On April 15, 2009, The Patterson House (TPH) opened its doors in Midtown, forever changing the cocktail culture of Nashville. Patterned after Chicago’s renowned bar, The Violet Hour, and under the direction of then-GM Josh Habiger, TPH introduced us to the sophistication, playfulness, mystique, and downright lusciousness of the well-conceived sip, savored in an escapist, speakeasy-style setting. The interplay of spirits, alchemy, and ice elevated the craft to a new standard.
Habiger — not only an alum of The Violet Hour, but also Alinea and Craft — valued the one-on-one relationship a bartender has with a guest, something he wished could happen for a chef. Two years later, that wish manifested in The Catbird Seat, perched a floor above TPH, with Habiger and Erik Anderson as lead chefs of the…