06 Mar Portland Bar Tour

Portland is a small city filled with great restaurants and bars (as well as the most strip clubs per capita, as my taxi driver pointed out).  It may be more like a big town but the number of great cocktails bars can rival some larger cities. While in Portland for the first time for Portland Cocktail Week last October, I went through the list of bars and was able to visit many of them.  Here is a quick summary of some of the best spots! Clyde Common (1014 SW Stark St, Portland, OR 97205, (503) 766-2998) As this was my first trip to Portland, the first stop was to Clyde Common where I could see Bar Manager Jeffrey Morgenthaler in action. A high volume craft cocktail bar, Clyde Common has a great cocktail list and the barrel aged cocktails are not to be missed. Teardrop Lounge (1015 NW Everett St, Portland, OR 97209, (503) 970-8331) The heart of the craft cocktail movement in Portland, Teardrop Lounge offers a vast menu featuring classic cocktails and original creations, as well as drinks made from cocktail luminaries from across the country. With a large oblong bar, anywhere you sit, you can see across the bar.  But, my favorite spot was in front of the huge and amazing selection of house-made Bitters and Tinctures. Kask (1215 SW Alder Street, Portland, OR 97205, (503) 241-7163) Offering simple but very tasty cocktails, Kask is a small bar with a warm and friendly feel. the menu is set up by spirit and then offers shaken and stirred options. Wanting a crisp and refreshing cocktail, I jumped right to the Juniper section of the menu and selected the Delilah (Martin Millers gin, Combier Orange, KASK grenadine, raspberry shrub, lemon, egg white) from the Shaken section. Hale Pele (2733 NE Broadway St  Portland, OR 97232, (503) 662-8454) Owner Blair Reynolds’ Hale Pele offers perfectly executed tiki cocktails.  With a great rum selection and traditional tiki presentations (pineapples, swizzle sticks), the cocktails are complex and layered and full of flavor. Beaker & Flask (727 SE Washington Street, Portland, OR, (503)235-8180)    Offering cocktails rooted in the classics, Beaker & Flask likes to have fun and take the seriousness out of mixology.  They are both creative and whimsical such as with the beer cocktail that is served in a glass wrapped in a paper bag or the Zahorita we had with carrot juice.