Pepe le Moko

Amaretto Sour
AMARETTO, BOURBON, LEMON, SIMPLE SYRUP, EGG WHITE
OK, this one is “reimagined.” But to be fair, the amaretto sour’s provenance dates only to the 1970s—and it needed some work. With his customary panache, worldly barman Jeffrey Morgenthaler (see p. 71) buttresses the original recipe with a dose of cask-strength bourbon and egg white, topping its frothy crown with a brandied cherry. It may not be the original, but it’s the best we’ve ever had. $14

Trifecta

Navy-Strength Martini
GIN, VERMOUTH, OLIVE
You order a martini for the first sip’s arctic blast. As you drink deeper, the crucial choices of gin, vermouth, and ratio reveal themselves. Some renditions open like pretty little flowers. Trifecta’s navy-strength version, with its stentorian Plymouth 100-proof gin measured at 3:1 with dry vermouth, is more like a deep-tissue massage—the masseur armed with a juniper mallet—that gets more assertive as the session goes on. You end up tenderized, but relaxed. $15

Nostrana

Quintessential Negroni
GIN, CAMPARI, VERMOUTH
There is no place in Portland that loves a negroni more than Nostrana. At the restaurant’s Rooster Bar, they’ve perfected the “Quintessential Negroni,” which weaves the soothing juniper of Beefeater gin, the citrusy depth of Cinzano Rosso sweet vermouth, and the luscious bitterness of Campari into an unparalleled aperitivo. For next-level tipplers: a different guest bartender’s rendition is featured in a rotating “Negroni of the Month” slot. (Sounds like a challenge to try all 12.) $8

The love doesn’t end here. Each spring, Nostrana hosts an invite-only “Negroni Social”—last year, the recipes for the social came from 12 of the restaurant’s favorite female chefs around the country.

Multnomah Whiskey Library

Old-Fashioned
BOURBON, BITTERS, SIMPLE SYRUP, ORANGE TWIST
There is no cherry. There is no muddled orange. There is nary a barnacle of ill-advised tinkering encrusting this specimen of cocktail antiquity. To sip it—cold, sweet, and strong—in a tufted, well-worn leather couch, fire blazing as you gaze at stacks of gleaming bottles and sliding ladders ... well, that is positively contemplative. $11

Xico

Margarita
TEQUILA, LIME JUICE, TRIPLE SEC, SALT RIM
While most Portland margaritas might leave you yearning for Mexico’s white sand beaches, Xico’s classicist rendition leaves you glad to be right where you are. Grassy, spicy Lunazul tequila lays layers of heat beneath fresh lime, and the lacy salt rim is like a snow the Inuit haven’t named yet. Most important, the drink accomplishes the margarita’s crucial mission: you want another immediately. $9