BAR PILOT

Pedal-pabooza

Take a distillery tour by bike

Posted by: John Chandler on Jun 08, 2010 at 01:00PM 9 Comments

I’ll be discreetly hammered in the passenger seat.

I like my bike, I really do. And one of the many splendored things I heart about Portland is our enthusiasm for making two-wheeled transportation part of our commuting routine. Bicycling is terrific exercise and considering the precarious state of fossil fuel consumption it makes sense on a number of ecological levels.

By the way, I would appreciate it if this post didn’t degenerate into another forum for angry citizens to go off on tirades about smug, inconsiderate cyclists hogging the road or their arch enemies who paint little bikes on their Hummers every time they run somebody down while prowling around belching carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. On the other hand, I’m a shameless web-traffic whore, so if you really must vent, have at it. Just keep it clean, kids!

Anyways, Pedalpalooza kicks off this week, and for the next fortnight, there’s going to be all kinds of cycle-themed merriment springing up all over town. Hooray! But there’s a problem, you see. My free time revolves around the consumption of alcohol, and after getting doored, run over, and slamming into parked cars that mysteriously materialize out of thin air, I’ve rethought my position and decided that drinking and cycling don’t mix—unless someone else is doing the pedaling.

Jonathan Magnus, the head man at PDX Pedicab, conducts weekly pedicab tours of local distilleries down in industrial South East Portland. Every Saturday between 1 PM – 5 PM thirsty sightseers can take a 90-minute cycle safari that includes stops—and sample sips—at House Spirits, New Deal Distillery, and Integrity Spirits. You have to book a seat in advance at the website, and a typical tour will include room for no more than 12 guests aboard 4 cabs. This excursion usually costs $40 a head, but if you check into Groupon Portland tomorrow (Wednesday) Magnus tells me there will be a Groupon for half off a PDX Pedicab distillery tour. Am I going? Hell to the yeah! I only hope my pedicabbie will be kind enough to bike me home after I’ve passed out, rather than just abandon me in a Honey Bucket, like last time. Whew! Once was enough.

Bikes, booze, and a breath of fresh air. I love Portland. I love Portland. I love Portland.

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Tags: Sports, Bar Culture, bicycle, portland bicycle, portland bike

Of Beer and Brackets

Four spots for sipping suds during the NCAA tournament

Posted by: Joseph Manuel on Mar 22, 2010 at 09:00AM 0 Comments

Hey, how’s that March Madness treating you? You don’t have to fib—we know you picked Kansas all the way, and, after last weekend’s tumultuous two rounds, office paper shredders have been working double overtime making confetti for all the hapless hopefuls who picked the No. 1 seeded Jayhawks. If you were one of the 50 percent whose picks went down quick like the Titanic, you definitely need somewhere to cheer up, buttercup. Might we suggest collegiate sports bar the Cheerful Tortoise? The word on the block is that they’ll have giveaways during televised games, and, for the final, the winner gets a hammock—the perfect consolation prize for lounging and lamenting about Northern Iowa’s remarkable David-ko’s-Goliath win over Kansas.

For the other half of you that picked Kentucky (come on, you either picked Kansas or Kentucky) at least you still have breathing room, as the Wildcats could potentially square off against our regional rivals the Washington Huskies. Since we’re narrow-minded and all, we’ll assume that John Wall and his cousin will escape the East and be Final Four-bound. Fittingly, Champion’s Sports Bar would be ideal to watch the expected coronation of the ’Cats, since they have 20 TVs and feature happy hour all day during the games. OK, we lied—we’re only suggesting this place because of the 20 views you’ll have of Kentucky dominating Washington—that is, if the Dogs can succeed in bouncing West Virginia out of the tournament.

The fun of the Syracuse quadrant (the West, supposedly) resulted in the least amount of upsets—the surviving quartet in the Sweet 16 include a five, six, and two seed to go along with No. 1 Syracuse. Although this region had some pretty close contests, the blandness of no double-digit seeds can be cured by heading to Macadams, since there’s a possibility of winning a 32-inch flat screen in their no entry-fee bracket contest.

Finally, the South region has the second-most hated team left in St. Mary’s (behind Northern Iowa, of course), since their ousting of two-seeded Villanova twisted the knife of those that had ‘Nova actually making it past the second round. If you picked Duke for this side, grab an order of Macho Nachos and a Lagunitas IPA at Claudia’s, the perfect sports pub to match Coach K’s precision offense. Plus, they’ll also have random raffles during the finals, which you can enter while quaffing a beer every time Duke’s golden boy Kyle Singler (from South Medford!) busts a bucket.

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Tags: Beer, Sports

Vancouver = Vodka

Catch Olympic fever—and a buzz

Posted by: John Chandler on Feb 19, 2010 at 11:00AM 8 Comments

Liquor company executives aren’t stupid. Why shouldn’t you have Olympic-themed cocktails the next time your pals come over to watch the bobsled finals? No reason at all.

The marketing wizards at Three Olives, an English company that boasts more than a dozen flavors of vodka, sent me the following recipes to not only inspire sports fans to greater heights of fanaticism but also to toast all nations in the spirit(s) of international competition.

See, the five rings represent the five original participating continents in the 1920 Antwerp Olympics. Cripes, you’d think Antarctica could field a kick-ass Winter Olympic squad, but it appears the nation is comprised entirely of couch potatoes. If you don’t appreciate my shilling for Three Olives, feel free to use the flavored vodka of your choice. But remember, they did go to the trouble of inventing these drinks. Sure beats watching the Biathlon sober.

Blue Skis
3 oz. Three-O Grape Vodka
½ oz. blue caracao
1 oz. lemonade
Mix ingredients in a glass with ice

Mountain Mist
3 oz. Three-O Citrus Vodka
½ oz grapefruit juice
½ oz pineapple juice
Splash of triple sec
Mix ingredients in a glass with ice

Black Ice
1 ¼ oz. Three-O Triple Espresso Vodka
¾ oz. premium dark chocolate liqueur
½ oz. orange liqueur
Mix ingredients in a glass with ice

Curling on the Rocks
2 oz. Three-O Raspberry Vodka
½ oz. melon liqueur
½ oz. triple sec
Splash of cranberry juice
Splash of orange juice
Mix ingredients in a glass with ice

Olympic Flame
3 oz. Three-O Cherry Vodka
½ oz. triple sec
1 oz. cranberry juice
Splash of fresh lime juice
Mix ingredients in a glass with ice

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Tags: Recipes, Cocktails, Holiday Events, Sports

Saints and Sazeracs

Super Bowl needs a super drink

Posted by: John Chandler on Feb 02, 2010 at 10:00AM 4 Comments

This Sunday is Super Bowl XLIV (or 44, if you’re counting). I’m not the football fan I once was, but like most intelligent and thoughtful citizens, I’m rooting for the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are the underdog in this contest, attempting to smite the favored Indianapolis Colts who are led by quarterback Peyton Manning, the son of legendary Saints quarterback Archie Manning (1971-82), who for many seasons was the only halfway decent player on a miserably bad team. Neat little family drama, no? Besides, the Big Easy went through nature’s wringer, was saddled with bureaucratic incompetence in response (“Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job”), and could really use an emotional lift. New Orleans hasn’t been to the Super Bowl—ever—and the only thing they’ve had to cheer about in 43 years is Tom Dempsey’s 63-yard field goal in 1970.

Anyhoo, instead of directing your attention to a bunch of local sports bars for this year’s big game, I’m going to advise that you stay home and show your support for the Saints by drinking sazeracs, the most beloved and historic cocktail from New Orleans.

Here’s a little history on the sazerac and some easy steps to follow. Go Saints!

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Tags: Cocktails, Sports

Civil War Watering Holes

Sweet deals for the big game

Posted by: John Chandler on Dec 03, 2009 at 11:00AM 4 Comments

Yeah, but what’s to eat?

Ah, what invigorates the soul more than a crucial college football donnybrook taking place on a crisp fall evening? Well, lots of things, but the Civil War match-up between Oregon and Oregon State is still a pretty big deal. As a reasonably proud University of Oregon grad (Please, please, please, stop asking me for money!), I’m hoping for three things: a Duck victory; a brilliantly executed game in which both sides acquit themselves with pride and valor; and an amiable drinking establishment to watch the game. Of course, if the bar is offering some awesome Civil War game deals, so much the better.

My buddy Kyle Ritter over at Barfly magazine has done some admirable legwork on the subject, so naturally I studied his findings in great detail before selecting a trio of likely watering holes.

1. Buffalo Gap (6835 SW Macadam Ave): The home of the Badlands Chili Burger (a formidable meal fit for a regiment) will not only have the game on with drink specials aplenty, but staffers will be distributing free raffle tickets. In addition to an array of schwag, a 42" plasma-screen TV will be raffled off in the fourth quarter. Anything’s better than my crummy 13" black and white with the bent coat hanger antenna.

2. 50 Plates (333 NW 13th Ave): Yes, it’s a posh Pearl District pit stop, but when you have some of the best happy hour chow in town you’ll have no trouble drawing a crowd. Happy hour prices will be available during the game, and that means chicken-and-waffle sliders for $2.50. That’s chicken-and-waffle sliders, a.k.a., nature’s perfect food. There’s also $6 fancy cocktails for the pretentious pigskin partisan.

3. Gil’s Speakeasy (609 1/2 SE Taylor St): True, I’ve spent time in recreational vehicles that are more spacious than this chummy little dive, but bartender Brett informs me that for the Civil War fracas they’ll be putting out a complimentary buffet of Swedish meatballs, subs, mashed ’taters, and salad.

If anyone needs me, I’ll be at the Speakeasy. Bar Pilot out.

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Tags: Sports