Food & Drink

4 Great Seattle Bars for Outdoor Summer Cocktailing

Where to sip a summer cocktail outside in our fair city

By Seattle Mag June 25, 2015

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Summer is well and truly here, which means your summertime cocktail imbibing should begin in earnest (if it hasn’t already). There’s something about drinking in summer that I love – the whole school’s out vibe that takes us back to being young again, perhaps. Luckily, we have a number of swell bars that are prepared for the sunnier days, when you might want to have one under the sunshine. The below are all great spots to sip a good cocktail while you enjoy summer.

St. John’s Bar and Eatery, Capitol Hill: It recently opened its dreamy patio for the season (it’s one of the truly amazing tucked away drinking spots – when you walk into it almost feels like you’re being transported to some kind of tipsy Neverland), and it also just unveiled a new cocktail menu for the summer months, which boasts a bunch of fun and tasty drinks, like the Bell Boy with gin, red pepper, simple syrup, fresh lime and soda. St. John’s also offers Mule Variations, which are tall and bubbly and of course ideal for hotter days and nights.

Bell + Whete, Belltown: A fantastic spot for after-work drinks (if you work in Belltown or downtown, that is), this bar is approaching its one year anniversary, and has a nice patio for outside revelry. If you haven’t yet been, it has an extensive selection, including more than 60 beers on tap and over 30 wines by the glass, plus a special focus on gin and whiskey – it has more than 100, and some top ones feature prominently on the cocktail list.

Percy’s & Co., Ballard: A beautiful spot in Old Ballard, it’s hard sometimes to drift away from the actual bar here, because you want to see the bartenders work their magic with fresh herbs and spices and bottles of various liquids. However, the back deck this time of year isn’t to be missed. My suggestion is to step up to the bar first, order up  a Mother’s Helper, with sage-infused gin, grapes, Kombucha, lime juice, simple syrup, and soda, then take it out back.

The Maple Bar, Maple Leaf: Tucked away north on Roosevelt, The Maple Bar’s back deck and garden seating spots aren’t expansive, but sure are fine places to while away a few sunny hours with a couple friends. Come in on the weekends for the brunch with bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys, or try one of the special cocktails – recently it had a fresh peach shrub, bourbon, and sage combo that was very refreshing.

 

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