Category: Beer

5 Places You’ll Want to Drink in Seattle Right Now

Despite being an East Coast transplant who lives and breathes New York City, I still find myself missing the West Coast at the most unexpected times. Sometimes, it’s those San Diego beach photos I see on Instagram during an especially vicious blizzard. Other times, it’s the thought of open spaces and towering California redwoods when I look up at silver Manhattan skyscrapers. But lately, I’ve been missing another West Coast city: Seattle.

Seattle has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. It may have had something to do with watching that particular Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks movie as a teen (I used to daydream about spending Valentine’s Day dining at the Space Needle). Or maybe it was because my sister-in-law, Rachel, had lived there for years, and her verdant, tranquil photos of the Pacific Northwest were giving me a major case of FOMO.

But whatever the reason, I finally made it over to the Emerald City back in September 2016. What I found was not only those amazing open spaces, but a bar scene that’s a cut above elsewhere.

Here’s a round up of my favorite places to drink in Seattle right now.

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The Truth About Reykjavik’s Bar Scene

Did Reykjavik, Iceland's capital, make the cut when it comes to having an awesome bar scene? The answer, it turns out, is more complex than we expected.

I’ll admit it: living in New York City can inflate your food and drink standards so high that you think nothing else can compare. Sometimes, this is warranted (see: Death & Co and Eleven Madison Park). But about half of the time, our friends want us to pull our heads out of our asses and give other cities a fighting chance. Building on our recent successes finding top notch drinks in London and Israel, then, we went into our Reykjavik bar explorations in October with high hopes.

So did Iceland’s capital make the cut when it comes to having an awesome bar scene? The answer, it turns out, is more complex than we expected.

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The Best Places to Drink in Montreal Right Now

Montreal, I’ve got to hand it to you: I had no idea that the caliber of your watering holes (not to mention your food) was so high. Here we are, sitting in New York City after a fantastic whirlwind getaway to Québec’s metropolis last weekend, and all Mr. Five O’Clock and I can think about is how soon we can return to your charming city to revisit our favorite spots and scout out new ones.

While there’s no doubt that our current residence will always have a new, hot “bar of the moment” to try, there’s something really exciting about a city that hasn’t been overrun with dozens of speakeasies and can hold its own in the world of excellent microbrews. If you find yourself up in the Great White North with a hankering for some booze, here are the top spots to grab a drink in Montreal right now.

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