GQ Says Zig Zag Cafe Is The Number One Cocktail Bar in America
Editor Kevin Sintumuang calls Murray Stenson a “bartender superhero.”
Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Sep 20, 2010 at 04:45PM
3 Comments
What a year for the Zig Zag Cafe. First bartender Murray Stenson is named Best Bartender in America at Tales of the Cocktail. Then Kevin Sintumuang, who compiled GQ’s list of top 25 bars in America, makes Zig Zag his pick for the number one cocktail bar in America. Did you catch that? Best cocktail bar in America. As in, all of it.
The feature appeared in the October issue of GQ, the one with Ryan Reynolds on the cover. Tavern Law’s upstairs bar, Needle and Thread, came in at number 25—not bad at all for a youngin’. In between were such lauded establishments as The Violet Hour in Chicago (#3), Death and CO, PDT, and the Pegu Club in New York (#6, #7, and #22), and Drink in Boston (#21).
And Sintumuang spends his Zig Zag write-up extolling Murray. “The man is effortlessly talented, a bartender superhero,” he says. He describes Stenson’s work station as “five drink racks. About twelve bottles in each. Artfully tiered from floor to torso, like a medieval organ powered by Dubonnet, kirsch, and Tuaca. If you think any ordinary bartender could play such an instrument, you’d be wrong.”
I agree entirely. Almost. “Effortlessly talented” belies the decades of experience the guy brings to the job. But it’s a small point with which to quibble. The important thing is that Zig Zag kicks ass, and the entire country has taken notice. Prepare to fight for your barstool.
+1 Best Cocktail Bar in America.
Wow, this makes me extra excited for the next Cafe Nordo (showcasing drinks by Stenson)!
Nice write up, Jessica. A lot of us have been saying this about Zig Zag (and Murray) for a long time. Glad to see the rest of America is beginning to recognize that folks in Seattle might know a thing or two about cocktails. I’m no longer a Seattleite myself, but Seattle remains my favorite city in the U.S. and Zig Zag is an important part of that. Ben Dougherty, Kacy Fitch, Erik Hakkinen, Ben Perri, and all the rest of the crew at Zig Zag deserve mention as well, especially Ben and Kacy whose vision and hard work made Zig Zag possible.