Tags
Bunk Bar, Campari, Dig A Pony, Imbibe, Negroni, PDX, Portland, Portland bars, Produce Row, Ron Toms, Rum Club, Savoy
Just kidding, I’ll never tire of Negronis. Good thing too, as I still had days of drinking them ahead of me.
(Part 1 is here, if you missed it)
Day 3: June 4th
My father was the first person to make me a Negroni, and I had to include him in my travels. We decided to hit up the Rum Club for some drinks, followed by dinner at Produce Row.
Rum Club:
Besides the donation aspect, the bar wasn’t doing anything special for the week, just your run of the mill Negroni, and while I’m sure it would’ve been fantastic, I found it impossible to go to the Rum Club and not order rum. My dad was of the same mindset, and ordered their Old-Fashioned and a Daiquiri. I had The Fino Countdown, an enticing mixture of rums and sherries, and His Girl Friday, which had gin, Campari, and Cocchi Americano, which I counted it as being part of Negroni week.
The Fino Countdown
Produce Row:
I love Produce Row. I’ve written about it before, and it did not disappoint the other night. There I had the Lowgroni, which used Byrrh for its vermouth and which benefited the Japanese Gardens. Appropriately, the last time I had enjoyed a Byrrh Negroni was with my father at Cure Bar in New Orleans (one of the best cocktail bars I’ve ever visited). At the time, it wasn’t available at all in the states; our bartender offered to make us a drink with any of the rare spirits she kept behind a locked case. I chose Byrrh on a whim, and we loved it. Now, it’s available in ever store in Portland.
Basically, I’m saying I liked it before it was cool.
The Lowgroni and a Vesper for my dad.
We also had an excellent dinner, some wine, and my dad talked with the manager about all the beer guys they both knew, and geeked out over brewing history.
Savoy (revisited):
I mentioned in my last post that the bartender at Savoy had mentioned a Cachaça Negroni. After Produce Row we headed to Savoy for dessert and said drink. If possible, it was even better than the Rum Negroni from the evening before. Cleveland High got a little more money that night.
Day 4: June 5th
So far, most of the places my friends and I had visited were restaurants and serious cocktail bars. I wanted to check out some clubs and bars, so we headed down to the industrial district. Ted and Ryan joined me again, as did our friend Danielle
Bunk Bar
I had yet to eat at the sandwich franchise Bunk, so when I heard the Water St Bar location was participating in Negroni week, I knew I had my excuse.
Bunk really did an amazing sandwich–I had and Italian Cold Cut style sandwich, and their Negroni, of course. Theirs was a frozen slushy Negroni, which was a fun take on the drink. The grapefruit and herbal notes of the drink lent themselves well to a slushy drink, and the blended ice mellowed the bracing flavors a Negroni normally bears. They donated to Share Our Strength, a charity that feeds children.
The bartender discussed Negroni week with us. When I informed her we were planning on ending the night at Rontom’s, she told me she wasn’t sure they were participating or not, but that her boyfriend who worked there would make me an excellent Negroni.
After we were done with our sandwiches and drinks, we departed for Dig A Pony, making a quick detour at Guardian Games to play with legos. Naturally.
Dig A Pony
Dig A Pony operates in that zone between a cocktail bar and a nightclub, a mixture I particularly like. There aren’t many bars in town that offer that level of cocktails alongside dancing. If there’s one thing I love, it’s having an expertly crafted drink while I execute my famous hip-swivel on the dance floor.
The bar won Ryan’s nomination for the best Negroni of the week. They built a traditional Negroni, but topped it with Stiegl Radler, a grapefruit beer. The combination works remarkably well–carbonation always supports a Negroni, as it harkens back to its roots as the Americano, and the grapefruit and hops paired beautifully with the gin and Campari. The drink benefited Outside In.
Ron Tom’s
Our final stop of the night was Ron Tom’s. Ron Tom’s may not be a cocktail mecca, but it sports some of the best design of any bar or club in Portland. I’m convinced that 80% of their overhead comes from keeping their beautiful mid-century design furniture upholstered. The also have arguably the best patio in the city.
The aforementioned boyfriend/bartender that night was uncertain whether or not the bar was participating in Negroni week, though they were listed on Imbibe’s site as donating to the Pixie Project. Whatever the case, I ordered one, and then a second. They were nothing unique, but very well made, and hopefully some pets benefited from my ordering them.
At this point, we were all ready to get home. We caught our first bus, missed our second, and walked from Burnside to Powell.
Day 6: June 7th
Friday we returned to Dig A Pony and also visited The Lovecraft, but we took the night off of Negronis (well, Ryan had enjoyed Dig A Pony’s so much he did order one), so I won’t be including Friday. Frankly, I needed a night off of gin, Campari, and vermouth.
While Negroni Week continued through Sunday and Monday, my finals began that week, so I ordered my last Negroni of the week on Saturday night. A few other friends of mine had traveled to Portland to join me on a bike ride that night (yeah, that bike ride). I had wanted to visit multiple spots along Mississippi, but timing regulated us to one stop. I chose North Light, a nice bar I had missed on my Mississippi write up. We sat out on their sun drenched patio, and I enjoyed the final Negroni of the week.
It wasn’t a variation or an adaptation. They used house-made gin, Campari, and vermouth, and garnished it with a lovely devil-tail twist. They donated money to Upstream Public Health, a really fantastic charity. In a way, it was the perfect Negroni to end the week: A simple, straightforward version of a perfect cocktail.
Diabolic.
Here’s to Negroni Week. I’ll see you all out next year.
Drink Portland 