Belltown cocktail bars.

Top four are the destinations. Middle five are the working rotation for any Thursday. Bottom three are the wildcard picks for a Tuesday or the last drink before bed.

A long, dark counter on 2nd Avenue opened by Anu Apte in 2010, the room that put Belltown back on the national cocktail map. The menu rotates seasonally and the bartenders take requests. The Rob Roy is the namesake order. Reservations help on Fridays, walk-in works on Tuesday.

A Belltown speakeasy hidden down an alley between Blanchard and Lenora. Two floors, low ceilings, brick walls, and a gin-forward menu the bartender adjusts to taste. The Bathtub G&T is the order. Closed Sundays. Reservations highly recommended.

A 1st Avenue gastrotavern that bridges a cocktail bar and a small plates kitchen. The Black Bottle Old Fashioned is the standard. Outdoor seating along 1st fills first on warm nights. Open until 1am most days, kitchen until midnight. The right pre-dinner room.

An upstairs cocktail bar on Stewart Street with a 30-seat lounge and a small dance floor. The Suite Sour is the recommended start. Live DJ from 9pm Thursday through Saturday. The crowd skews late and the menu reads like a love letter to the 1990s.

Owned by chef Linda Derschang, this 1st Avenue room sits between cocktail bar and corner pub. The bar list runs to 30 cocktails and the kitchen runs Pacific Northwest pub food until midnight. The Random Mule is the order. Friendly to walk-ins.

A 1st Avenue room in the historic Diller Hotel, opened in 1890 and one of the oldest survivors downtown. The Diller Old Fashioned is the order. Wood booths and dim lighting. Open from 4pm, closes at 11pm on weekdays, midnight on weekends.

A 14th-floor rooftop with one of the better Seattle skylines and a Mediterranean-influenced cocktail list. The Mbar Spritz is the entry pour. Outdoor terrace heated in winter. Reservations essential at sunset, especially in July. The kitchen runs to 11pm.

The fifth-floor rooftop at the Motif Hotel on 5th and Pike, with an outdoor heated patio and a view across to the Smith Tower. The Frolik Negroni is the standard. Happy hour from 3pm to 6pm is one of the better downtown deals. Closed on weekday afternoons.

A small lounge on 1st Avenue with a focused regional cocktail list built on Pacific Northwest spirits. The Watershed Sour is the right call. Quiet on weeknights, busy on Fridays. The bartender will adjust on request. Closes at midnight every night.

Tom Douglas's Belltown restaurant has run on the same room since 1996. The bar at the centre is one of the most consistent classic cocktail rooms downtown. The Palace Manhattan is the order. Kitchen until 1am. Bar seats fill first. The late-night dinner room.

A 2nd Avenue Scottish-themed bar with 200 whiskies on the list and a smoking patio out the back. The Whisky Sour is the easy cocktail call. Bartender will guide a flight if you ask. Live music on Sunday afternoons. Open every day from 11am.

A circus-themed dive bar that has held its corner on 2nd since 1997. Pinball, hot dogs, cheap beer, and an honest Old Fashioned. The right answer at 1am when the cocktail bars close and you are not ready for sleep. Cash and card. Closes at 2am every night.