Portland Spoke – The Official Blog of Travel Portland

Tucked inside the Hotel deLuxe lies one of Portland’s best-kept secrets — even to many locals. Old Hollywood images and décor, intimate lighting and intricate chandeliers create the Driftwood Room’s classy ambiance.

Guests here sip on some of the city’s craftiest cocktails. The refreshed spring menu includes the Driftwood Sazerac — this fresh take on an old favorite features hibiscus tea simple syrup, an ingredient collaboration between the Driftwood’s mixologists and Portland’s Steven Smith Teamaker.

Portland’s weather isn’t always sunny, but we are fortunate to have a handful of tiki bars that serve fruity tropical drinks and help give the illusion that you’ve escaped to a South Pacific island for a quick blast of warmth, even if the effect is only temporary.

Portland has three great tiki establishments to visit. The first, and most widely known, is The Alibi in close-in North Portland. With a neon sign that’s impossible to miss, friendly staff, a full menu, access to MAX light rail, karaoke seven nights a week and, of course, plenty of cocktails, The Alibi will have you longing for the beach in no time.

Thatch Tiki Bar is another gem nestled into a row of businesses on Northeast Broadway. Upon entering you must stop and admire the exceptional water feature before taking a seat at the sunken bar for some of the best mixed drinks around. Plan ahead and you and your friends can grab the VIP table in the back for a private tropical gathering.

Lastly, we have a new — but classic — addition to the lineup: Trader Vic’s. With a great location right in the heart of the Pearl District, tropical paradise is only a short walk away from downtown. We may be a long way from the South Pacific, but Portland’s tiki bars help will get you there in no time.

The other night, my friend and I enjoyed some great drinks and food at Beaker & Flask in the Central Eastside district.

We started with cocktails:

Game Warden: Bourbon, fresh orange and lemon juice, pinot noir grenadine*, egg white

Sal’s Minion: Aged rum, pineapple gomme**, coconut water ice cubes

*This added a unique and delicious depth to this drink.
**I has no idea what this was, but the drink was tropical and tasty!

Then we made dinner of two shared dishes:

Grilled Oregon sardine, gold beets, asparagus, grilled lemon, aioli

Pork cheeks, braised peppers and onions, pickled octopus, aioli

Yes, that was a lot of aioli, but man, was it worth the calories! I especially loved the pork cheeks with octopus — great textures and flavors.

Finally, we popped into B&F’s recently opened sister property, the Rum Club, for a couple of signature old fashioneds. The den-like bar was fairly quiet when we were there, but it’s a popular late-night hangout, especially with bartenders, chefs and other restaurant employees.

Photos courtesy of Jolie Griffin.

Photo courtesy of the Portland Rose Festival

Like many others, when I first moved here, I noticed bumper stickers all around town printed with the words, “Eat a Lime.” Curious, but writing it off as one of those quirky “Keep Portland Weird” things, I didn’t think much about it. It turns out that this is the slogan for local “pirate rock” band Captain Bogg & Salty. They perform family-friendly music in full pirate regalia.

You can channel your inner buccaneer anytime in Portland at Captain Henry’s Pirate Store inside Lloyd Center mall, and later this summer at the family-friendly Portland Pirate Festival. Held each year over Labor Day weekend, this year the festival moves to St. Helens, a riverside town on the Columbia. (more…)

Lucy Brennan behind the bar at Mint/820

Note: This is the third in a series of posts about Portland’s craft spirits movement.

The beautiful truth is that many, many Portland bars and restaurants serve locally distilled spirits. Blame it on our local pride and dedication to supporting the “little guy.” Here’s a quick guide to a few of my favorite spots for cocktails mixed with local spirits. If you’d like to recommend others, please add them in the “Comments” section.

Far more than an average hotel restaurant, The Heathman Bar and Restaurant is widely respected for its French Northwest cuisine (available at a deep discount during the recently extended happy hour). The James Beard award-winner helped establish Portland’s reputation as an “eat local” mecca. The Heathman applies the same philosophy to their cocktail list (PDF), employing more than 20 Oregon spirits in drinks — both classic and cutting-edge — that incorporate fresh, local flavors. Try the summer special, Grapes of Wrath, made of pressed Willamette Valley red grapes, fresh lime, sugar and Sub Rosa Tarragon Vodka. (more…)