Rob Roy Bar

Straight out of a 1960s Playboy Club or Mad Men episode, Rob Roy has black leather couches, thick black seats at the bar, and even a padded (p)leather wall on one side. Other Swinging Sixties design elements include a slate rock wall behind the bar, a boar's head mounted to another, and a nook filled with a record player and stacks of vinyl. It's both hip and good humored, with clever elements like bathroom grafitti made up of cocktail recipes scrawled on the walls instead of dirty limericks.

However cool the space may be, the bar is located in Belltown, which on weekends can be filled with patrons more interested in Red Bull and Jager Bombs than in classic cocktails. No matter, say the bartenders, as serving quick drinks to that crowd allows them more time to hand carve ice balls or light up a Blue Blazer for other drinkers.

The drink menu is split into eight each of (obscure) classics and house originals made mostly with aged spirits including calvados and cognac along with the requisite whiskies, plus lesser-known vintage ingredients like old tom gin, pineau des charentes, and pimento dram. Rob Roy serves substance with style.