At Quaintrelle’s new location in Southeast Portland, following a summer move from North Mississippi, the best seat in the house is at bar manager Camille Cavan’s three-seat bar, custom-designed according to her specifications. Sturdy brass and soft white leather come together, behind which lives her impressive collection of amari and spirits, along with vintage glassware from the 1930s (with some pieces from her own grandmother’s collection). It’s all backed by iridescent hummingbird wallpaper—a nod to the restaurant’s sophisticated yet playful personality—and surrounded by a jungle's worth of houseplants lovingly tended by Cavan.

This light, lemony cocktail, dubbed the Wonder-Lust for Cavan’s tendency to daydream, is an unexpected play on the whiskey sour.

“I literally just married all my favorite things,” Cavan says.

Her favorite amaro, dell’Etna, boasts a bright rhubarb kick that balances the drink’s sweet, dark sherry, combined with light Japanese whiskey. It’s topped with silky egg white foam, cherrywood-smoked salt, walnut bitters, a cherry, a party-inducing lemon-peel spiral, and dried calendula petals—because, after all, is it really a Cavan cocktail without a little something extra? Drink it alongside chef Ryley Eckersley's 5, 7, or 9-course tasting menu, or order a la carte. Pair it with something crunchy, a winter veggie like squash, or with seafood (we tried it with the scallop, makrut lime, and cashew congee).

Quaintrelle, 2032 SE Clinton St, quaintrelle.co