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Jay Kuehner. Vessel. Wednesday Nights.

Once a week, the man you loved at Sambar brings his sunny talents downtown.

Allecia Vermillion
Author: Allecia Vermillion
Less than 1 min.read

Kuehner in his Sambar days.

 Earlier this week I got to catch up with the inimitable Jess Voelker. And, since it was a Wednesday night, we were able to do it at Vessel, over drinks by the similarly inimitable Jay Kuehner. 

The barman who built a following at Sambar is busy with a few different projects now that Le Gourmand’s cocktail sibling finally, sadly, closed in the fall. A few weeks ago he started appearing behind the bar at Vessel on Wednesay with a drink list speaks of sunshine and Mexico, but never in a spring break sort of way. There’s lots of mezcal. Kuehner is also a barman in the most classic sense—he just makes you feel so damn at ease. 

One of his other proejcts is helping Matt Dillon dial in the spirits side of things over at Bar Sajor. So if you stop in on a Thursday or Friday night in the coming weeks, you just may see him tending bar in Pioneer Square.




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Allecia Vermillion
Allecia Vermillion
Allecia Vermillion has spent a decade at Seattle Met, arriving as food and drink editor, and expanding her role over the years. She served as the magazine’s editor in chief until moving into a newly created executive editor role in 2021. She spearheads Seattle Met’s food and drink coverage and oversees home design content. Allecia’s writing has earned her multiple journalism awards and two James Beard Award nominations over the years. A native of Portland, Oregon, Allecia began her writing life as a newspaper reporter in the Chicago suburbs before making a grateful return to the Pacific Northwest. She has an English degree from Washington University (no, the one in St. Louis) and a masters in journalism from Northwestern University. She lives in Seattle with her husband and two children.