-area Highside Distilling's Secret Ingredient Gives Its Spirits a Local Flavor

Seattle-area Highside Distilling’s Secret Ingredient Gives Its Spirits a Local Flavor

On Bainbridge Island, the Glenn family uses apples to produce gin and amari

RETIREMENT PLAN: Jeff (right) and Helen Glenn helped son, Matt, launch Highside Distilling last year

5 Seattle-made Manhattan Cocktails We Love

5 Seattle-made Manhattan Cocktails We Love

Keep warm this winter with this classic drink at a Seattle bar near you

Seattle’s creative bartenders are continually making enchanting new cocktails. It can be easy to forget most are also amazing at churning out classic cocktails—and often make tweaks, adding a personal touch to the drink. Take the Manhattan, for instance: A true classic with a strong and simple beauty, and a wonderful warming choice during the…

Impress Out-of-town Guests at These Seattle Bars

Impress Out-of-town Guests at These Seattle Bars

We’ve got a watering hole for every holiday visitor you’ve got

The holiday season—so jolly, so many visitors and sometimes, so much stress. We’re here to help, with a list of five Seattle bars, each ideal for fulfilling the desires of any visitor, whether a wine-loving aunt, a dad looking for classics, an (over 21) cousin wishing they were on the beach and others. While we…

Try These Washington Digestifs After the Thanksgiving Feast

Try These Washington Digestifs After the Thanksgiving Feast

Eat too much? These local digestifs are here to help

There’s one thing most Thanksgiving dinner devotees share—eating too much at the holiday table, and then, perhaps, even more as the evening progresses. If you find yourself way too full at after the first round of feasting this year, we suggest alleviating it with a Washington state digestif, an alcoholic drink consumed to aid digestion….

Savor Sri Lankan and Indian Inspired Cocktails and Food at Ballard’s Rupee

Savor Sri Lankan and Indian Inspired Cocktails and Food at Ballard’s Rupee

Pro tip: Save room for dessert

Find creative and tasty cocktails and cuisine at the cozy Rupee in Ballard

New Washington Ciders to Try this Fall

New Washington Ciders to Try this Fall

Keep warm this season with our favorite seasonal hard ciders

Fall and cider pair perfectly. The cool crisp days match the crisp taste wonderfully well. Luckily for us, we have an amazing assortment of local producers releasing delicious and creative seasonal ciders. Here are four ciders—and a cider cocktail you can make—to keep you warm this fall. Dark Maple, Locust Cider: Made by blending Washington…

'Last Call' Asks Bartenders What They Want as Their Final Drink

‘Last Call’ Asks Bartenders What They Want as Their Final Drink

Libations expert Brad Parsons dives deep into U.S.'s bar culture with narratives, recipes and more with his new book

While he left Seattle ten years ago for NYC, I still think of author Brad Parsons as a crucial part of the development of Seattle’s drink and food soul. A longtime cookbook editor for Amazon, he wrote his first, now legendary, book Bitters here, and was a friendly face at many bars when the cocktail…

Mini Martinis and Square Slices? Find Them at the New Seattle Bar Taglio

Mini Martinis and Square Slices? Find Them at the New Seattle Bar Taglio

Bring back the three-martini lunch alongside Roman-style pizza at this new downtown spot

We’ll have three mini-martinis, please

5 Best Old Fashioneds in Seattle

5 Best Old Fashioneds in Seattle

This classic drink’s popularity remains high around town, whether in traditional or updated forms

OLD SCHOOL: Cicchetti’s version of an old fashioned sets a high bar with balance and quality ingredients

New Green Lake Restaurant Eight Row Delivers on Creative Food and Drinks

New Green Lake Restaurant Eight Row Delivers on Creative Food and Drinks

Opening only a few weeks ago, the new spot offers intriguing cocktails and nibbles

While I’ve had cocktails with a ridiculously wide range of ingredients here in Seattle, I don’t recall ever having one with a pickled ramp—a delicious type of spring onion. Until a recent visit to Green Lake’s new restaurant Eight Row, where I started my meal with a perfectly-balanced Pickled Ramp Gibson, the ramp adding a…

Cocktail of the Month: Have the Last Laugh at Seattle Hotel Bar Ben Paris

Cocktail of the Month: Have the Last Laugh at Seattle Hotel Bar Ben Paris

A classic drink once revived by a Seattle legend gets an effervescent update

BEHIND THE BAR: Ben Paris assistant general manager Abigail Gullo created the Last Laugh (see image below) as a nod to a cocktail called the Last Word; she named it for the way the drink’s Cava bubbles tickled her nose

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