What to drink, what to drink… Selection is rarely the issue in the cozy lakeside offices of Sip Northwest, but decision-making often is. In this week’s Bar Tab, the bi-weekly selection of what to drink in the Northwest now, we played a couple rounds of “what is closest to my desk that I can reach without having to move,” resulting in the tasting and testing of these four drinks that you, too, should have at your fingertips.
Stone Fence Pink Peppercorn Imperial Cider | WildCraft Cider Works
Cider history might have left out the Portuguese pirate tales of yore, according to this Eugene, Oregon, cidery. The story on the bottle’s label is one of resourceful buccaneers, pirates from Portugal whom, when the rum had emptied from the barrels, filled the vacant casks with cider, plus some fresh peppercorns to preserve the drink for longer sails at sea. This pub-only cider is now visiting other ports in bottle, bringing bold and botanical aromatics to the apple-forward base. Off-dry in the mid-palate but inching toward dry in the finish, the cider almost has a lick of brine to it, enough to make the pirates proud.
Barrel Hitch American Whiskey | Eastside Distilling
Best known for its affordable and easy-drinking Burnside Bourbon, Eastside Distilling launched its Barrel Hitch whiskey series in 2015, a project emphasizing the art of oak-aging sourced spirits. Led by master distiller Melissa Heim — one of the few female distillers in the PNW — the Portland-based team bottles this smooth-sipping, low-octane whiskey at 80 proof, a gentle caress of warm wheat and honeyed oak. Vanilla and caramel corn fill out the rest of the palate. Try it in action, in a mini cocktail at the Distillery Row tasting room or full-sized on your own at home in one of the distillery’s many house drinks.
First Rule India Pale Ale | Ninkasi Brewing
Because referencing “Fight Club” nearly 20 years after its theatrical release really is still cool, Eugene’s Ninkasi Brewing put out this special edition IPA in August with a “fistful” of hops worth brawling over. Even with the El Dorado, Calypso, Mosaic, Simcoe, Citra and Amarillo hop varieties heavily packed into the brew — resulting in sticky-icky, grapefruit-laced, tropical dankness — respect is still paid to its sturdy malt base, a standard for Ninkasi’s line of ales. Think of the citrus and pine resin in the finish as headlock you always wished Brad Pitt had put you in.
2012 Loess Vineyard Syrah, Walla Walla Valley | Waters Winery
Jamie Brown credits his time in the music industry for the many life lessons he’s learned, and since applied to winemaking. “If you think of the best musicians, they tend to have songs that are so natural that it leads them out of the arena they were in,” he says of the art’s unpredictability. “That’s been a huge strength of mine, recognizing if a particular vineyard wants to go where I want it to go or not.” One of the vineyards that has led this winemaker to follow is the Loess Vineyard, popularized and owned by the acclaimed Leonetti Cellars, and is the sole source for this Syrah. Earth, iron, blood, brambly fruits, dried flowers and herbs build a voluminous profile, while a seemingly conflicted texture — dancing between silky yet slightly gritty – fuses in the finish with acid and gentle tannin.
