Winners For

Best Cocktail Bar

In the year since Seattle's favorite bartender, Murray Stenson, left The Zig Zag for (eventually) the stellar Capitol Hill newcomer Canon, the casual observer may have been led to believe that the classy Pike Street Hillclimb bar had fallen into a hopeless rut without its superstar mixologist. But rumors of the Zig Zag's demise have been greatly...

Don't go to Anvil looking for a vodka and soda. The name of the game at Anvil is cocktails, and whether it's a Pimm's cup, a French 75 or something mixed with bourbon, gin or another spirit, Anvil's bartenders get it right, every time. What started out as a project among self-professed cocktail freaks Bobby Heugel, Kevin Floyd and Steve Flippo h...

These days, when any bartender with a shaker and some exotic bitters can dub him or herself a "mixologist," it's vital to know ahead of time that an establishment's ambience will be as classy as its drinks. Members-only Blood & Sand guarantees a sophisticated experience from the get-go. Not only do members pay a fee ($10 or $15 per month), they ...

This Lincoln Park newcomer with a menu of more than five dozen cocktails entered a crowded field. Alongside rotating modern concoctions, the offerings include classics we’d never heard of (Bizzy Izzy, Bliz’s Royal Rickey) and several we wish we’d started drinking years ago (the Mamie Taylor pairs Scotch with ginger beer and lime juice). Great bi...

Manifesto's website politely asks patrons not to yell, scream, or holler when they visit their establishment, and that let us know this is the kind of cocktail bar we like. It's gentlemanly, adheres to our sense of class and decorum, and so do their hand-crafted cocktails. Their menu divides the drinks into categories, so if you're a rum drinker...

This subterranean 18th Street lounge might seem too obvious a choice, but do you know why that is? Because all those people who say they’ve never had the kinds of cocktails the bartenders at the Franklin invent every few months are telling the truth.

Tom Brown’s bar is bustling and low-key, a non-pretentious haven for incredibly crafted drinks. Sure, you can enjoy a beer or a rum and coke here, but that’s not really the point of the place. Check out the chalkboard and order from the list of cocktails instead. The bartender will suit your drink to your taste, so you can rest easy. It’s like t...

This chic and classic den offers cocktailians ample tastes of traditional bartending techiniques and Prohibition-era panache. But to gain access to the mai tais and handcrafted specialty drinks, one needs the password, easily gained by sending a text message to 813-525-7112. Or you could become a member for exclusive access (Ciro’s isn’t open to...

Seems like every Portland bar has a “celebrity bartender.” There’s even a Portlandia sketch featuring Andy Samberg as a cocky mixologist. So what sets newish nightspot Rum Club apart? Along with its twilit interior, there’s a constant influx of talent. Vaunted drink slingers like David Shenaut, a founder of the Oregon Bartenders Guild, Beaker & ...

Widely regarded as one of the first serious craft cocktail spots—the sort locals used to drive to San Francisco for—in the city, this retro chic saloon uses the freshest California ingredients and top-shelf booze in a menu that features old-school classic cocktails alongside innovative twists and new creations. Soak up that alcohol with somethin...

Some people don’t like the fact the Peacock Room still allows smoking. But what’s a cocktail without a Marlboro? Since it opened in 2001, the smoky bar continues to be one of the best places to meet for drinks after work and occasionally catch live music. Try one of the 17 martinis while you’re there. By the way, can we bum a smoke?

This red-painted haunt is one of the coolest bars in downtown, with hand-crafted beverages and a decidedly laid-back vibe. They have a fantastic happy hour menu with $5 cocktails and an extensive whiskey list on the full menu. They routinely have jazz and blues artists holding down an appropriately themed soundtrack as well.

A bar — a really good bar — should function like a kitchen. And bartenders — really, really good ones — should put signature stamps on their cocktails the same way that a really good chef handprints his food. A chef like Max MacKissock at Squeaky Bean, for example. So it's no surprise that the Bean's innovative bar program, commanded by Sean Ken...