The Buck Makes Way for Montana, Rachel's Ginger Beer

As predicted, Capitol Hill Seattle blog had the goods on the future of The Buck. The gonzo cowboy bar on Olive Way is being taken over by longtime industry vets Rachel Marshall, Adam Peters and Kate Opatz (who is, by the way, an excellent food writer). The back of the space will become the permanent home of Marshall's Rachel's Ginger Beer, which has been infiltrating some of the best cocktails and on drink lists around the city. Meanwhile Marshall and Opatz, who met waiting tables at Lark, are transforming the bar into a neighborhood spot known as Montana.

The name is a literal one; the neighborhood spot is inspired by the bars and saloons of Opatz's native Big Sky state. As she describes it in an email dispatch, "these bars are dimly lit, intimate, filled with heavy bar stools and wooden booths that have stood the test of time." And while Rachel's Ginger Beer can make a damn fine dark and stormy, Opatz says Montana will be a place for beers and tequila rather than craft cocktails, "which, by the way, we love but you'll never find in Montana." For the record, you can absolutely get a Moscow mule or dark and stormy, and the ginger beer will be on draft. Just don't expect any schmancy cocktail lists or designer ice cubes.

The trio signed the lease yesterday, and Marshall and Opatz are hurrying to open as quickly as possible. And when that happens, the ladies say Montana will stay open "to the very last possible call."

· The Buck Stops, Montana Begins [CHS]
· Previous Coverage of The Buck on Eater Seattle [-ESEA-]