Spirits

Spirits Infused by Local Ingredients, Craft Cocktails Raise the Bar When it comes to libations, North Sounders’ preference for beer — namely, ales — is well-chronicled. While brew pubs proliferate, the craft cocktail is juicing up happy hours and nighttime social sessions. This is not your grandfather’s scotch and soda. Local ingredients, blends, and liqueurs are in fashion, as are the distilleries, and even the bartenders, that make them. We take a look at what’s new when it comes to drinks in Whatcom, Skagit, and San Juan counties, and the creative and committed people involved who are infusing the industry with color and charisma. Let’s all toast to that.

WRITTEN BY Kate Galambos, Sarah Sibley, Catherine Torres, Lisa Karlberg, Joshua DeJong, & Harrison Amelang PHOTOGRAPHED BY Alan Ayers & Pat McDonnell ILLUSTRATED BY Mariah Currey

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