365 Things To Do In Portland, Oregon

Here, he riffs on Portland’s drinking scene and shakes up the perfect Valentine’s Day cocktail.
What distinguishes the rose city’s drinking crowd?
 The fact that we have a really sophisticated and educated clientele. People take drinking seriously here.

Who’s your favorite local bartender? Mike Robertson at the Driftwood Room. He was one of the first bartenders to welcome me to Portland. He’s a great host and a great bartender.

How can Portland step up its bartending game? There’s a lot of emphasis on people wanting to make up their own drinks these days. It’d be nicer if people paid more attention to learning the classic drinks. Anybody can dream up fancy new cocktails, but they can’t make you a good whiskey sour.

What’s your cocktail of choice? Piña colada. No, that’s a lie! Gin and tonic.

What Valentine’s Day cocktail cliché should be avoided at all costs?
 Drinks with sugared rims.

How did you choose your perfect Valentine’s Day cocktail? I was thinking about very traditional romantic drinks, and those always involve sparkling wine. But I wanted something a little different. And I remembered a drink I had in New York at a great tequila bar called Mayahuel, where my friend Phil Ward is a bartender. It’s earthy, complex, and slightly bitter. And it’s pink! But a good pink … it’s a kind of butch pink.

And here, physical proof of a politician keeping a promise: BlueOregon founder Jesse Cornett's E. Burnside pub Guild Public House, located on the first floor of theNoble Rot building, is ready for its January 14 grand opening (a few preview events are on-tap this week).

The 125-seat space boasts a 92-inch projector downstairs (for sports fans) and a 50-inch plasma upstairs (so "political geeks know they have a spot they can rely on to watch political debates and election night returns"), while the building's famous green-friendly features include geothermal temperature control. McCormick and Schmick’s veteran Jason Roy mans the kitchen (plans to add an outdoor barbeque will up menu offerings), while Cornett and co-owner Molly Aleshire have pledged to donate five percent of all profits — all the time — to charity.
· The Guild Public House [Official site]

Courtesy of our friends at EaterPDX