Prohibition-Themed Bar Bible Club Serves Cocktails That Are as Drinkable as They Are Stiff

Bible Club is a rare case in which substance outweighs shtick.

(Henry Cromett)
By Shannon Gormley

6716 SE 16th Ave., 971-279-2198, bibleclubpdx.com. 5 pm-midnight Wednesday-Thursday, 5 pm-1 am Friday-Saturday, 4-11 pm Sunday.

Established: March 2016

Bible Club is a rare case in which substance outweighs shtick. The Prohibition-themed bar is in an inconspicuous, boxy house in Sellwood. The only thing identifying it as a bar is a green light above the door. The interior is cluttered with seemingly every semi-relevant antique that owner Ryk Maverick could find. There's a framed PSA on the dangers of alcohol, thick marble tabletops, a rotary phone, and American flags everywhere—all bathed in soft, golden lighting that makes it look like you're inside a faded old photo. With absinthe floats and scorched orange peels, it would be easy to assume the cocktails are fussy mixology experiments. Instead, they're just carefully crafted. All the non-alcoholic ingredients are housemade, there's a different vermouth specified for every recipe, and the cocktails come served in vintage crystal glasses. Most importantly, the drinks are as addictively drinkable as they are stiff.

(Henry Crommet)

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