Enjoyed: Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Listed on the menu: No, but the menu listed many variations of Long Island Iced Tea and other “cocktails” that are best served in Mason jars. I asked if the bartender could make an Old Fashioned with the “brown sugar bourbon” –sounded novel to me!–contained in one of featured drinks.

Ingredients: bourbon, brown sugar simple syrup, small orange slice, maraschino cherry

The occasion: We arrived in Port Angeles in the late afternoon, after three days of marveling at the wonders of Olympic National Park. (We strolled through the Hoh Rainforest, hiked to three different waterfalls, and explored several rugged Pacific Beaches.) Traylor’s was relatively near to our evening lodging, and the inn’s owner assured us that the meal would be hearty and delicious.

My rating: ** out of 5. Although we both devoured the signature fish and chips, we quickly realized that Traylor’s (“family owned since 1955!” said the website) was not the place for craft cocktails. I couldn’t get a clear answer on what was in my drink, but I suspect that instead of bitters, the bartender may have added Fireball to my glass, since I could taste cinnamon amid the brown sugar sweetness.

Final thoughts: Perhaps instead of drinks with dinner, we should have taken a bottle of wine back to our room at Eden By The Sea. This charming bed and breakfast not only had a gorgeous pond, surrounded by flowers, right next to our entry door, but also had the most incredible backyard right ON the Strait of Juan De Fuca. We spotted ships, fishing boats, a bald eagle, a seal sunning itself on a big boulder, and (with the help of binoculars) Dungeness Spit and also the skyline of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. And if this weren’t enough, occasionally the wind would bring wafts of lavender which was just beginning to bloom at the farm next door. The owner chose a fitting name, indeed.