It’s the middle of summer and our local distillers, bars and cider makers are hot! They’re doing lots of interesting and fun things for local drinkers, which is great news.

Bluewater Distillery Re-Opens With a Bar: Known already for its fine organic vodkas and gin, Bluewater’s new distillery space is right on the water at the Port of Everett. Not only does it have the traditional production area and tasting room, but also a retail store and event venue – and, best of all, a cocktail bar! The bar looks out over the water and features drinks crafted with Bluewater's own spirits naturally, but it has also opened it up to include drinks using products from other local distilleries. There is food available, including oysters and a filling mac-and-cheese.

Get A Free Drink In July: Hotspot, the new app launching first in Seattle, is a dream for drinkers looking to try new bars or get some good drink deals. Here’s the basic scoop: It buys drinks in a wholesale manner from local bars, and then offers them to users for less. It also allows you to pay for the drinks through the app, and if you text friends about the bar, you can earn free drinks. Free drinks! It has a deep list of all the happy hours in town, as well as the drink specials. Of course, it wouldn’t mean as much if some dandy local bars, like Liberty, Old Sage, Re:public, and more hadn’t signed on. Oh, I almost forgot the best part –until July 31, new users get their first drink for free.

New Locust Cider Now Available: Coming out of Woodinville, Locust Cider was started by brothers Jason and Patrick Spears, first as a home endeavor, but growing until they opened the full cidery recently. Their aim, Jason Spears says, is to have ciders with a “balanced, drinkable finish that is smooth, never bitter.” They have a number of ciders now available, including their Original Dry, a Green Tea Cider that’s infused with decaf Chinese green tea before and after fermentation, a seasonal Summer Berry, and a seasonal Dark Sweet Cherry. All are available at the Woodinville tasting room (19151 144th Avenue NE), and all but the Summer Berry can also be found in local stores and bars.

Cider Summit In September: Speaking of cider, the Cider Summit Festival is returning to Seattle on Friday, September 11, from 3 to 8 p.m., at the South Lake Union Discovery Center. Produced by SBS Imports and the Seattle Beer Collective and presented by Whole Food Market, the Summit features more than 150 ciders from local producers in Washington, and others from nearby Oregon and British Columbia to California to Europe. Cider makers will be there to chat with as you have 4-ounce tastes, and there’ll be music, food, and a dog-lounge water station benefiting the Seattle Humane Society. Tickets run $30 in advance and $35 (cash only) at the door, and include a souvenir glass and eight tasting tickets. There’s also a special VIP ticket for $40.