First time bar owner Greg Holcomb isn’t new to the industry; past gigs include Sazerac and Knee High Stocking Co. In his recently opened Capitol Hill address you’ll find an interior that looks like a small Southern Baptist church, giving you reason to literally worship your cocktail. Well-thought-out cocktails, delicious southern food, and genuine hospitality are all on the menu. The namesake Witness Cocktail is not to be missed.

If good things come in small packages, this place is the best. With only a dozen or so seats, the bar offers a creative menu of drinks, many using vermouth as a main ingredient. Complimentary Lay’s potato chips arrive with your order. Additional selections of superb snacks, like octopus terrine and rabbit pâté, go great with drinks.

The tiny back bar (simply called the Back Bar at E. Smith Mercantile) is a favorite spot for those who know it exists. Open since September, the craft cocktails come courtesy of bar manager Craig Schoen and made by E. Smith purveyor Jessie Poole. Consider yourself lucky if you snag one of the 14 barstools.

Cocktail enthusiasts on the Eastside just scored a new watering hole. Bar Code’s bar manager Evan Martin is a pro at developing delicious drinks using interesting seasonal ingredients and riffs on classic recipes. Get a Bar Code Tonic: carbonated cinchona bark & citrus infused gin.

Erik Carlson of Bastille is now also in charge of the cocktail menu of this new, super-popular restaurant opened by the same team. Punches, barrel-aged cocktails and twists on classics are all on the menu. Order the Colonel Cooler, which uses an Italian amaro as one of its main ingredients.

Cider is the next big thing and Capitol Cider is where you should be drinking it. They have the largest selection of cider on tap in the states right now. Craft cocktails, beer, wine, a room for games, another for more intimate parties, and a full menu of naturally gluten-free food makes this a perfect hang out.

True to its name, this little bar shares a floor with the residential apartments upstairs of Pintxo. Although it’s not new, it has gone through some changes, making it a real destination for craft cocktails now. The intimate setting is free of pretense and their “Whiskey Window” offers a fantastic selection of dark booze. Happy hour is a three-hour affair daily from 5-8pm.

The new juice bar-meets-apothecary-cocktail bar has been hoppin' since opening in the former Old Town Ale House space mid-August. The drink list (with tons of herbal infusions: basil-infused tequila, sage-infused bourbon, dill-infused vodka, etc.) pairs well with the small plates menu curated by chef Dave Lamping (formerly of Bastille and Smith). Percy's comes courtesy of the team behind Cha Cha Lounge, Seattle's Ace Hotel and Rudy's, so the space is a visual stunner.