Where to Drink This Week

You will leave Suckerpunch as sober as you were when you walked in, but the thing is, Portland’s first non-alcoholic bar still works its magic.

Suckerpunch Photo by Carly Diaz. (Carly Diaz)

1. Suckerpunch

1030 SE Belmont St., 503-208-4022, suckerpunch.bar. 6-10 pm Thursday-Saturday, 6-8 pm Sunday.

You will leave Suckerpunch as sober as you were when you walked in, but the thing is, Portland’s first non-alcoholic bar still works its magic: It’s a place where adults can enjoy some complex yet balanced cocktails in a cozy place and catch up with friends. Andy McMillan, who founded the business because he was desperate for better zero-proof concoctions around town, recently changed the three-item menu, so you’ll find some new options if you’ve already been.

2. Ferment Brewing

403 Portway Ave., Hood River, 541-436-3499, fermentbrewing.com. Noon-9 pm daily.

There are few places more beautiful in Oregon during spring than Hood River when the fruit trees are in full bloom. Make a day trip to the area before the cotton candy-colored canopy disappears, and while you’re there, visit a stunning human-made attraction: Ferment, a two-story, gleaming glass brewery feet from the Columbia River. The business just released four new seasonal beers: Pink Boots Society fundraiser the Brewster’s Pale, Japanese-style lager Hana Pils, Holy Citra IPA, and White River, a limited-edition, wild-fermented saison. Do not leave without a half-liter bottle of the latter.

3. TopWire Hop Project

8668 Crosby Road NE, Woodburn, 503-765-1645, topwirehp.com. 11 am-8 pm Thursday and Sunday, 11 am-9 pm Friday-Saturday.

The average beer nerd can’t score a badge to the Craft Brewers Conference, the brewing industry’s largest annual gathering. But you can get a taste of some of the same beers that were only available to attendees of this year’s event. TopWire Hop Project—the beer garden that opened in the middle of Crosby Hop Farm in 2020—has announced it will kick off its third season with a selection of special collaboration beers, many that were available only at the 2022 convention in Minneapolis. Even when those kegs have tapped, return for the view of the hop bines, which grow 18 feet tall and surround the space like emerald green curtains.

4. The Emerald Room

2117 NE Oregon St., Suite 202, 971-213-1085, aimsiremerald.com. 4-10 pm Wednesday-Saturday.

Portland’s Aimsir Distilling Company just nabbed three awards from the prestigious San Francisco Spirits Competition, so if you haven’t made your way into the brand’s swanky bar the Emerald Room, now you have as good an excuse as any to book a reservation. Be sure to sample the Aimsir Bourbon, its first whiskey that won double gold, and the Cold Brew Bourbon, which took home silver. The latter can be ordered in a boulevardier starting April 20, National Cold Brew Day.

5. Urdaneta

3033 NE Alberta St., 503-288-1990, urdanetapdx.com. 5-10 pm Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, 5-11 pm Friday-Saturday.

If you live by the slogan “Rosé all day,” then you’ll want a standing reservation at Urdaneta this spring. The tapas restaurant just announced its wine of the season is Punctum Petulante Pét Nat—essentially a wilder version of Champagne with a vibrant pink hue, bright berry aroma and red summer fruit notes. Urdaneta’s wine director chose this particular rosé because it pairs perfectly with chef Javier Canteras’ Spanish-inspired dishes, such as burrata drizzled with harissa honey, tortilla de bacalao (confit salt cod), and croquetas de jamon filled with béchamel.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.