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Updating the Eater PDX Booze Map: Where to Drink Now

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Photo of Multnomah Whiskey Library courtesy Avila/EPDX

Eater's handy Heat Map usually highlights the hottest new spots to grab a bite to eat — but because Portland is famously alcohol-inclined (and because no night out is complete without a pairing or two), we'd like to offer the accompanying, periodically updated Eater Booze Map, which shines the spotlight on the bars where dedicated tipplers are killing their livers right now.

In honor of Eater's annual Cocktail Week, the map focuses on mixed drinks. Three new additions make the list: The east side's Richmond Bar, North Killingsworth's lively cantina La Taq, and possible the hottest reservation in town right now: Multnomah Whiskey Library.

· All Cocktail Week 2013 Coverage [Eater PDX]

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Multnomah Whisky Library

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The shockingly beautiful Multnomah Whiskey Library, devised by the same owner of the east side's Produce Row, offers more than 1,500 different bottles of booze. Local barmen Tommy Klus and Jordan Felix (long of Clyde Common) mix up classic cocktails on a cart brought tableside.

La Taq

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One of Portland's most respected barmen, Kevin Ludwig (Beaker & Flask, Park Kitchen) is back behind the bar at Rodney Muirhead's bright and casual cantina. Pair Muirhead's brisket tacos and queso with La Taq's list of tequilas and mezcals, or just order up the "Xanarita," a carrot-juice take on the margarita.

The Richmond Bar

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Nate Tilden — the man behind one of the city's most popular bars, Clyde Common — opens a neighborhood spot on SE Division's restaurant row. Tilden describes the cocktail list as "spirits-forward," including drinks like the "Sassafras," with tequila, mezcal, Cynar, and Root.

Expatriate

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Kyle Webster teams up with Beast's Naomi Pomeroy for a take on an internationally inclined cocktail lounge where both food and drink show off a Southeast Asian influence. Pomeroy's drinking snacks reveal big flavors, like in a standout Burmese tea leaf salad and a constantly changing noodle dish. Webster's cocktail list shows similar culture-bridging, with whiskeys and bourbons co-mingling with palm sugar, lime juice, and Mandarin orange liqueurs.

As should be the case at any tapas restaurant, Ataula's house sangria packs a punch: brandy, fruit, and spices are simmered together in a sous vide, resulting in cinnamon and vanilla notes that hint at holiday drinking. Other drinks show a lighter touch, like a signature gin-and-tonic; and those looking for just a lil' tipple can order up a canita, a miniature beer or wine pour.

Restaurant St Jack

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With longtime barman Kyle Webster's departure (see the Expatriate entry), St. Jack flies in a ringer in the form of Saxon + Parole alum John Salas, who's completely revamped the cocktail menu into "Aperitif," "Comforting," and "Spirited" categories. House-made shrubs (pineapple, cherry), infusions (bacon into Laird's), and vermouths feature heavily.

CorksCru's Dan Beekley gives Old Town a place to conduct business meetings over booze, with a lengthy list of mostly European wines (by the bottle and glass) and a smaller lineup of "lowtails" — no-liquor cocktails made with bitters and wine (to best ensure that things stay professional). If the meeting gets too serious, order up a bowl of chef Ingrid Chen's "Cheezy Bits," a playful take on the familiar Cheez-It.

Fifty Licks

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Need a place to drink with your kids in tow? Fifty Licks's new brick-and-mortar location introduces the novelty of "sorbet cocktails," which pair sweet scoops with aperitifs, sparkling wines, or mead.

Sand Bar at Fish Grotto

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One of Portland's best people-watching corners gets a very boozy new haunt in the form of Sand Bar (the sister drunk to Fish Grotto restaurant). The cocktail menu matches the retro decor — it's nearly all rum, with several rum flights and pours available for sipping. Order one neat to best watch the crowds go by. [Photo: Facebook]

Old Salt Marketplace

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Like its sister spot Grain & Gristle, Old Salt's supperhouse and bar welcomes drinkers into a warm, wood-glowing room that's instantly comfortable and unpretentious. The beer and wine list is carefully curated by Upright Brewing's Alex Ganum, and an eight-item cocktail menu offers slight twists on the classics (a "nutty" pisco sour with hazelnut pisco, a Brown Derby with grapefruit bitters instead of juice).

Multnomah Whisky Library

The shockingly beautiful Multnomah Whiskey Library, devised by the same owner of the east side's Produce Row, offers more than 1,500 different bottles of booze. Local barmen Tommy Klus and Jordan Felix (long of Clyde Common) mix up classic cocktails on a cart brought tableside.

La Taq

One of Portland's most respected barmen, Kevin Ludwig (Beaker & Flask, Park Kitchen) is back behind the bar at Rodney Muirhead's bright and casual cantina. Pair Muirhead's brisket tacos and queso with La Taq's list of tequilas and mezcals, or just order up the "Xanarita," a carrot-juice take on the margarita.

The Richmond Bar

Nate Tilden — the man behind one of the city's most popular bars, Clyde Common — opens a neighborhood spot on SE Division's restaurant row. Tilden describes the cocktail list as "spirits-forward," including drinks like the "Sassafras," with tequila, mezcal, Cynar, and Root.

Expatriate

Kyle Webster teams up with Beast's Naomi Pomeroy for a take on an internationally inclined cocktail lounge where both food and drink show off a Southeast Asian influence. Pomeroy's drinking snacks reveal big flavors, like in a standout Burmese tea leaf salad and a constantly changing noodle dish. Webster's cocktail list shows similar culture-bridging, with whiskeys and bourbons co-mingling with palm sugar, lime juice, and Mandarin orange liqueurs.

ATAULA

As should be the case at any tapas restaurant, Ataula's house sangria packs a punch: brandy, fruit, and spices are simmered together in a sous vide, resulting in cinnamon and vanilla notes that hint at holiday drinking. Other drinks show a lighter touch, like a signature gin-and-tonic; and those looking for just a lil' tipple can order up a canita, a miniature beer or wine pour.

Restaurant St Jack

With longtime barman Kyle Webster's departure (see the Expatriate entry), St. Jack flies in a ringer in the form of Saxon + Parole alum John Salas, who's completely revamped the cocktail menu into "Aperitif," "Comforting," and "Spirited" categories. House-made shrubs (pineapple, cherry), infusions (bacon into Laird's), and vermouths feature heavily.

Remedy

CorksCru's Dan Beekley gives Old Town a place to conduct business meetings over booze, with a lengthy list of mostly European wines (by the bottle and glass) and a smaller lineup of "lowtails" — no-liquor cocktails made with bitters and wine (to best ensure that things stay professional). If the meeting gets too serious, order up a bowl of chef Ingrid Chen's "Cheezy Bits," a playful take on the familiar Cheez-It.

Fifty Licks

Need a place to drink with your kids in tow? Fifty Licks's new brick-and-mortar location introduces the novelty of "sorbet cocktails," which pair sweet scoops with aperitifs, sparkling wines, or mead.

Sand Bar at Fish Grotto

One of Portland's best people-watching corners gets a very boozy new haunt in the form of Sand Bar (the sister drunk to Fish Grotto restaurant). The cocktail menu matches the retro decor — it's nearly all rum, with several rum flights and pours available for sipping. Order one neat to best watch the crowds go by. [Photo: Facebook]

Old Salt Marketplace

Like its sister spot Grain & Gristle, Old Salt's supperhouse and bar welcomes drinkers into a warm, wood-glowing room that's instantly comfortable and unpretentious. The beer and wine list is carefully curated by Upright Brewing's Alex Ganum, and an eight-item cocktail menu offers slight twists on the classics (a "nutty" pisco sour with hazelnut pisco, a Brown Derby with grapefruit bitters instead of juice).

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