Skip to main content1. L’Chaim by Leikam Brewing
5812 E Burnside St., 503-477-4743, leikambeer.com/latkesandlagers. 4-10 pm Monday-Thursday, 3-10 pm Friday-Sunday, Dec. 1-15.
Christmas pop-up bars are pretty commonplace now—there are nearly half a dozen this year in Portland at last count. But what about our Hanukkah-celebrating friends? Thankfully, Leikam Brewing—the city’s first and only kosher beer producer—has stepped up to offer a Festival of Lights experience named after a classic Jewish toast (to life) from Dec. 1 through 15. Expect a variety of events—from a Hanukkah-themed comedy night to live music by Congregation Beth Israel to a dance party. What to drink? The delightfully named Ain’t No Challahback Girl Ale or one of the eight themed cocktails. L’chaim, indeed!
2. Aviation American Gin
2075 NW Wilson St., 503-946-1539, aviationgin.com. Noon-7 pm Thursday-Sunday.
Aviation American Gin’s shiny, sprawling production facility and tasting room has been open for just over a year now, and it offers a distillery experience unlike any other in the city. The nearly 33,000-square-foot building has six cocktails on tap, a gift shop, beautiful copper stills, and an escape room with a Ryan Reynolds theme (the Deadpool star acquired a stake in the company, in case you hadn’t heard by now). You’ve already had Thanksgiving dinner, but you can drink it again here—Aviation has rolled out five holiday feast-themed cocktails, from a pumpkin pie martini to a stuffing Negroni. We’re most excited to try the turkey and gravy martini made with chicken stock and Tabasco just to see if it works.
3. Heathman Hotel Holiday Tea
1001 SW Broadway, 503-241-4100, heathmanhotel.com/event/holiday-tea. 11 am-3 pm Friday-Sunday, through Dec. 31. $65 for adults, $25 for children 3-12.
Holiday Tea was long one of the Heathman Hotel’s most popular traditions that was suspended, just like pretty much everything else, once COVID hit. Now, for the first time since 2019, you can indulge in tiny cakes and sandwiches served on tiered silver platters as well as hot herbal beverages poured from beautiful porcelain pots at the iconic downtown business. Service began the day after Thanksgiving in the handsome library and mezzanine, where you’ll have six Smith Teamaker varieties to choose from, including three holiday-themed flavors: Ho-Ho-Hoji-Chai, Silent Night and Chocolate Peppermint Pu-erh. You can also get your tea in a mixed drink: The G&Tea is a gin and tonic with Lord Bergamot.
4. Old Asia Teahouse & Restaurant
12055 SW 1st St., Beaverton, 971-249-3763, oldasia.co. 4-9 pm Thursday-Friday, noon-9 pm Saturday-Sunday.
Top Burmese, the miniature empire known for its curries and cute robot servers, has opened a new property—the first not bearing its name. In late October, the company launched Old Asia, dubbed “The Biggest Little Restaurant” because the dining area is about as big as a generously sized walk-in closet—though one that is ornately decorated. Shelves behind the counter are filled with jars containing tea leaves (green, black, oolong and pu-erh), but if it’s booze you’re after, we recommend the Koji Afternoon Coffee, which has deeper, more satisfying flavors than an espresso martini thanks to the combination of Vietnamese milk coffee and Jameson whiskey. Though if you’ve already had your daily allowance of caffeine, opt for First Love: an effervescent blend of passion fruit, ginger beer and rose vodka.
5. Gigantic Brewing Hawthorne Portrait Room
4343 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 503-889-0190, giganticbrewing.com. 3-9 pm Monday-Friday, noon-9 pm Saturday-Sunday.
Nearly one year after opening its third location—the first one with a full food menu—Gigantic has finished the pub’s intimate Portrait Room (though those portraits are still in the works). The clubby space, which is now open to the public, is lined with inviting ruby-hued banquettes and rare English brown oak paneling as well as tchotchkes that founders Ben Love and Van Havig mined from estate sales. Moodier and cozier than the bright blue and white restaurant, the venue is pretty much the perfect place to hunker down with a beer when the rain is coming down in sheets this fall. We recommend the very drinkable Pay Czech dark lager.