A couple was sitting at the bar at The Heathman Restaurant a few months ago when Beverage Director James Rahn noticed that they were drinking riesling. He asked them what they thought of the wine. “The woman was kind of flippant at first,” Rahn recalls. “She said, ‘What, did you personally buy it or something?’ “
The past year or so has brought the Portland bar scene the stately elegance of the Multnomah Whiskey Library, the speakeasy enchantment of Pepe Le Moko, the worldly sophistication of Expatriate and the collaborative art of Angel Face, among other spirituous pleasures.
With Portland Cocktail Week offering a showcase as hundreds of bartenders flow into the city this week, some of the big names behind the 100 picks featured in Bar Tab — our inaugural bar guide, which concludes Tuesday with a ranking of the top 10 new bars — agree we’re in a great place.
“The Portland bar scene is absolutely thriving right now,” says Blair Reynolds, owner of Hale Pele, one of our 10 best cocktail bars. “There are so many fantastic places both established and recently opened. The cocktail scene seems to follow Portland’s food scene, with a heavy smattering of owner-operated cocktail bars that are not driven purely by personality, but by passion.”
