After locking my keys in my car at 2 a.m. in Woodinville, setting off a 12-hour journey via bus, foot and the astonishing kindness of friends, I wanted to relax. Usually, I’d just head for Doyle’s, down many shots of brown liquor and wind up boxing some stranger in a back yard for $10. But I needed not just succor, but soothing: a carefully mixed cocktail, drum ’n’ bass, subtle lighting, and surround by friends.



I needed The Monsoon Room.



My Sunday debacle timed perfectly with the Monsoon’s Fall Equinox Getdown — DJs spinning, live Afro-Cuban drumming and the release of the Hilltop Tacoma bar’s new drink menu. I skipped their signature Goodnight Moon, Nag Champa, Little Black Rain Cloud, Krogstad’s Herbal and The Ice Storm, settling on Riding Thru Sage )Marker’s Mark, Matusalem Grand Reserva Rum, lemon, sage), Mission Of Burma (ginger, Kaffir Lime, Hanger One vodka) and my favorite Lavender L’Mour, which owner Laura Malone calls the “two weeks in Paris” drink. The creamy, pink concoction arrives in glass goblet with organically grown lavender flirting coyly with Cruzan Coconut Rum with lemoncello love. Delicious.



[Monsoon Room, 1022 S. J St., Tacoma, 253.722.5075]