Ask A Bartender: What Should I Drink This Summer?

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Kai Soderberg, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Summer is here! Well, it has been for a while, but summer is still here! And there is an undeniable adjustment in taste that comes with the changing of the seasons. Biscuits and gravy give way to fruit and yogurt, lasagna give way to ceviche and short, hot and brown drinks that pack a wallop give way to long, refreshing and effervescent cocktails you can sip on for hours to maintain a manageable yet enjoyable buzz. No matter what you drink, enjoy cautiously because being completely wasted in the heat is just not that fun, and looks kind of sloppy (especially when you forget the sunblock). Drink slowly and space out with water.

My favorite summer drink of which there are many variations is the seemingly unimaginative Paloma. With four ingredients, it’s incredibly easy and economical to make at home. I could sip them all day long, but the operative verb is sip.

Paloma:
2 oz. 100% agave blanco tequila.
Lime
Pinch of salt
Grapefruit jarritos or grapefruit soda of your choice.

Squeeze lime into pint glass. Put in salt, tequila, spent lime shell and cracked ice. Shake furiously. Strain over rocks in pint glass. Add grapefruit soda to fill remainder of glass.

A Paloma is sort of like a tequila Collins but that grapefruit and salt combination with the cane sugar of the soda is enough to cover all the sensations of taste (sour, sweet, umami, bitter and salty). Quite a feat for just four cheap ingredients. Use less tequila if you’re planning on drinking a lot of them. And remember to stay hydrated. If you feel like having something a bit more extravagent, here are some local contributions. And in their own words:

Andina's Melones con Ají. Photo by Susan Hwang

Andina

1314 NW Glisan St. Portland, OR 97209; Tel:503-228-9535
Bar Manager: Eddie Johnson

The Pearl District’s Novo-Peruvian restaurant serves up drinks bursting with summery goodness. The Melones con Ají has Hendrick’s gin shaken with lime juice, sugar and agua de melón (fresh cantaloupe juice), served on the rocks with a ﬂoat of agua de pepino (cucumber water), lime zest and ají en polvo (ground hot peppers). The Pisco Sour, a classic summer drink, is Macchu Pisco pisco puro mixed with lime juice, sugar and egg whites, served up, topped with a dash of bitters and a squeeze of key lime.

Aviary

1733 NE Alberta St. Portland, OR 97211; Tel: 503-287-2400
Bar Manager: Kaysie Condron

La Viuda is a light concoction of Cazadores reposado tequila, benedictine, yellow chartreuse and grapefruit. Dragons in the Jungle (pictured) serve up Mt. Gay Xo rum and Campari with charred pineapple and black vinegar, perfect drinks to enjoy while soaking up the sunshine in Aviary’s back garden.

Bollywood Theater

2039 NE Alberta, Portland OR 97211; Tel 971-200-4711
3010 SE Division, Portland OR 97202; Tel 503-477-6699
Chef: Troy MacLarty

Embrace exotic summer nights with Bollywood Theater’s seasonal cocktails. Indian Summer has Plymouth Gin, watermelon water, garam masala and mint. Kali Cooler mixes DL Franklin Vodka, hibiscus-cardamom shrub, lemon and soda. A permanent addition to the menu, the Bollywood Shandy has whiskey, tamarind, jaggery, lime and Kingfisher beer for a fresh, clean finish. Bollywood Theater’s new cocktail lineup was developed in collaboration with the bartenders of Bull in China.

Imperial

410 SW Broadway, Portland OR 97205; Tel: 503-228-7222
Bar Manager: Tony Gurdian

Take your tastebuds on a trip to Cuba with Havana Daydreaming (pictured below) a sumptuous blend of calisaya, 7 Sirens rum, lime acid orange, and cuban spice syrup. Or dive into an adventure with the Prince, the Pirate and the Padré, mixing Brutal Anejo rum, brandy, mescal, Swedish punsch, bitters, and grapefruit oil.

Little Bird Bistro's Le Prix d'Amour. Photo by Carly Diaz.

Little Bird Bistro

215 S.W. 6th Ave.
Portland, OR 97204; Tel. 503-688-5952
Bar Manager: JP Peterson

Little Bird Bistro’s JP Peterson has been mixing up new lighter cocktails served on ice for summer to sip alongside Chef Gabriel Rucker’s new menu. Among these cool drinks are the Le Prix d'Amour, with El Jimador blanco tequila, Dubonnet Rouge, passionfruit, lemon and pepper-infused ginger beer. The Thoennes is a mixture of bourbon, peche, lemon, Lillet Blanc and Picon. Happy hour tip: all house cocktails are $3 off during early and late happy hours (Monday-Friday, 3-5pm, until 6pm in the bar, and nightly from 10pm-midnight)!

Portland Penny Diner

410 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97204; Tel. 503-228-7224
Bar Manager: Tony Gurdian

Vitaly Paley’s casual downtown restaurant offers a lineup of 8 classic and vintage cocktails on tap -- more than any bar in Portland! For sweet, fruity refreshment, the Rosita has tequila, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, campari, and orange bitters. The Madhatter is a simply refreshing mix of whiskey, lemon, sugar and absinthe on ice. On the more seductive side is Between the Sheets with gin, cointreau, brandy, and lemon. Portland Penny Diner’s patio tables on Broadway make the perfect spot for an outdoor happy hour (Monday-Saturday, 4-6pm) cocktail downtown, when all PennyDraft cocktails are just $5!

Related Slideshow: The 5 Best Places To Get A Drink Before Noon in Portland

Portland is the city haunted by perpetual sleep. Especially in the winter, it's important to get out of the house and enjoy what our fine city has to offer. Sieze the day, have a laugh. And what better way to start out than an early morning cocktail?

Prev Next

My Father's Place

I’ve never woken up and decided to go to MFP. I have, however, been up still and decided I need to eat something and drink something and maybe then I can sleep. Buyer beware: This place is Depressing. But they serve a stiff drink, have a jukebox and a reasonable array of Midwest-style greasy spoon breakfast food. Grease up dem guts and go take a nap.

My Father's Place, 523 SE Grand Ave.

Prev Next

Iconic

Iconic is a new bar on Broadway. I sincerely hope they succeed. They are less busy than Swift and the food is as good or better. They also have black and white movies on the projector you can stare at. It’s a nice, clean bar with big windows. Not dark, not pretentious. Just good food, nice pours and friendly staff. Not depressing in the least. Only open early on weekends.

Iconic, 2226 NE Broadway.

Prev Next

Jam on Hawthorne

Another non-desolate spot on the list. Last time I was there the bartender had a very engaging story about the last time he smoked crack (it was years ago). Big windows here as well. Good breakfast and giant bloody marys’ of various flavors and spice levels.

Jam on Hawthorne, 2239 SE Hawthorne.

Prev Next

Beaches- PDX airport

Even though the post 9/11 regimen that advises travelers to get arrive to the airport two hours prior to flight is no longer as timely as it once was, there are worse things than having an hour to kill at an airport bar. I have had some great conversations next to real estate agents, flight stewardess’, amateur skateboarders and down and outers. Even made some contacts that I keep up with to this day (hello Susi). You can rub elbows with anybody in an airport because everybody’s stuck just like you are. You’ll never see them again- probably- and you can skip the niceties and step right into the real gritty stuff.

Beaches Located at the PDX airport and in Vancouver at 1919 SE Columbia River Dr.

Prev Next

Acropolis Steakhouse

What would a list of am bars be in Portland without a stripclub? I was tempted to put in Sassy’s based on my own harrowing experience on a Christmas morning, but the Acropolis is open at 7am, so that wins. Scum it up with strippers and steaks, and what better place to do it than Beaverton?

Acropolis Steakhouse, 8325 SE McLoughlin