With scenic views of Portland from Skyline Tavern, Lee Medoff, and co-founders of Bull Run Distilling Co., incubated a plan to put Oregon whiskey on the map. Nearly seven years later, spirits influencer Medoff has taken major strides to educate consumers of the...
In the Rose City for the finale of 2017? Pop into one of these locales for wash away the year with great taste. New Year’s Eve is characteristically bubbly, but if you’re in the stay-home-and-avoid-the crowds boat you might not venture out to the bar until 2018. On...
Matt Melaik, creator of The Walter Collective named his company after this grandfather. The eponymous Walter wasn’t a distiller but instead an artist. Story goes he’d retreat to his workshop, mix himself a vodka martini — and with paint brushes in hand he’d create...
Chris Blanchard, co-owner of Longdrop Cider in Boise, co-founded the cidery in 2014 with two ciders debuting at the popular Treefort Festival. In over three years, Blanchard and his partners, Carol Crosswhite and Preston Crosswhite, have produced over two dozen...
While in Boise for Downtown Boise Restaurant Week, a common sentiment overheard among locals went something like, “the cuisine here is just as impressive as in foodie cities like Portland.” Using the trends, décor and farm-to-table freshness as a benchmark, smaller...
A cocktail’s name can be a deciding factor in selecting one menu item over another, especially for adventurous drinkers. How do bartenders come up with creative yet memorable names to describe their creations? Bartenders pull inspiration from their lives, popular...
If you’ve ever been to a Portland restaurant and attempted to jot down or steal a menu so you could recreate a salad or entree at home, “Portland Cooks” by Danielle Centoni is a must-add to your cookbook collection. Recreating restaurant favorites with a list of...
After trying tequila for the first time, 16th century Spanish conquistador Bernal Díaz del Castillo wrote in his journal that the spirit was the “nectar of the Aztec gods, a beverage so lovely it makes us forget fatigue and live only in a state of happiness.” In the...
Brand recognition is huge in the spirits industry, especially among bar managers tasked with stocking wells with a diverse and impressive spirits list. Although local spirits are intrinsically on many bar menus, local isn’t always better. So, how can bars and...
Accidents often lead to mishaps — but sometimes they lead to new developments — as happened for Ryan Sharp owner of Portland Sangria and ENSO Urban Winery. Sharp was turning out a large batch of rosé in 2010 at ENSO when he realized he had run out of bottles. Not...
