Alex Robertson didn’t set out to be a bartender. They moved to Seattle in 2017 from Austin and spent years in corporate America. One day they just hit a point where they thought, if this doesn’t change now, it never will. So they walked away from the desk job and into a career on their feet. Simple as that.

Robertson started out with the classics like Hurricanes, Sam Ross’ Tailspin, etc. 

Solid drinks. But they got bored with coloring inside the lines. They began mixing things that didn’t always make sense on paper. A little port with olive brine. Why not? Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but that was the fun. They liked chasing a feeling more than a flavor. “I won’t deny trying to capture the feeling of stepping on an algae-covered rock in a sip’s work,” Robertson said. They once built a drink off the Ever After soundtrack inspired by Drew Barrymore and George Fenton’s score. The cocktail is called Just Breathe. It makes sense once you’ve tasted it.

Now Robertson is part of the opening team at The Ink Drinker, Shelle Yusuf’s new place. The bar looks like it’s been there a long time even though it hasn’t. Books on the walls, leather chairs, old rugs, and reading lights on cherrywood tables. People drop in after movies or the farmers market or just to hang for a bit over a well-crafted cocktail.

Robertson likes that part. They think bars are one of the last real third spaces left. “I feel really lucky to interact with so many folx I might otherwise never meet. You never know when a guest’s stray aside will change your life,” Robertson said. They like giving people a reason to leave the house, even if it’s only for one drink.

The Ink Drinker has something for everyone. High-proof, low-proof, no-proof. Whatever the drink, Robertson just wants guests to notice a flavor.

At a recent USBG event at Letterpress Distilling, Robertson mixed us all up the Drew Barrymore-inspired cocktail called Just Breathe and it was a gem. Wanna try it at home? We scored the recipe!

Just Breathe  

1 1/2 oz Sainte Louise Pale and Old Brandy 
.5 oz Letterpress Amaro Amorino 
.5 oz Amargo de Chile 
.25 oz Clear Creek Douglas Fir Liqueur 

Stirred. Garnish with grapefruit peel expression and sail garnish.

Read more about other Seattle Bartenders making their mark in Seattle.