WHO: Jared Hill • WHERE: The Park Pub, 6114 Phinney Ave N

WHEN: Sat Jan 28, 3:10 pm

Though the doors to this Phinney Ridge favorite have been open for mere minutes, one bar stool is already being warmed by a regular sipping on a pint and razzing bartender/cook Jared Hill, a jovial, smart-assed character with impressively eclectic taste in music. The peculiar strains of Esquivel spill out of the speakers above ("I wasn't ready for rock yet," Hill explains) as I marvel at the Jägermeister machine, a creepy-looking dispenser designed to spit out sickly sweet shots at the recommended subzero temperatures. "It was designed by Dr. Kevorkian," drolly remarks my companion. We discuss the merits and drawbacks of various liquors and order burgers from Hill, who has already decided that Jäger shots are not on his post-work agenda. "Tonight's going to be all about whiskey with lemon and honey," he asserts. Apparently this has nothing to do with a sore throat or an impending cold—he just finds it comforting. "My grandmother used to give me [little amounts of] that when I was little," he reminisces. "She said it was good for me, but I think she just did it to knock me out when she was sick of taking care of me." HANNAH LEVIN