| If you go: |
| Visitor and event information: |
| TravelPortland.com |
| 800-962-3700 |
| Hotel Monaco |
| monaco-portland.com |
| Pedalbike Tours |
| pedalbiketours.com |
For the most creative ways to toast the holidays, or any day, head for Portland, Ore. Portlanders’ passion for craft extends to beverages, and there’s an artisanal sensation to quench every thirst. In five years, House Spirits Distillery has made its mark with Aviation Gin, Krogstad Aquavit and happenings at Southeast Portland’s new Distillery Row. Distiller/mixologist Christian Krogstad’s new project: crafting limited-edition “apothecary” spirits. House Spirits offers tastings (try the coffee liqueur) and tours featuring a copper alembic still.
Pearl District newcomer Irving Street Kitchen is packed with fans of bartender Brandon Wise’s sweet and savory creations. Wise crafts “sensory experiences” flavored by Oregon’s agricultural bounty. Call it farm-to-bar cuisine.
Community spirit is stoked by advocates like the Hotel Monaco. The recently renovated downtown boutique, which has won awards for value, comfort and sustainability, offers free daily happy-hour tastings of new microbrews such as BridgePort’s Hop Czar IPA.
At the Lucky Labrador Brew Pub, housed in a rehabbed, dog-friendly east-of-the-river warehouse, creative brews can even be run through a nitrogen tap, yielding finer carbonation and creamier texture. Like to bike? Pedal Bike Tours leads five-mile “Beervana” excursions.
SakeOne, the only American-owned craft sake brewery, offers $10 “Sake Shock” pairings. Saketinis made with its local fruit-infused sakes are served around town.
Portland’s alcohol-free libations are just as intoxicating.
Charlie Wicker uses premium, ethically sourced beans for his new Trailhead Coffee. The self-described “computer geek” from Northern Virginia sells his coffees at markets and pours cups from his cargo bike’s onboard cafe. The entrepreneur pedaled his cart some 400 miles in September’s Cycle Oregon tour. Wicker’s latest “micro-lot,” Nekisse Momentum, has notes of blueberry; 50 percent of profits fund poverty-fighting micro-loans.
Steven Smith, creator of Stash and Tazo teas, recently opened a tea shop/micro-batch studio in Northwest Portland. Get spirited away by the beauty, fragrance and taste of ingredients during a $5.75 tasting flight. Varietals include Mao Feng Shui and Oregon peppermint (intense, creamy chocolate notes!). Hear the slurping? That’s how pro cuppers evaluate brews.
Free java cuppings are offered at Stumptown Coffee’s Belmont annex. Seeking a cool way to get wired? Try Stumptown’s new Cold Brew, but not before bed.
Cacao co-owner Aubrey Lindley joyfully describes “drinking chocolate modeled on a 500-year-old European tradition … denser, more intense,” while pouring cups of single-origin spiced with cayenne, ginger and coconut.
Post-tasting, you may be ready for Portland’s free New Year’s midnight “First Run” along the waterfront. Or a free MAX light-rail ride to your hotel.
