This sophisticated cocktail bar can be found in the Pearl District right next to its playful sibling bar Pink Rabbit. Fools and Horses serves a cocktail menu laden with American whiskies alongside a Hawaiian Paniolo menu from executive chef Alex Wong. Design features like sliding ladder across shelves of spirits, a collection of hardcovers by Thackeray perched on the bar, and a living room-like nook make the polished bar is an ideal locale for date nights before or after catching a show at the Armory. Don’t miss the Cash & Curry — Roku gin, sherry, toasted rice, coconut, miso, curry, and lychee — a complex but approachable creation poured over one big ice cube.

Bar Comala is restaurant group República & Co.’s rendering of what a bar in the small Mexican town of Comala would be like circa 1821. At the time, the town was a liminal space, caught between Spanish control and the fledgling country of Mexico, and ripe with international influence. The bar serves a menu of classic cocktails which have been taken for a spin. Once visitors have been ushered through a curtain, they settle into the candlelit space with cocktails like the Vieux Carré homage Plan de Ayutla, which swaps the cognac with mezcal, or the menu standout El Obrero, a champurrado-like cocktail which utilizes owner Angel Medina’s Reforma Roasters coffee; it could easily stand in as a dessert.

Devoted to chamber music, this bar is owned by a direct descendant of its namesake, 19th century German composer Felix Mendelssohn. In addition to a calendar of live music from local instrumentalists and opera karaoke nights, the cocktail menu here is a draw for lovers of classical music — it’s stacked with libations with names like Bach Talk and A Drink Without Words (a play on Mendelssohn’s “Songs Without Words”). The food menu is lean, consisting of a charcuterie board and a few sandwich options, but the bar also allows patrons to bring over food from neighboring Bar Bar.

The interior of Lollipop Shoppe presents similarly to its longtime predecessor Dig A Pony, but the co-owners of Tulip Shop Tavern and Lose Yr Mind Fest have overhauled the menu to a New Orleans focus complete with dishes like po’ boys and gumbo as well as cocktails like hurricanes and Sazeracs. The bar is now also booking more live music, from established Portland acts to talent from around the Pacific Northwest. Dive into the bar’s selection of draft spritzes for a burst of bubbly before hitting the disco ball-dappled dance floor.

A trip below Top Chef alum Gregory Gourdet’s new but already highly lauded Haitian restaurant Kann is primed to transport visitors to the Caribbean, with a cocktail menu incorporating spirits and produce from countries across the region. Gourdet, who is sober, wanted to make sure the bar had an extensive non-alcoholic cocktail menu, and the bar’s collection of zero-proof cocktails are as creative and nuanced as the bar’s spirited offerings. Sousòl’s food menu similarly explores the flavors of the Caribbean, as well as countries that have influenced its culture, with small plates ranging from familiar bar snacks (salt cod fritters and Trini-Chinese chicken wings) to dishes that are harder to find in Portland (Jamaican beef patties and Trinidadian doubles, a flatbread filled with curried chickpeas).

Next door to the kombucha brew pub Fermenter, chef Aaron Adams has transformed the “bacteria emporium’s” former workspace into an intimate cocktail lounge, aptly named Workshop. The vegan cocktail bar serves complex concoctions like the Hey Paul (miso-sesame washed shochu, mushroom tincture, soda float, salt mist) and the Tío Tomás (oregano mezcal, nixta golden beet, nixtamalized butternut squash). Workshop’s food menu offers bar snacks with Cuban influences, but the bar’s caviar service — an umami-packed experience that pairs seaweed-based vegan caviar with MSG biscuits — is a mind-blowing standout. 

Visit this bar, which pulls inspiration from cocktails around the world, to sip on a Prince of Edinia, which was originally created for a cocktail competition in Mexico. The cocktail is positively royal looking, from its purple hue down to the glass goblet it’s served in, and marries the corn-based Peruvian beverage chicha morada with tequila and a ginger-cayenne syrup under a cloud of egg white. Vibrant dishes like Colombian street-style ceviches and salmon tiraditos vie for space on tables adorned with mini floral arrangements from across-the-street neighbor Colibri. To get up close to the action, sit up at the intimate bar or near the open kitchen in the two-room space.

Striking a balance between casual and sophisticated, this European-style bar takes over Saint Simon Coffee’s Northeast 15th Avenue location in the evenings from Thursday through Sunday. The cocktail menu is short and sweet — four cocktails in total — and any imbiber who sits at the cross-section of coffee enthusiast would be remiss not to order the Saint Simon Martini, which deftly blends vodka, Kahlua, and Coava espresso. The bar’s wine list is curated by Chevonne Ball, a 2020 Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 honoree who owns Dirty Radish, a travel company which hosts wine tours in Oregon and France.

Millennial pink isn’t dead at this Latin American bar that serves refreshing cocktails that combine tequila and Aperol or bourbon with mole. Bar Cala has recently switched up its splashy summer menu for more cold weather drinks, like a banana liqueur Old Fashioned and a mezcal negroni. Hungry drinkers will find dishes like clams and mussels with chorizo or shrimp ceviche on the seafood-heavy food menu. The bar’s high ceilings are festooned with lush greenery and fairy lights, and music pumps steadily through the speakers, giving the place a Palm Springs party vibe.

Settle into one of the bar’s plush booths or banquettes at this ’70s-themed bar from the team behind Jackie’s and Two Wrongs to sip retro cocktails like the Pornstar Martini or a Blue Hawaii(an). A giant palm tree takes center stage between walls adorned with vintage posters advertising liquor, and more seating can be found outside on a summery patio. The bar’s daily happy hour offers two dollar oysters, and classic frozen treats like rocket pops and ice cream sandwiches are a nostalgic cap to any visit.

Oozing a laid back but charming ’70s vibe, this cocktail bar comes from the team behind White Owl Social Club and Creepy’s. Here, Sumner neighborhood patrons kick back in vintage booths, and next to a corner fireplace with cocktails like the My-O-My-Tai or the White Lotus (mezcal, Coco Lopez, pineapple orange juice) in hand. Outside on the patio, the Monster Smash cart slings crispy-edged smash burgers, which are available vegan, and golden fries with garlic aioli. Minors are allowed until 9 p.m. and can find themselves easily occupied by the bar’s arcade and pinball games.