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1. Buddy’s Lounge
8220 SE Harrison St., Unit 125, 971-288-5186, buddys-lounge.business.site. 1-11 pm daily.
Like chocolate and peanut butter, Mary Kate and Ashley, or Twitter and bad hot takes, Buddy's Lounge has brought another iconic duo to Portland: booze and boba tea. The best so far is also the classic: milk tea boba—black tea, milk and chewy tapioca balls—with a kick of whiskey for just $8. Subtly sugary, with just the right amount of chew to the tapioca, this is the kind of drink that could sneak up on you if you had more than one.
Read more: Drink Mobile: Buddy's Lounge Serves Boozy Boba That Will Sneak Up on You if You're Not Careful.
2. Fizz Pop-Up Bar at Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom
2006 NE Alberta St., 503-954-2021, imperialbottleshop.com/fizz. 4-10 pm Wednesday-Friday, noon-10 pm Saturday-Sunday.
It's beginning to feel a lot like springtime, and in Portland, that means taking advantage of the random breaks in the drizzle to quaff some bubbly cocktails outdoors in 60-degree weather. Imperial's Alberta location is hosting a seasonally appropriate pop-up on its sidewalk patio, with a wide selection of farmhouse ales, ciders and sparkling wines, plus low-proof cocktails like the Purple Nurple, a blend of Baird & Dewar Barrel-Aged Farmhouse Cider, lavender bitters and brandy wine from Finnriver Farm & Cidery. Reservations encouraged.
3. Known Associates Social Club
615 SE Alder St., Suite B, 971-334-4997. 5-11 pm Wednesday-Sunday.
As spring arrives and herd immunity no longer seems a far-off dream, it's time for an energy cleanse. Known Associates Social Club, a new bar, restaurant and, someday, music venue across from Loyal Legion on Southeast Alder, has got your chakras covered. The Excommunicado is a take on an old fashioned via Central America, which comes with a stick of fragrant palo santo to burn and "infuse" into the drink. It's not just a gimmick: The sweet pine flavor really does stay and heighten the spirits.
4. Bit House Collective
727 SE Grand Ave., 503-954-3913, bithousesaloon.com. 4-11 pm Tuesday-Saturday, 2-9 pm Sunday.
Pandan is the little leaf that could. At the new Bit House Collective, the tropical Southeast Asian flavoring is being stirred into the inventive cocktails by Natasha Mesa, formerly of acclaimed cocktail bar Deadshot. When ordering takeaway, go with Mesa's twist on an old fashioned: the Padam, Pandan, Pandan O.F. ($11), a stiff little elixir in a square bottle with cork top. Mixed with vodka, bourbon, blueberry, galangal root and bitters, the green of the pandan is beaten out by the violet blueberry, but the flavor is still very much there.
5. Blind Ox Taphouse
4765 NE Fremont St., 503-841-5092, blindoxpdx.com. Noon-9 pm Monday-Thursday, noon-10 pm Friday, 10 am-10 pm Saturday, 10 am-9 pm Sunday.
Portland's Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood is home to a micro version of the ever-popular food hall. Divvying up the building means that Blind Ox has a unique array of painkillers almost anyone could appreciate following a tense year. Need to lick your way into a sweet, blissful oblivion? There's whipped-to-order ice cream blasted with liquid nitrogen. Want to spend the afternoon knocked out on the couch? One of Nacheaux's fried-and-smothered odes to both Mexican and Cajun cooking will induce a nap. And if you simply need a beer to take the edge off, there is also a well-curated, 20-deep tap list.