Seattle's Second Best Cocktail Bar

This marks the return of one of Seattle's most talked-about bartenders, whose name is often mentioned in the same sentence as legendary bartender Murray Stenson...

The renowned bartender whose been written up in the Times and Esquire and recruited by Tini Bigs to revamp its entire cocktail menu is a dirty cheater. But he’s also a handsome and charming dirty cheater. We grudgingly decide to go along with his adaptation of First Call and within moments he’s presented with a flourish two cocktails.

That's what makes Tini Bigs' annual new cocktail tasting, hosted by the bar's owners and resident bon vivants, Keith Robbins and Patrick Haight, such a pleasure to attend. I've missed them for the past two years -- was out of town in 2006, and they didn't hold one in 2007 due to the opening of Tini Bigs' sister bar, Hula Hula -- so this year's tasting found me and several other local media peeps enthusiastic and thirsty. So. Very. Thirsty.