Augusto Beato Attributes Portland's Dynamic Bar Scene to Bustling Distilleries

Augusto Beato, CEO of Portland SEO, says that Portland's easy policies in opening craft distilleries have made the city one of the best places for bar hopping.

"Oregon has a dozen distilleries, and a number of them are in Portland," said Beato. " Some of them have grown to become internationally known."

The distilleries allow the city to offer bars with a wide range of flavors and styles within a relatively compact urban landscape. There are those that provide happy hour shots and cheap pints while others are membership type whiskey parlors.

Portland has a “Distillery Row," a small area of Southeast where many of them are located. This makes it easy to jump from one tasting room to another to compare different products.

Distilleries on Distillery Row each feature their version of the same cocktail so you can enjoy the variations at each tasting room, see how you can craft a classic cocktail using a variety of spirits, and even learn how to make them.

The city also belongs to a state with the most craft breweries per capita craft. "Portland has become a mecca of adult beverage," says Christian Krogstad, founder and master distiller of House Spirits.

Portlanders demand something bespoke — crafted in a way that can’t be found anywhere else. "That’s why there is a really high concentration of great independent food and beverage outlets," suggests Krogstad. "There’s also a strong tradition of what we call ‘maker culture’ — artisan food products, crafts, clothing, you name it."

Maybe that’s why the most talented names in cocktails have been flocking here for the better part of a decade. During that time, the cognoscenti have coalesced into a strong, self-reliant community, which began Portland Cocktail Week in 2010. Held every October, it’s a city-wide celebration of what’s new and next in mixology.