We’re kicking off Season 4 of “Across the Bar” at Seattle’s Naka Kaiseki. an eatery that highlights Japanese cuisine and handcrafted cocktails that compliment and balance these unique flavors.

We’re joined by Nik Virrey, bartender at Naka, who originally got into the business through coffee.

“Coffee’s my starting point to kind of facilitate me going through college,” says Virrey. “And I’m like an undercover geek, so intensity on a given subject…always sparks my brain.”

As Virrey started observing that bartenders were treating their bottles like he had treated coffee, a connection was made. “Once I kind of peeked into that door, there was no looking back.”

Watch this episode to learn more about Virrey’s creative process and how he brings these three unique cocktails to life.