OBG Guide to Portland Cocktail Week

There are a ton of events going on this week for Portland Cocktail Week and The Great American Distillers Festival and we want make sure you are well informed and don’t miss any of them. The complete schedule off all Portland Cocktail Week events can be found here.

Some of the parties which you should not miss include:

LUPEC Masquerade Ball - Thursday, October 21 @ 9:00pm at World Forestry Center - $40 (All Inclusive). Tickets to this ball are all inclusive which means it covers all your food and drink for the night. The LUPEC (Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails) Ball is a benefit for the World Forestry Center with ticket proceeds donated to the center. The party is a masquerade ball (black tie optional) and you are encouraged to dress as you favorite animal. This event is the real kick off to Portland Cocktail Week. You can ride the MAX to the Zoo/World Forestry center for easy access to this event.

Ship Wrecked with Don Q Rum - Friday, October 22 @ 8:00pm at Glowing Greens Golf - $35 (All Inclusive): This is going to be one of the parties of the year. Tickets to this party are all inclusive which means you won’t be paying extra for food or drink! Anthony Walton from Beaker and Flask will be roasting an entire pig and Allan Katz from
Caña Rum Bar in LA, Tommy Klus from Blue Hour and Blair “Tader Tiki” Reynolds will be mixing up Tiki style cocktails while you dance to the tunes from DJ Drew Groove in a glow-in-the-dark Pirate themed golf course.

Ice, Ice Baby Party - Saturday, October 23 @ 8:00pm at Valley Ice Arena - $35 (All Inclusive) : This will be a part on an epic scale with four bars made entirely out of ice! Meet at the Hotel De Luxe at 7pm where Ali Tahsini from Bourbon and Branch will be bar tending then ride over to Valley Ice Arena in a double decker bus or Rogue’s school bus. The party will feature four punches made by Simon Ford, Erick Castro and Don Canter and a surprise guest. Food will be supplied by Irving St. Kitchens with DJ Tyler spinning old school hip hop. Party ends at midnight with busses returning to the Hotel De Luxe starting at 11:15.

Complete list of parties and Portland Cocktail Week Social Gatherings.

Here are the seminars not to be missed:

Agave Seminar with Ron Cooper - Friday, October 22 @ 2:00pm at Irving St. Kitchen- $20: The Master of Mezcal, Ron Cooper of Del Maguey will join Teardrop’s Ricky Gomez for the definitive agave spirits tasting. Learn everything about mezcal from the history, terroir and types. You won’t find a more comprehensive mezcal seminar and at this price it is an absolute steal. Participants in this seminar get free admission to March For Mezcal @ 3:30 sponsored by Illegal Mezcal.

Service First - Saturday, October 23 @ noon at Hotel De Luxe Green Room - $20 : Washington State Bartender’s Guild President and Owner of Liberty Andrew Friedman, Audrey Saunders mastermind behind Pegu Club in NY and Keith Waldbauer consulting mixologist under Kathy Casey of Food Studios discuss the importance of hospitality in bartending. This is a rare opportunity to hear and learn from some of the top bartenders in this space an will get you to rethink how you interact with your guests.

Juniperpalooza - Saturday, October 23 @ 5:00pm at Hotel De Luxe Screening Room - $20): If you love gin you won’t want to miss this definitive gin seminar and tasting lead by Audrey Saunders (the first lady of gin), Simon Ford (world’s best brand ambassador) and Portland’s very own, Ryan Magerian (from Aviation Gin).

Complete list of Portland Cocktail Week Seminars.

Other events you should catch:

Great American Distillers Festival - Saturday October 23rd & 24th @ 11am - 7pm at The Tiffany Center ($10 for a one-day pass, $16 for a two-day pass): Sample spirits from over 40 distilleries from across the country including: Illegal Mezcal, Don Q Rum, Bull Run Distilling Co., Balcones Distillery, Novo Fogo, House Spirits, New Deal, Dry Fly Distilling, Corrido Tequila and more!

Portland Cocktail Invitational Finals - Sunday October 24 @4:00 pm at The Tiffany Center: Winners from the semifinals will advance to compete for some cash prizes. Competitors will be creating signature cocktails using spirits from the festival, and in the final round, they’ll have to create an original cocktail using a secret “black box” ingredient. The winner will be receiving $1000 cash from Tuthilltown Spirits, the 2nd-place runner up will receive $500 from House Spirits and the 3rd-place runner up will receive $250 from Bull Run Distilling Co. More info here.

All-star Bartender Guest Shifts - Sunday October 23rd & 24th. Craft bartenders from across the country each take shifts at Teardrop Lounge and Hotel De Luxe’s Driftwood Room and showcase some of their favorite cocktails. Bartenders doing guest shifts include Erick Castro, Ali Tahsini from Bourbon and Branch, Duggan McDonnell from Cantina in San Francisco, Dan de Olivera from Chicago, Allan Katz from Caña Rum Bar in LA, Anu Apte, Rob Roy and Jim Romdall, Vessel in Seattle. Check out the complete schedule here.