THIS AIN'T YOUR FATHER'S BAR
Not everyone who lives in Walla Walla drinks wine. I, for one, don't. But I do like a good cocktail now and again. And one of the best places for cocktails is Jimgermanbar in beautiful 'downtown' Waitsburg, a mere 25 minute drive from Walla Walla. With a population of just over 1200 people, it is Walla Walla's nearest neighbor to the northeast, not counting Dixie of 190 residents. Did I mention I live in the middle of wheat country?
This place is so popular with Walla Walla locals as well as wine tourists looking for a something other than wine, that if you don't have reservations, it's good to get there early--say by 5:00. You still might be lucky to get a seat at the bar. Light floods the space until later in the season when the hops grown outside in galvanized water troughs provide much needed shade from the hot Eastern Washington summer sun. But on the spring afternoon I was there, the sun felt good and gave a warm glow to the row of bottles on the sit-up bar.
While the counter to ceiling bar is fully stocked with brand name booze, that's not why you travel to Waitsburg for a drink. It's the craft cocktail that is measured, poured, and shaken by hand and then presented as the work of art it is. My treat was sitting right in front of the bartender's work station and watching the magic happen.
Abracadabra . . .Tah Dah! A gin-based citrus-y drink that tasted as good as it looked. . .
and it's red!
Quite a name for a bar, and the bartender looks like he takes the job seriously.
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