Discover Portland: Leisure Public House

January 6, 2011

One of my friends was just commenting on how much she adores the St. Johns area and would love to move there.  She is in love with the area’s small pretty shops, quaint diners, and friendly atmosphere. I myself have never been, but after stumbling across the Leisure Public House in the St. Johns neighborhood I will most definitely be taking a trip to the North.

Leisure Public House is one part bar, one part pub, and is 100% the kind of place I would love to hang out at. They have a full bar, an absolutely gorgeous outdoor seating area, and a menu that is anything but ordinary–instead of a hamburger and fries, why not try their chevre salad with fresh goat cheese, or one of their gourmet pressed sandwiches?

They definitely succeed in the fun area as well. You can play some ping pong, something called bocce ball or just play some tunes on their jukebox. Then on Mondays you can show off your talents during open mic night. Tuesday try your luck at trivia night to win some cool prizes. Then wind down on Sundays with Sunday movie night–last week they showed one of my faves, Big Fish.

I really love the story of how Leisure came to be as well. Owners, Travis and Nicole, had a passion for pubs and a love of their neighborhood, and they both wanted to create a place where people could come hang out and get to know each other in a comfortable, fun setting.  You can really tell when you look at this place that they put a great deal of thought and hard work into designing it. Travis actually built  Leisure’s patio, tables, benches, planter boxes and bocce ball court, all himself!

I can’t wait to visit Leisure Public House located at 8002 N. Lombard St. Find them online here.

Discover Portland: Distillery Row

December 22, 2010

Portlanders love to buy their clothes from local designers, are loyal to their favorite neighborhood cafe, and boast about having some of the best wineries in the NW, so why not take it one step further gang and try out some fantastic locally made liquor too!

I am so excited to have discovered Distillery Row.  Situated in SE Portland, Distillery Row is a handful of small distilleries who make handcrafted, locally distilled spirits available for the first time since prohibition. How great is that! There are 5 distilleries on Distillery Row–Deco Distilling, House Spirits, Integrity Spirits, New Deal Distillery, Stone Barn Brandyworks–and they make everything from vodkas and gins, rums and whiskeys, to more specialized spirits such as absinthe, aquavit, and flavored liqueurs.

Deco Distilling, located at 1311 SE 9th Avenue, makes one of my favorite rums of all time the Deco Ginger Rum. It is great with some Cola, Sprite, or some warm cider. All of their rums are made from natural ingredients. The ginger flavored rum in particular has no added sugar, which I love because then you can mix it to your desired taste.

House Spirits, located at 2025 SE 7th Avenue, makes everything from vodka, gin, whiskey and aquavit.  Sporadically House Spirits also releases a small batch of limited-edition spirit in their Apothecary Line available only in their tasting room. Their goal is to pour into every creation the taste and flavor of the Northwest. “We have great respect for our distilling elders and incorporate old world philosophy into our products for the savvy new world palate.”

Integrity Spirits, located at 909 SE Yamhill Street, sells vodka, gin and a specialty absinthe. Their concoctions are more of an art form than a drink, which makes since why their labels are designed with as much care, love and attention as their spirits. I am extremely enticed by their Hazelnut Vodka and 12 Bridges Gin.  The 12 Bridges Gin is aptly named for the number of bridges in Portland, and for the 12 botanicals in its recipe, like Hungarian Juniper Berries, cucumber and peppery ginger.

New Deal Distillery, located at 1311 SE 9th Avenue, is all about vodka. They carry four different styles of vodka, including the award winning Hot Monkey Pepper-Flavored Vodka and the one I am dying to try the Basil-Flavored Vodka. They also make a special brand of organic liqueurs called LOFT Organic Liqueurs. These are made from as-local-as-possible organic fruits and botanicals available.With flavors as diverse as Lavender Cello, Spicy Ginger Cello, and Lemongrass Cello.

Stone Barn Brandyworks, located at 3315 SE 19th, Suite B, produces yummy craft distilled, regional fruit brandies and spirits. Check out just a few of their amazing sounding drinks, like their pear and apple brandy, coffee and quince liqueurs, and an unoaked rye whiskey. I first tried one of their liqueurs at the fabulous Gilt Club and it was absolutely delicious!

I highly recommend you make a visit to Distillery Row.  I just hope Santa is reading this and makes a special delivery to my house this year!

Drink Mix–Seasonal Cocktails

October 28, 2010

I love seasonal cocktails as much as I love seasonal lattes, which is a whole lot!  There is something so comforting and delicious about adding nutmeg, cinnamon, and/or eggnog to any drink recipe.  With Halloween and Christmas soon approaching us more restaurants and bars have began creating their own special seasonal drinks, or are putting their own spin on the classics.  I am sure there are many great places to choose from when it comes to seasonal cocktails, but the Winter cocktails at Seres Restaurant & Bar sounded too amazing for me to pass up, so I made my way down to The Pearl District to try one of these sweet liquid treats.

Seres is now featuring on their drink menu The Grasshopper, Ginger Snap, Pumpkin Patch, and my favorite cure for thecommon cold–The Spiced Hot Toddy.  I am a big fan of ginger bread, ginger ale, etc., so I just had to try the “Ginger Snap.”  This yummy cocktail is made of Yazi Vodka, Stoli Vanilla, Captain Morgans, cream, cinnamon and nutmeg.  It is a cold frothy drink, and the cinnamon sprinkle on top mixed with the white cream mixture creates a pleasant display.

I expected the drink to be a lot sweeter than it actually is, which is good and bad.  I am not the biggest fan of super sugary fufu drinks, so I didn’t mind the cocktail being on the plainer side, but in this case I think it actually needed to be a bit sweeter.  All of the right ingredients were here, but it just didn’t come together to give me that holiday cheer.  There are variations of this drink that include eggnog, and I think that was the one ingredient missing in Seres’ Ginger Snap.  I can’t wait to go back though and try the rest of their Winter cocktails, and the best part is that if you use Forkfly you can get Happy Hour prices all night long at Seres!

To make your own Ginger Snap I would recommend this recipe.

Gingersnap Egg Nog Martini

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz Canton Ginger Liqueur
  • 1/2 oz Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
  • 1/2 oz Disaronno
  • 2 ounces Egg Nog
  • 1 pinch Cinnamon Sugar
  • 1 ea Ginger SnapCookie garnish

Directions:

In a mixing glass combine all ingredients then add ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass rimmed in cinnamon sugar. Garnish with a ginger snap cookie or touille.

The Nomayo cocktail: The Drink with a Fantastic Twist, But a Weird Name!

August 19, 2010

If you are a fan of gin, you must try the Nomayo cocktail at Davis Street Tavern.  The Nomayo is Davis’ signature drink and is very popular among the Davis crowd.  It is made with Beefeater’s gin, Aperol St. Germain and lemon.  For those of you who like myself have no clue what Aperol is, it is an Italian aperitif that was created in 1919.  Its ingredients include bitter orange, genitian, rhubarb and cinchona.  The Aperol really gives this drink a slight grapefruit taste.  It is quite refreshing and not like anything I’ve ever had.  One of those drinks that you can’t really pinpoint why you love it, but you just know that you must have it again!

I would also recommend trying Davis’ Black & Blue, which is made with blueberry absinthe, and their Finca Canton made with ginger liqueur.

The perfect meal to compliment the Nomayo is Davis’ Anderson Ranch Lamb Burger.  This burger is in my top five best burgers I have ever had in my entire life.  Feta, dried apricots and pine nuts are cooked into the burger, with roasted red onions and a spicy mint yogurt on the side.  This is a robust burger, and I was not able to finish it all myself, but boy did I want to.

Also check out Davis’ dungeness crab bisque and velvety mac ‘n’ cheese, and find their great deals on Forkfly, like 25% off Sunday brunch.  I gotta go back to Davis’ just to at least ask them, what is with the name Nomayo?

Try A Collins/Cooler/or Drop at Paragon & Learn How to Make Your Own!

August 13, 2010

While dining outside at Paragon, located in The Pearl District, I perused over their Happy Hour menu to find myself a new cocktail to try.  My options were a house infused blackberry, blueberry, raspberry or strawberry Collins/Cooler/or Drop.  Now I have drank quite a few cocktails in my life, but by no means am I an expert in mixology, so seeing my options I was immediately curious what the difference is between a Collins, a Cooler and a Drop.  I tried the Blackberry Cooler for fun, and Paragon’s version did not disappoint, but I still went home wondering what the difference was between these cocktails, and so I decided to check it out for myself.

Apparently a Collins is basically “sours” with club soda added. You start off with 2 oz of your base liquor, whatever that may be, add 2 oz or so of sour mix, and top it off with some Club Soda.  The most well known of Collins of course being the Tom Collins, which uses these ingredients:

Tom Collins

2 oz Gin
1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
½ oz simple syrup
3 oz chilled Club Soda
Lemon Slice
Maraschino Cherry

Add the first three ingredients to a mixing glass and stir with ice. Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with the lemon slice and the cherry.

A Cooler is defined as any wine or made-wine made of an alcoholic strength not exceeding 5.5%. These drinks may be based on spirits, cider or perry.  The most well known of coolers of course being the Wine Cooler, which I’ve included a recipe for below.

Strawberry White Wine Cooler

2 cups strawberries (about 1 pint), trimmed
1/3 cup sugar
a 750-ml. bottle Sauvignon Blanc or other dry white wine, chilled

In a bowl gently toss together strawberries and sugar and let stand 10 minutes. In a blender purée strawberry mixture with wine until smooth and pour through a fine sieve into a pitcher. Wine cooler may be made 4 hours ahead and chilled.

A Drop traditionally uses vodka as the base and then often sweet and sour mix is added and usually a splash of sugar, and it is served chilled in a martini glass.  If you think of a Drop, you of course imagine the Lemon Drop.

The Lemon Drop


1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz lemon juice
1 sugar cube

Outdoor Seating Guide: Jinx Lounge

August 4, 2010

With the anticipation of better weather Portlanders are going to be eating out now more than ever, and many are itching to enjoy their food and drink outside.  However, not all vendors here in Portland provide such amenities, so we here at Forkfly have done all the research for you.   Every week we will showcase a new restaurant or café that offers outdoor seating for your weather enjoying pleasure.  The first spot we are highlighting is the uber popular Jinx Lounge located on 12th Ave in the Pearl District.

Jinx, which is adjacent to Vault Martini, offers a swanky experience for anyone who might be in the mood for a cocktail or culinary delight.  While the venue provides mood lighting and 70’s inspired décor inside, the outdoor seating is just as nice.  Jinx has three to four small round tables located out front. While it isn’t recommended that you rely on this seating for large groups, bringing a friend or two to enjoy martinis and Happy Hour in their outdoor seating is quite pleasant.  The location is perfect for people watching, and after a long day of shopping in the Pearl, Jinx is the perfect place to unwind.

Be sure to visit Vault Martini next door too, which is owned by the same owner as Jinx. Both provide a unique and posh atmosphere with well versed bartenders and a wide selection of drinks.  Even better, right now on Forkfly Jinx is offering Happy Hour all night long when you flash the fly!

The TeaZone & Camellia Lounge Brings A Little Tea to Your Cocktail

June 30, 2010

My Nana has been a tea drinker her entire life. Her parents came to the Americas from France in the early 1900s, and they were a huge fan of “tea time.”  That same love of tea got passed onto my Nana, and then to my Mom and then eventually to me.  Any time we get together we put on the kettle and we share a pot of tea while discussing what is happening in our lives.  I have always been taught that tea can cure anything that ales you—you should drink peppermint tea for a stomach ache, echinacea tea for a cold, and chamomile tea if you have trouble sleeping.  I love finding and trying new teas, and The TeaZone and Camellia Lounge located at 510 NW 11th in The Pearl District, has one of the most interesting uses of tea I have ever seen.

I went to the TeaZone during their daily happy hour from 4-7pm.  I had intended on just trying one of their teas, and I had hoped to find a new one that knocked my socks off.  To my surprise the menu did have tea, but it was being used in cocktails!  My two loves in one drink: cocktails and tea.  I had to try this.

The TeaZone has five different specialty cocktails all $5 on their happy hour menu, and I decided on the Mango Madras.  The Mango Madras contains mango black tea infused vodka, orange juice, and hibiscus juice.  It is very light, refreshing and I love the mango tea aftertaste.  It gave me a little kick in energy, and I didn’t have that sluggish feeling after drinking it like you do with some drinks.  This is such an exciting find for me, and I can’t wait to go back to TeaZone and try more of their delicious cocktails.

If you are interested in making your own Tea Cocktail, here is a recipe for a Green Tea Martini to get you started:

Green Tea Martini Infusing Instructions


  • Infuse an entire 750ml bottle of vodka with 6 teabags, by steeping the tea bags for 4 to 6 hours or overnight. You may wish to pour the vodka into a jar or container that will allow you to easily remove the teabags after steeping. (If you want to use a lesser amount of vodka, pour 1/3 of the bottle of vodka into in a jar or with two teabags. )
  • Swirl the jar occasionally: You will see the infusion happening.
  • If you want to use loose tea, the equivalent is one teaspoon of tea for each teabag.

Get Something Sweet and Sour at Seres Restaurant

June 24, 2010

I discovered pear flavored vodka a few months ago, and since that time I am hooked.  It has a nice refreshing sweetness to it with just a hint of sour, and unlike many fruit flavored liquors, it doesn’t taste like cough syrup or a Jolly Rancher candy.  Pear and pomegranate flavored vodkas are definitely big right now, and I have seen them pop up in different drink recipes all around Portland.

Seres Restaurant, located at 1105 NW Lovejoy St in The Pearl, serves up a wonderful Sweet & Sour Drop just in time for summer.  The drink contains Absolut Pear, Triple Sec, and lemon juice.  Just thinking about this drink makes me salivate. This cocktail is regularly $8, but if you go during one of their numerous happy hour times you can get it for $6.  The bartender at Seres definitely knows what he is doing and will treat you right!

If you would like to try another drink using Absolut Pear vodka, here is a recipe for a Pear Martini.

Pear Martini

  • 2 oz. pear vodka
  • splash of grapefruit juice
  • squeeze of fresh lime

Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice. Shake, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime, lemon, orange, or even a pear slice!  As always, if you have a cool new drink you think I should try, send me a comment or message me on Twitter.  Thanks from all of us at Forkfly!

The Tijuana Speedball is a Drink with a Kick!

June 16, 2010

I am most definitely an adult beverage connoisseur.  I get a lot of joy out of trying a restaurant, brewery, winery or bar’s signature drink, and it is my goal on every adventure to hopefully discover a new fave.  Sometimes I find a gem, and sometimes I leave less than impressed, but regardless of the outcome it is always a fun journey.

Last week while hanging out with colleagues, an acquaintance of mine was raving about her favorite cocktail the Tijuana Speedball and told me I must try it.  With a name like that I imagined the drink to be something so spicy lava would erupt from the glass as soon as it touched my lips, but as we made our way to Bluehour, located at 250 NW Ave, where the drink was being made, I found out it is actually more like a dessert than a drink.  The Tijuana Speedball is a combination of tequila, Kahlua, Irish cream and coffee.  The Bluehour bartender topped off the drink with three coffee beans, and served it in a chilled martini glass.  I’m not sure if the name is fitting for this drink, but the drink is fitting for anyone who loves espresso ice cream because that is exactly what it tastes like.  It is smooth, not too sweet, and gives you a good kick of caffeine.  Everyone needs a great dessert drink every once in awhile, and I have definitely found mine!

Want to make your own Tijuana Speedball?  I found the recipe, so happy concocting!

The Tijuana Speedball
1 shot of espresso
1.5 oz repasado tequila
1.5 oz Kahlua
1.0 oz Bailey’s

Have a favorite beer, cocktail, or wine that you think I need to try in Portland or Vancouver?  Leave me a comment or message me on Twitter, and I will highlight that drink in my next blog.

Forkfly Fridays: In Happy Hour Heaven with Vault Martini

June 12, 2010

Happy Hours aren’t hard to find in Portland, but actually choosing one out of the hundreds available can be a daunting task.  No one happy hour is alike, and you would be surprised how varied the hours are, the menus and the prices.  Researching all these options would take a lot of time and energy, so why not let us do the hard work for you?  Every week we are spotlighting a new Happy Hour in our hometown Portland, Oregon, starting with one of the most impressive Happy Hour drink menus around at Vault Martini.

Vault’s drink menu reads like a list of entrees.  You’ve got your different kinds of Drops, Savories, Sweets, Bubblies, Margaritas, Hot Drinks, and of course Martinis.  There are over 20 different drinks available on the Happy Hour menu.  The most impressive thing though are the prices—all drinks on the HH menu range from $3-$5.  That means you can get a Banana Drop for $4, a Blackberry Margarita for $5, a Thin Mint Martini for $5, and three cocktails later you are feeling happy and have spent less than $15 on some truly amazing drinks.

To make your sipping experience that much better Vault has comfortable couch type seating, chairs centered around their fireplace, and some good tunes playing in the background.  When I visited there on a Wednesday evening their bartender Jacose was attentive, informative and made a killer Habanero Martini (which she told me is a Vault fave).

Vault’s Happy Hour runs from 4pm-7pm DAILY.  This means you have a reason to be happy every day of the week.  The only down fall about their HH menu is they don’t offer food, but you can always order an appetizer for pretty cheap from their regular menu or hop on over to Vault’s sister restaurant Jinx Lounge.  Vault Martini is located at 226 NW 12th Avenue in The Pearl District.

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