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The common convenience store slushie—often a cup of artificial cherry or blue raspberry—certainly has its place as cool refreshment on a hot drive back to town. But once you’ve returned to Portland, recognize that we live in a place offering an elevated frozen beverage and snack experience.
You’d think it’s not so difficult to make a decent frosé—simply freeze and then blend some wine, n’est-ce pas? Truth be told, there are several key considerations when making a frozen rosé worthy of your time. Too often, people will skimp on the quality of wine or pick a rosé that isn’t dry enough. You also need to ensure a proper slush consistency, otherwise you’ll either end up with unpalatable icy clumps or watery-tasting wine. Fortunately, you can count on the good folks at Cheese & Crack (22 SE 28th Ave., 503-206-7315, cheeseandcrack.com) to do things properly. In fact, its frosé ($6, $10) tastes so good and goes down so smooth you might even forget you just stopped in for a pre-dinner drink prior to your reservation somewhere else on 28th Avenue’s Restaurant Row. It doesn’t matter. Another frosé and some crackers probably counts as a meal, right? The shop also has refreshing frozen lemonade ($5) and an icy Arnold Palmer ($4), if you need to pace yourself.
You perhaps are familiar with the delicious sandwiches at Bunk Bar (1028 SE Water Ave., 503-328-2865, bunksandwiches.com), but were you aware this Central Eastside institution also has several creative options to freeze your thirst? There’s probably no better pairing for Bunk Bar’s on-point Cubano than the Iceberg: a pint of Rainier topped with a float of frozen margarita ($8). Or try the Ciderberg ($9), which swaps the beer for Double Mountain Dry Cider and keeps the margarita float. Either way, you’ll be floating through the rest of your day.
Of course, it can’t always be an alcohol-fueled summer. Why not take a break from the heat and the booze Greek style with a frappé? This chilly elixir isn’t to be confused with those coffee-chain drinks drenched in sickly sweet syrup. No, a proper frappé strikes that perfect balance between the Nescafé instant coffee, the ice, and some sort of creamer. Head to Yanni’s (1400 SE 9th Ave., 971-867-9855, yannisgreekdonuts.com) for a traditional frappé ($4) and pick up an order of those yummy Greek doughnuts ($5, $8, $15) on the side.
If you’ve gotten a taste for coffee, segue straight to the bucolic bar Hey Love (920 E Burnside St., 503-206-6223, heylovepdx.com) and Let the Good Times Roll—that’s what the bar calls its frozen Irish coffee concoction ($14). It’s got all the requisite ingredients, like whiskey and coffee, but it adds vanilla soft serve, whipped cream, and Oreo sprinkles. If that all sounds too chunky for you, try the mango margarita slushie ($13) or keep it simple with a frozen strawberry daiquiri ($13). Still can’t decide? Go for the mango-strawberry swirl ($13). Another provider of fine frozen beverages is Palomar (1422 NW 23rd Ave., 971-357-8020, barpalomar.com), which has such delights as a pineapple-pistachio daiquiri ($17) and an absinthe frappé ($17) on offer.
Sno cones are fun, but there’s an argument to be made that shave ice is a superior way to cool off. Whereas sno cones can sometimes quickly become a single uninviting hunk of ice slathered in sugary syrup, shave ice (no d at the end) has an entirely more delicate texture. For the classic Hawaiian version, head to Wailua (1029 SW Harvey Milk St., 808-652-9394, shaveiceorderspdx.com) and order the Lava Flow ($8.50), made with pineapple juice, haupia foam (a sweet, whipped coconut cream), strawberry purée, as well as fresh strawberries and pineapple on top. Or you can try kakigōri—a fluffy Japanese shave ice that often uses condensed milk for sweetness—by visiting the pop-up Soen (923 SW Oak St., soenportland.com) at Courier Coffee downtown Thursday through Monday. Offering only kakigōri during the warmer months of the year, Soen often has mind-bending flavors like melon, lemon, mint with a kick of yuzu and berry, or Asian pear and coconut sweet potato.
This story is part of Oregon Summer Magazine, our annual guide to refreshing destinations, cool escapes, and the best ways to stay hydrated all summer long. See more stories from Oregon Summer Magazine here, or check this map to see where you can pick up a free copy of the magazine.
