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The Kex Hotel’s Duchess cocktails
The Duchess at Dóttir
Kex Hotel/Official

11 Impressive Cocktails from Portland’s New Bars and Restaurants

The drinks that stole the spotlight in 2019

by Alex Frane
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The Duchess at Dóttir
| Kex Hotel/Official
by Alex Frane

2019 saw a bevy of restaurant and bar openings — as any year in Portland these days — and with them, a number of new cocktails. Because Portland has long established itself as a solid drink destination, bartenders have been able to play around with new spirits, culinary ingredients, and styles in recent years.

From carrot-infused mezcal sours to olive-oil-washed martinis, these cocktails from newcomers have helped maintain Portland’s creative bartending scene. If you’ve got a favorite drink that landed at a new spot in 2019, let us know in the comments, and those looking for more established Portland cocktails should check out our iconic drink map.

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Garden Snake at Bar West

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Since it opened in late 2018, Bar West has felt like the living room of that one effortlessly stylish friend everyone has. The drinks, too, are elegant, and one of the longstanding popular cocktails here is the Garden Snake, with applejack, rye, egg whites, lemon, and walnut bitters. The chamomile and rose petals, which rest atop the foamy surface, do more than just prettify it, adding an extra level of floral complexity to the sour.  

1221 NW 21st Ave, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 208-2852
(503) 208-2852

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Queen Bee at G-Love

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It’s clear how much work goes into making the drinks at G Love — the youthful Slabtown restaurant —  look as stunning as possible. After all, there’s the old adage that one “drinks first with their eyes.” The Queen Bee is quite the stunner, with a hexagonal pattern of bee pollen dusted upon the egg white, like a hive. Luckily the drink tastes good enough that it’s worth messing up the art: This elderflower-spiked bourbon sour gets some added depth from sarsaparilla and sherry.

1615 NW 21st Ave, Portland, OR 97209
(971) 229-1043
(971) 229-1043

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Rosy Minded Fuzz at Pink Rabbit

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Like many of the drinks at the flashy, neon-coated cocktail bar, the Rosy Minded Fuzz is named for a Nationals song. It tastes as pretty as it looks: Floral Hendrick’s Gin, soda, egg whites, orgeat, grapefruit, rose water, and cream make for a fluffy, spritzy drink. It’s not on the menu currently, but bartenders still make it for its many fans.

232 NW 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97209

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Face for Radio at Abigail Hall

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Though it technically opened in 2018, the feminine, secluded cocktail lounge Abigail Hall snuck in so late in the year it that it counts. Face for Radio kind of lives up to its name — it’s by no means a homely drink, but mostly just looks like a dark spirit in a glass. But that just conceals its complexity and richness, a concoction of Cognac, rye, absinthe, Green Chartreuse, and other potent flavors that somehow all mingle and unite into something smooth and balanced.

813 SW Alder St, Portland, OR 97205
Abigail Hall cocktails
Face for Radio at Abigail Hall
Alex Frane/EPDX

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Carrot on my Wayward Son at Tope

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Tope’s Carrot on my Wayward Son has been a customer favorite since the plant-filled, white-tiled rooftop bar opened. In this mezcal sour, carrot lends more than just an opportunity for a fantastic pun — it, along with the sweet potato, gives the drink a vibrant orange hue and an earthy sweetness that pairs beautifully with the vibrant mezcal and silky egg whites. It’s best enjoyed while gazing out the windows at the busy street below, or with a few tacos at the long white bar. 

15 NW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 770-0500
(503) 770-0500

Also featured in:

Drugs at Eem

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Eater’s 2019 Restaurant of the Year is a lot of things, but the industrial-tropical spot is primarily just fun. This is exemplified in the simply named Drugs, a pseudo-tiki concoction of aged rums, coffee, coconut cream, and pineapple, served in a variety of vessels including a popular blowfish mug. Beyond a funny name to request from a bartender, the playful and rich drink is an ideal accompaniment to the restaurant’s bold Thai food and barbecue flavors.

3808 N Williams Ave st 127, Portland, OR 97227
(971) 295-1645
(971) 295-1645

Also featured in:

The Duchess at Dóttir

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Lydia Mcluen, bar manager for the slick, Icelandic restaurant Dóttir at the Kex Hotel, describes The Duchess as “having seen the world.” The description is apt, as this aquavit and sherry cocktail has a maturity and grace to it. It’s smooth, botanical, and slightly fruity, like a rich and silky martini, and its brightness pairs wonderfully with the Scandinavian cuisine.

100 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97232
(971) 346-2996
(971) 346-2996

Also featured in:

Pretty Ugly at Lulu

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Lulu, a narrow, minimalist bar with a lot of stylish black leather seating, was reportedly almost called Pretty Ugly. The drink that got the name instead is anything but — a verdant mezcal sour that has the addition of kiwi and celery bitters, which give it both a juiciness and a touch of vegetal spice. It’s as refreshing as it looks, without being overly sweet.

726 SE Grand Ave, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 780-0362
(503) 780-0362
View this post on Instagram

This is just simply Pretty Ugly #lulubarpdx

A post shared by Lulu (@lulubarpdx) on

Also featured in:

Charred Orange Sherry Cobbler at Scotch Lodge

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The opening of the stunning subterranean bar Scotch Lodge meant that two of the city’s best sherry cobblers can now be found in the same building (the other down the hall at the Spanish tapas bar Bar Casa Vale). In Scotch Lodge’s gorgeous burnt orange sherry cobbler, Japanese whisky backs up the nutty sherry, while burnt orange adds a citrusy complexity. Pebbly ice makes the whole thing a pleasing drink and a perfect starter to a meal. 

215 SE 9th Ave Ste 102, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 208-2039
(503) 208-2039

Also featured in:

Hurricane Maya at Yonder

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Chef Maya Lovelace’s sky blue fried chicken paradise Yonder may be well-loved for its food, but the team hasn’t skimped on the drink menu, either. There are more than a few standouts, but the (somewhat) eponymous Hurricane Maya is a star. Cacao-infused rum and passionfruit give it tropical appeal, but it’s the clarified buttermilk that takes it to a new level, adding both a silky mouthfeel as well as a touch of tartness. The whole thing has a Southern charm that goes well with crunchy fried chicken and pimento mac and cheese. 

4636 NE 42nd Ave Suite A, Portland, OR 97218
(503) 444-7947
(503) 444-7947
Yonder’s Hurricane Maya
The Hurricane Maya at Yonder
Alex Frane/EPDX

Also featured in:

Olive Oil-Washed Alaska at Wonderly

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The Alaska cocktail, a variation on a classic martini with Yellow Chartreuse standing in for vermouth, can be a bracing concoction. But the one at Wonderly gets smoothed out by an olive-oil wash on its Oxley Gin, making for a drink that’s as stylish and modern as the bar that serves it. It’s not always on the menu, as it’s sometimes replaced by a bijou or vesper, but it’s always available upon request.

4727 NE Fremont St, Portland, OR 97213
(503) 288-4520
(503) 288-4520

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Garden Snake at Bar West

1221 NW 21st Ave, Portland, OR 97209

Since it opened in late 2018, Bar West has felt like the living room of that one effortlessly stylish friend everyone has. The drinks, too, are elegant, and one of the longstanding popular cocktails here is the Garden Snake, with applejack, rye, egg whites, lemon, and walnut bitters. The chamomile and rose petals, which rest atop the foamy surface, do more than just prettify it, adding an extra level of floral complexity to the sour.  

1221 NW 21st Ave, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 208-2852
(503) 208-2852

Queen Bee at G-Love

1615 NW 21st Ave, Portland, OR 97209

It’s clear how much work goes into making the drinks at G Love — the youthful Slabtown restaurant —  look as stunning as possible. After all, there’s the old adage that one “drinks first with their eyes.” The Queen Bee is quite the stunner, with a hexagonal pattern of bee pollen dusted upon the egg white, like a hive. Luckily the drink tastes good enough that it’s worth messing up the art: This elderflower-spiked bourbon sour gets some added depth from sarsaparilla and sherry.

1615 NW 21st Ave, Portland, OR 97209
(971) 229-1043
(971) 229-1043

Rosy Minded Fuzz at Pink Rabbit

232 NW 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97209

Like many of the drinks at the flashy, neon-coated cocktail bar, the Rosy Minded Fuzz is named for a Nationals song. It tastes as pretty as it looks: Floral Hendrick’s Gin, soda, egg whites, orgeat, grapefruit, rose water, and cream make for a fluffy, spritzy drink. It’s not on the menu currently, but bartenders still make it for its many fans.

232 NW 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97209

Face for Radio at Abigail Hall

813 SW Alder St, Portland, OR 97205

Though it technically opened in 2018, the feminine, secluded cocktail lounge Abigail Hall snuck in so late in the year it that it counts. Face for Radio kind of lives up to its name — it’s by no means a homely drink, but mostly just looks like a dark spirit in a glass. But that just conceals its complexity and richness, a concoction of Cognac, rye, absinthe, Green Chartreuse, and other potent flavors that somehow all mingle and unite into something smooth and balanced.

813 SW Alder St, Portland, OR 97205
Abigail Hall cocktails
Face for Radio at Abigail Hall
Alex Frane/EPDX

Carrot on my Wayward Son at Tope

15 NW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97209

Tope’s Carrot on my Wayward Son has been a customer favorite since the plant-filled, white-tiled rooftop bar opened. In this mezcal sour, carrot lends more than just an opportunity for a fantastic pun — it, along with the sweet potato, gives the drink a vibrant orange hue and an earthy sweetness that pairs beautifully with the vibrant mezcal and silky egg whites. It’s best enjoyed while gazing out the windows at the busy street below, or with a few tacos at the long white bar. 

15 NW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 770-0500
(503) 770-0500

Drugs at Eem

3808 N Williams Ave st 127, Portland, OR 97227

Eater’s 2019 Restaurant of the Year is a lot of things, but the industrial-tropical spot is primarily just fun. This is exemplified in the simply named Drugs, a pseudo-tiki concoction of aged rums, coffee, coconut cream, and pineapple, served in a variety of vessels including a popular blowfish mug. Beyond a funny name to request from a bartender, the playful and rich drink is an ideal accompaniment to the restaurant’s bold Thai food and barbecue flavors.

3808 N Williams Ave st 127, Portland, OR 97227
(971) 295-1645
(971) 295-1645

The Duchess at Dóttir

100 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97232

Lydia Mcluen, bar manager for the slick, Icelandic restaurant Dóttir at the Kex Hotel, describes The Duchess as “having seen the world.” The description is apt, as this aquavit and sherry cocktail has a maturity and grace to it. It’s smooth, botanical, and slightly fruity, like a rich and silky martini, and its brightness pairs wonderfully with the Scandinavian cuisine.

100 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97232
(971) 346-2996
(971) 346-2996

Pretty Ugly at Lulu

726 SE Grand Ave, Portland, OR 97214

Lulu, a narrow, minimalist bar with a lot of stylish black leather seating, was reportedly almost called Pretty Ugly. The drink that got the name instead is anything but — a verdant mezcal sour that has the addition of kiwi and celery bitters, which give it both a juiciness and a touch of vegetal spice. It’s as refreshing as it looks, without being overly sweet.

726 SE Grand Ave, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 780-0362
(503) 780-0362
View this post on Instagram

This is just simply Pretty Ugly #lulubarpdx

A post shared by Lulu (@lulubarpdx) on

Charred Orange Sherry Cobbler at Scotch Lodge

215 SE 9th Ave Ste 102, Portland, OR 97214

The opening of the stunning subterranean bar Scotch Lodge meant that two of the city’s best sherry cobblers can now be found in the same building (the other down the hall at the Spanish tapas bar Bar Casa Vale). In Scotch Lodge’s gorgeous burnt orange sherry cobbler, Japanese whisky backs up the nutty sherry, while burnt orange adds a citrusy complexity. Pebbly ice makes the whole thing a pleasing drink and a perfect starter to a meal. 

215 SE 9th Ave Ste 102, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 208-2039
(503) 208-2039

Hurricane Maya at Yonder

4636 NE 42nd Ave Suite A, Portland, OR 97218

Chef Maya Lovelace’s sky blue fried chicken paradise Yonder may be well-loved for its food, but the team hasn’t skimped on the drink menu, either. There are more than a few standouts, but the (somewhat) eponymous Hurricane Maya is a star. Cacao-infused rum and passionfruit give it tropical appeal, but it’s the clarified buttermilk that takes it to a new level, adding both a silky mouthfeel as well as a touch of tartness. The whole thing has a Southern charm that goes well with crunchy fried chicken and pimento mac and cheese. 

4636 NE 42nd Ave Suite A, Portland, OR 97218
(503) 444-7947
(503) 444-7947
Yonder’s Hurricane Maya
The Hurricane Maya at Yonder
Alex Frane/EPDX

Olive Oil-Washed Alaska at Wonderly

4727 NE Fremont St, Portland, OR 97213

The Alaska cocktail, a variation on a classic martini with Yellow Chartreuse standing in for vermouth, can be a bracing concoction. But the one at Wonderly gets smoothed out by an olive-oil wash on its Oxley Gin, making for a drink that’s as stylish and modern as the bar that serves it. It’s not always on the menu, as it’s sometimes replaced by a bijou or vesper, but it’s always available upon request.

4727 NE Fremont St, Portland, OR 97213
(503) 288-4520
(503) 288-4520

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