The Best Cocktail Bars in Portland

It ’s possible to get a great cocktail damn near anywhere in Portland ; your friendly neighborhood barroom might have a Sazerac on the menu , and every mulct - dining eating house in the city sport a consecrated cocktail program devoted to restoring the classics and inventing new drinks . But we ’re focused solely on cocktail bar : the places focused on mixed drinkable , first and foremost . ( Sorry locate likeLa Moule , Trifecta , Ataula– you , sadly , wo n’t be found here . ) Here are our pick for the best cocktail bars in Portland .

Bit House Saloon

It did n’t take long for Bit House Saloon to become one of the most popular bars in the city . It ’s no wonder : an all - wizard faculty dedicated to cordial reception , a handsomely wooded , revivify demode distance , and a collaborative cocktail list that make for in each bartender ’s unique approaching make it one of the most sport and bustling places in the metropolis . The goal was to make a favorable vicinity bar with an incredible cocktail list , and judging by the constant , varied crowd , BHS has done exactly that .

Rum Club

Just a few cylinder block from Bit House , Rum Club is the other neighborhood ginmill that happens to wait on some of the good cocktail in the urban center . The menu elevates rummy to its highest potential drop and gets inventive with other spirit , too , and yet it never feel stuffy or pretentious : while you nurse your craft rum cocktail with house - made bitters and syrups , a bachelorette party is doing ski - guessing of well tequila , and " The Imperial March " is smash on the stereophonic system . If there ’s such a thing as a ' dive craft cocktail bar , ' Rum Club is it .

Teardrop Lounge

Daniel Shoemaker opened Teardrop Lounge in 2007 , and it was implemental in launching the Portland Craft Cocktail Scene ™ . The city had never had a measure so dedicated to the classic geological era of cocktails , and while many more follow , TDL has hold its relevance by proceed to cater an striking repertory of cocktail , both modern and definitive , original and borrow . The menu rotates seasonally , and each drink is made with punctilious fear by the well - manicured but friendly bar faculty . The barware is lovely , curated eclectically but intentionally , and the aura is somewhere between a voguish modernist streak and a night guild . It ’s the OG PDX cocktail bar .

Expatriate

Across the street from the prix fixe icon Beast is its cocktail bar Expatriate , a transportive waiting room . Step at bottom and you ’ll experience like you ’ve walk into a Prohibition - era bar in Saigon , or maybe an opium den . It ’s decked out in golds and reds , with a shrine to Prince along one wall , which works amazingly well with the rest of the decor . It would be mawkish if it were n’t so sexy . Drink prices run higher than most places in the metropolis , in the $ 12-$14 range of a function , but they ’re excellent , classical , and potent . Along with Shift Drinks , the bar also blow one of the best wine list , with helpful descriptions such as " skilful Red " and " Better Red . "

Shift Drinks

Though it provide primarily to those in the service industriousness , with the latest last - call a taproom can have and wine to - go until close , Shift Drinks is a great billet for anyone who want a cause of death drink or , like Expatriate , a nice glass of wine-coloured at a good Leontyne Price with a fun verbal description ( ' Cheap+White+Delicious , ' for $ 7 ) . The distance is can get noisy , but the short yet refined stripe menu makes up for it .

Aalto Lounge

Aalto is a Portland classic that ’s somehow both underrated and wildly popular at the same time . It ’s popular because of its fantastic happy - hour program , stylish mid - century interior decoration , late - night disc jockey , and hipster - straw summer patio . It ’s underrated because it ’s also one of the in force , and one of the intimately - price , cocktail bars in the city . Just peruse the old - fashioned menu , or try a Smith & Cross Negroni , and you ’ll see that Aalto is more than just a stylish engagement spot .

Victoria

One of the more late summation to theLightning Bar Collectiveis also one of its most cocktail oriented . Each Browning automatic rifle in the chemical group has a good - to - great boozing menu , andJackknifewas considered for a prospicient time to be the best cocktail bar of the Collective , but it has since lose out to Victoria . It ’s not just that the cocktail programme is tops , or that the large , wily , white - tile bar is a gorgeous touch . Victoria edges out Jackknife because it ’s truly a Portland bar , rather than a tourer one . No offensive , but we prefer get our potable without having to shoulder past tech bros travel to from Seattle or fashion role model from the Bay Area .

Free House

Another under - the - radar cocktail bar , Free House lock on NE Fremont , aside from the hustle and stir of Downtown or Alberta or inner SE . In this unsophisticated building , you ’ll find understated and delicious cocktails , alongside an high-flown Browning automatic rifle menu of sausage , sandwiches , and salads . Best of all , maybe because of its relatively anon. condition , none of the drinks creep over the $ 10 line , a rarity in this city and becoming even rarer .

Pepe le Moko

Since we ’re skipping the eating place with cocktail bars , we can at least have Jeffrey Morgenthaler ’s speakeasy - style bar . Just around the corner and down a flying of stairs fromClyde Commonis Pepe le Moko . There , Jeff and his staff have taken the revile drinks of the ' 80 and ' 90s , like Grasshoppers and Amaretto Sours , and perfected them with eminent quality ingredients and unexpected twist . It ’s a sport choice to the pre - Prohibition era cocktail that litter every taproom menu in the city , and goes to show why Morgenthaler is among the nation ’s most notable bartenders .

Hale Pele

Rum Club may have some of the best craft rum cocktails in the metropolis , but Hale Pele has the good tiki drink . go are the cloying , artificial flavors that define the tiki crusade of the past . They ’ve been replaced by delicious , no less hokey or boozy , intermixture . Sip the good Mai Tai you ’ve had in the Northwest while the volcano on the wall irrupt and a thunderstorm grumble overhead on the talker . Do n’t miss out on the Zombies , strong enough to be limited to two per customer .

The Vintage

It ’s peculiar that The time of origin is as underrated as it is , and perchance resident physician of Montavilla would like it to continue that way . But this is a closed book we ca n’t keep : this legal community has been putting out some of the most consistently substantial vintage cocktails for some time now , quietly enjoying the " cocktail renaissance " while mostly keeping to itself . The blank is pretty much exactly what you would picture , without any frills or gimmick : a long wooden bar , leather banquette , and backlit shelves . cocktail are direct by spirit type ( think whiskey , agave , sugar cane ) , and feature both classic and new drinks in equal circumstances .

The Rookery at Raven & Rose

The Rookery , the upstair cocktail bar ofRaven & Rose , has some twists and house drinks ( one of which wonGQ ’s " Inventive Bartender Competition " ) like any good bar , but mostly it focuses on perfect the classic . Best are " the single barrel classic , " with paw take single - barrel spirit reach these the best articulation of the classics possible .

Interurban

No spot in Portland blurs the transmission line between restaurant and bar quite like Interurban , the treble - decker cocktail bar and gastropub , with an vehemence on seasonal Northwestern / European bistro culinary art , local beers , and pre - Prohibition cocktails . It ’s cozier than it is voguish , with rich wood and leather chairs . you could easy arrest in for a raciness to eat and a beer , or a full three - course meal with wine-coloured pairings . But you could also model at the bar or out on the patio and have some beverage ; the program is often themed around cocktail book of account or bartenders ( recently , it had a menu devoted to drinks out ofThe Savoy Cocktail Book ) , and includesbottled cocktailsto share .

The Box Social might be the best cocktail bar for appointment : it ’s intimate , warm , and romantic . It ’s a small space , but rarely overcrowded . The small collation are fine , but take a backseat to the splendid cocktail menu . Drinks let in the common mix of classic and originals , all made with poise . Box Social also has a great happy hour – bar in early ( 4 - 6pm ) , or late on weeknights ( 11pm - close ) for cocktail and food for thought special for an elegant but low-cost date night .

Interurban