Portland has always been a great city for cocktails but it’s getting even better lately, with a handful of new spots opening around town. The Bent Brick is one of these.

Opening just a couple weeks ago, The Bent Brick has quickly gotten a lot of positive attention for both their food and cocktail menus. The restaurant (or tavern, as they prefer) was opened by Park Kitchen alumnus Scott Dolich, and he brought along Adam Robinson, former bartender at Park Kitchen, to run the bar at Bent Brick.

The Stranger: bourbon, sarsaparilla, verjus, angelica

For our first round, we tried The Stranger and the Beginning of the End, which we paired with quinoa fritters and grilled snap peas. All were delicious. The Stranger, in particular, was really interesting, with an unusual mix of flavors that created a curiously layered drink.

The approach they’re taking is “hyper-local”, and that extends from the food to the bar, where Adam is focusing on local spirits and ingredients wherever possible, even going so far as to make his own replacements for some standard ingredients not produced locally.

The mostly-local back bar

Our second round was the Drifting Along, made with Old Tom gin and pine, and the Rise to the Occasion. I had a little trouble deciding between the latter and the Slabtown Sour, which came with Adam’s recommendation. The Rise to the Occasion was very good but I know I have to go back for the sour soon. It was clearly a big seller; our seats at the bar allowed us to see just how many of those he was mixing up during our time there.

The Bent Brick is a bit out of the way, on NW 16th and Marshall, but the space is great. We were there on an uncharacteristically warm July day and loved that one side of the restaurant open could be opened to the outside air. They’re open 5:00–10:00pm Tuesday through Saturday, but I recommend visiting on a weekday if you can, as they fill up quickly.

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I recently received a sample bottle of Canadian Club Classic, a blend of 12 year old whiskies by perhaps the best known distiller of Canadian whisky. I’m normally not a big drinker of Canadian whiskies but I’m also willing to try just about anything.¹

Canadian whisky can be pretty uninspiring but the CC Classic surprised me. The first things you smell are vanilla and spice and these flavors carry through to its taste, although drinking it neat also delivers a good bit of alcohol burn that threatens to overpower it. Drinking it on the rocks eliminates this problem as the addition of water smooths things out a bit. The vanilla/spice flavor is stronger here with the result that this whisky almost tastes like a rum.

So while it’s good on the rocks, I found it best in an Old Fashioned (big surprise for me, I know). It also mixes well, particularly with lemon, so it’s a good choice for whiskey sours.

Canadian Club Classic is also extremely affordable, with Hi Time Wine selling for only $16. If you’re in need of an inexpensive yet drinkable Canadian whisky, this one is a good bet.

1. I even tasted that bacon-flavored vodka one time after talking to the distiller and learning that no bacon is used in production. It’s actually vegan, if you can believe that. Regardless, I was not a fan.

Portland author and Bloody Mary aficionado Judy Bennett has just released a new book that’s sure to help liven up your brunch parties: Bloody Marys: Sanguine Solutions for a Slew of Situations.

No matter what kind of day you’ve had or what kind of night you have planned, there’s a Bloody Mary to match your mood. From recipes to history to movies for any Bloody occasion, discover the culture behind the concoction. Dress your drink in pearls of knowledge and snark; there’s more to that toothpick than olives! And do it alongside the mothers of the masterpiece — the women of yesteryear who knew: the kiss of tomato on a clean, white apron means a good time is just around the corner.

With 45 recipes, vintage photography, and garnishes of wisdom, trivia, and legends, this book is a great addition to any well-rounded cocktail library. I mean really, who doesn’t love a Bloody Mary?

So to celebrate this book launch, Judy has generously donated a copy for a giveaway! Want this book for your collection? It can be yours! To enter, Like our Facebook page and leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite and most creative Bloody Mary garnish. We’ll select a random winner on Thursday, July 14. This giveaway is open to everyone, in the US or worldwide.

Even if you don’t win, you can still pick up a copy on Amazon. And be sure to check out Judy’s blog for more Bloody Mary love.

Update: We have a winner!

I used the random number generator at random.org and it selected Lola, our first commenter, as the winner of the Bloody Mary book. She’ll be garnishing her Bloody Marys with caper berries.

Thanks for participating, everyone!

A Gin & Tonic with a twist (and no gin).

Aquavit and Lemon

• 2 ounces aged aquavit
• Fever Tree Bitter Lemon soda
• Lemon zest for garnish

Pour aquavit over ice into a large old fashioned glass and top with Bitter Lemon soda. Squeeze your lemon zest over the top to extract the oils, rub it around the rim, and drop it into the glass.

Ok, this is basically a Gin & Tonic but I made an Aquavit Old Fashioned the other day with lemon bitters and zest and while musing on how well this spirit pairs with citrus, lemon in particular, I thought it would be fantastic with Fever Tree Bitter Lemon soda. Not your ordinary lemon-lime soda, Fever Tree Bitter Lemon is an all-natural, lightly sweetened, bitter lemon tonic that nicely compliments the flavors of the aged aquavit I’m using. While not branded as a tonic, this soda does contain quinine which lends its distinctive flavor to the drink.

The aquavit I’m using here is Gammel Krogstad, an aged aquavit from Portland’s own House Spirits Distillery. While aquavit might make you think of cold weather, given its Scandinavian origins, I’m finding it’s a nice change from gin on hot summer days.

Coffee liqueurs are the rage right now, especially in Portland, a city which loves its spirits and its coffee equally. But there’s always room for one more. Galliano Ristretto has been around for a while but has only recently made its way into Oregon, joining ranks with a number of locally-produced coffee liqueurs. To commemorate this and to introduce the spirit to Portland bartenders and enthusiasts, Galliano brand ambassador extraordinaire Jacob Grier came up with the perfect event: Ristretto with The Dude: White Russians and The Big Lebowski. Brilliant!

The event featured complimentary White Russians using Galliano Ristretto, free snacks from the host bar, and a Big Lebowski screening on one of the big TVs in the bar’s private event space. The turnout was small but enthusiastic, with everyone looking forward to the drinks and movie. Speaking for myself, this was the first White Russian I’ve had in well over a decade and I’d guess the same is true for many other people there. While I do love The Big Lebowski and occasionally joke about drinking these while watching my own copy of the movie, this was my first time actually pairing the two.

White Russians lined up on the bar

We drew the line at one, however. The heavy cream Jacob used was a little much so we opted for Black Russians for our second round. Just for something slightly lighter.

Black Russians — White Russians without the cream

So while I don’t normally drink these, I’m always eager to try a new spirit and I was looking forward to trying the Ristretto. Portland has been producing some great coffee liqueurs lately and it’s given me a new interest in the category, now that there’s something other than the sickly-sweet Kahlua on the market.

Sipped on its own, the Ristretto has the sweetness and syrupy feel of Kahlua but not the artificial, sort of chemically taste. It actually tastes like coffee, rather than some sort of coffee-like substance. Some of our local coffee liqueurs are lighter, presenting a clean, fresh coffee flavor without the syrupy feel, but it’s nice to see a Kahlua alternative available on the wider market. People planning their own Lebowski parties outside the Portland area would do well to pick up this for their bar.

The event was held at Spirit of 77, a sports-themed bar opened by the people behind Clyde Common. I love Clyde Common but I hate sports bars, so this was my first time here. Note that I initially described the bar as “sports-themed”; that description feels more accurate than “sports bar”. There are huge TVs and sport references, but none of the tacky banners and the like that adorn other such places. Further, Spirit of 77 is actually very well designed; a lot more thought has gone into this space than any other sports bar I’ve seen. This isn’t the type of place I’d frequent but if you’re into sports you should definitely check it out.

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