Touring Portland’s distillery scene

Last week, 30 of our wittiest Google Places reviewers earned the chance to go on an adventure in Southeast Portland. We visited three distilleries, tasted craft spirits and learned all about this thriving local industry.

The evening began at New Deal Distillery. To break some of the ice, we all had written a favorite place to get a specialty cocktail in town. The group was given an in-depth tour of the New Deal Distillery warehouse by owner Tom Burkleaux, and we enjoyed samples of their vodka, gin and liqueurs. One favorite was the Hot Monkey Pepper Infused Vodka, which was mixed with a splash of pineapple juice so as not to overwhelm our palates.

While our group rotated between touring and tasting, we had Pacific Pie Company deliver some of their finest Australian-style pies to keep our bellies filled. They prepared a variety of sweet and savory pies, and all were quickly devoured.

Fortunately for us, these wonderful distilleries are all within walking distance of each other. Once we finished up with New Deal and Pacific Pie, we hoofed it over to the next stop …

... Deco Distilling, where we squeezed into their small tasting room and lounge to enjoy rum cocktails mixed for us by tasting room extraordinaire Augustina Mourelatos. Favorites at this joint were the Deco Ginger Rum and the Deco Coffee Rum, especially when it was served with root beer and ice cream — a sort of twisted root beer float. We enjoyed an eclectic music selection while we rotated between the bar and the lounge, and played some fun trivia games.

Our final stop was just another four blocks south at House Spirits Distillery. Matt Mount of the House Spirits team showed us around the distillery warehouse and gave us an educational tour featuring the company’s distillation techniques for their unique spirits.

The House Spirits tasting room, affectionately known as “The Apothecary,” was a cozy and dimly lit room, walled with bottles that appear a bit medicinal. While there, we tasted the White Dog Whiskey, Aviation Gin and the Aquavit.

We finished the evening with a surprise delivery of popsicles from Ryan Hashagen, owner of Icicle Tricycles. He treated us to dessert with Mexican Paletas, aka Mexican Fruit Bars, made by Paleteria y Neveria El Paisanito, that he brought over on his custom-built tricycle featuring a specially designed freezer. A perfectly Portland ending to a wonderful night on the town.

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Posted by Christina Collada, Portland community manager. Photos by David Adams.