Mixology

Drinking isn't cold fusion... or is it?

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Drink 2005

The science that turns a good place to drink into a GREAT place can be as simple as how many jiggers of gin go into a dry double martini or as complex as the laws of thermodynamics. It's all about chemistry. For this edition of Willamette Week's annual drink guide, "Mixology," a group of well-fueled imbibers donned white lab coats to conduct an extremely unscientific survey of our local bar scene.

The listings that follow include more than 125 local lounges in alphabetical order (also indexed by neighborhood and type on page 5). Each bar profile includes this handy information:

- Name of establishment.

- Killer Compound: Why this place is cool.

- Warning Label: What you should watch out for.

- Brief description of said establishment.

- All the little extras that make this place special: pool, video poker (designated with a VP), happy hour, strippers, pinball, trivia, etc.

- Address, phone number, hours and days open. Bars sometimes conduct their own experiments when it comes to hours, like closing early when the crowd thins out, so it's never a bad idea to call before you go.

Our guide also puts the amazing world of the Happy Hour under the microscope to see what we can find, and we distill 10 handy tips for finding your way to a cold one even when you're broke.

Although we've tried to cover as many places as humanly possible, one of your favorite liquid laboratories may be missing in action. Maybe it makes our head dizzy, or maybe we just don't know about it. So drop us a line and let us know what you think about our choices. Until then, drink up!

Byron Beck

Special Sections Editor

See complete Drink Pull-out section at www.wweek.com/special_sections/drink2005/

Editor

Byron Beck

Imbibers

Mark Baumgarten, Jason Coyne, Nick Budnick, Kelly N. Clarke, Kim B. Colton, Autumn DePoe, Tomi Douglas, Zach Dundas, Ian Gillingham, Jay Horton, Nigel Jaquiss, Casey Jarman, Brian Libby, Joe Lino, Seth Lorinczi, Ivy Manning, Morgan Moody, Amy McCullough, Annamaria Pardini, Mary Putnam, Margaret Seiler, Henry Stern, Angela Valdez, Bryan Van Norden

Copy Editors

Ian Gillingham, Margaret Seiler

Art Direction

Samantha Gardner

Photographer

Michael Rubenstein

Illustrator

Paul Guinan

See complete Drink Pull-out section at www.wweek.com/special_sections/drink2005/

05.24.2005 at 09:00 Reply

Story Forum Archive

Hi,
I enjoyed the storym but as a newcomer from Stockholm, Sweden where I lived for most of my artistic careere. I am a sculptor, I noticed that in most bars I am the only black person there with the exception of a few black women. What's the deal? I've never seen a city like this, except for Eugene where they look at black people as if they came from the planet Mars. What makes a great city and bar scene is diversity.
Ciao,
Jerry Harris
Portland

503-234-0696—Jerry Harris

05.25.2005 at 09:00 Reply

All WhiteJerry,Portland is as white as it gets. I think the statistic is 97%. Portland is what it is. I am white. Can't explain why it is this way, but I beleive seattle and anchorage are similar statisticly.—Whitey

05.26.2005 at 09:00 Reply

Crackerjacks in NWIn regards to your mixology guide, I'm sure you will be flooded with "how could you leave out_____" letters but seriously, the omission of Crackerjacks in NW is just beyond the pale. It's great smoky neighborhood dive bar deserving of respect. There's free pool, a loud jukebox, devoted regulars, great, cheap bar food (including the best damn pizza around), decent drink selection, a patio and - if your lucky - a tribe of gambling mailmen that add a certain quirky and obnoxious charm. While the story of how it got left off the list may not be deserving of a Pulitzer, it is certainly worth investigating. There is obviously a conspiracy afoot and one of your dedicated reporters needs to get to the bottom of this.—Clark