Drink: Page 13

Fish-Friendly Flow

From King Estate to Pfeiffer Vineyards, sustainable practices in Lane County winemaking

Drink
Illustration by Nolan & Trask Bedortha

A logo with two salmon on your wine bottle doesn’t mean the wine pairs well with salmon — it means the wine came from a vineyard certified salmon-safe. Vineyards in the Willamette Valley can have an impact on the water quality of nearby streams, but salmon-safe vineyards go through an extensive certification process that ensures winemakers preserve riparian areas, protect water quality and prevent erosion.  Continue reading →

Beer Steward Aaron Brussat and Party Downtown pair up with local food and Belgian beers

ChowDrink

We have some great locally grown food here in the Willamette valley. Paired with some top notch innovative chefs and a thriving fermentation culture it an exciting time to be a food lover in Eugene. Here is a look at a fantastic dinner that took place Monday at Party Downtown with wonderful German and Belgian beer chosen by Beer Steward and friendly Bier Stein bottle librarian Aaron Brussat. Continue reading →

The Rhone Rangers

Drink

Spring? This was no stinkin’ Oregon spring. We were dry, warm; no endless days of sog and rain. Even the worst climate-change-deniers had to notice, even if no idiot thought to bring a snowball (or a bucket of water) into the Legislature. Last year, around this time, we sat in a UO lecture hall, listening to paleobotanists tell us that, due to climate change (i.e., warming), Oregon grape growers should re-plant their acres in warm-country grapes, like those of the southern Rhone Valley of France. Continue reading →

Spring Whites to Savor

Drink

We March into spring with a twice-told tale: Last month, we revisited merlot, great wine brought low by shabby winemaking and shifty marketing, then revived at its nadir, to become, again, yummy quaff. This month, the white side, same tale: Riesling is one of the world’s great grapes. The white wines made from Riesling grapes vary widely, from bone dry to heavenly sweet, yielding wines adaptable to dinner courses from aperitifs to desserts. Continue reading →

The New Old Neighborhood Pub

Across from the Washington-Jefferson skate park, Old Nick’s Rock Pub opens doors in April

Drink
Emily Nyman in front of the future Old Nick’s Rock Pub.

The building has stood empty for about a decade. Over the years, the spot has housed a variety of well-known drinking holes, notably Harvey’s and most recently Rascal’s — in fact, the signage still faintly reads “Rascal’s.” However, the interior has been transformed into the Whit’s newest nightlife destination — Old Nick’s Rock Pub, located at the corner of 2nd and Washington across from the WJ Skatepark + Urban Plaza. Continue reading →

Mr. Moonshine

Anonymous distiller shares his homebrew philosophy

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A few of The Provider’s libations

Distilling hard alcohol without a distillery license is illegal in Oregon and the U.S. From herein, any discussion of homemade spirits is purely theoretical.  I may know a man who makes the most incredibly smooth scotch, icy clear vodka, flavorful limoncello and Drambuie, creamy gin, authentic rum. Since I can’t refer to him by name, because he may not exist, I will simply call him “The Provider.” Continue reading →

Viva Vivacity

Oregon’s first woman-owned distillery crafts small-batch spirits from organic, local ingredients

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Caitlin Prueitt of Corvallis’ Vivacity Spirits

There’s a burgeoning trend throughout Oregon for food and drinks that are locally sourced and handcrafted, and since 2011, Corvallis-based Vivacity Spirits has been sating consumers’ desire for organic non-GMO small-batch gins, vodka, rum and liqueur. Owned and operated by Caitlin Prueitt and her partner and spouse, Chris Neumann, Vivacity is not only the first woman-owned distillery in Oregon, but also one of only a handful nationwide.  Continue reading →

Eugene’s Sexiest Bartenders: Jacob Franklin, Black Forest

The Ginja Ninja

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Jacob Franklin, Black Forest

Jacob Franklin, 28, dubbed by voters as “the Ginja Ninja,” says bartending is “a passion I’ve had for a long time.” Franklin has called Eugene home for a decade now, but his first job slinging drinks was at a country bar in his hometown of Chicago. There he had lots of day regulars, most notably a Sunday morning crew of 12 Christian bikers — “Like a motorcycle gang, but for Jesus.” These days, he pours drinks and hosts an always poppin’ karaoke on Monday and Wednesday nights at Black Forest. Not into karaoke? Continue reading →

Eugene’s Sexiest Bartenders: Jonna Threlkeld, Starlight Lounge

Freaky sexy, quirky and original

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Jonna Threlkeld, Starlight Lounge

Jonna Threlkeld, 28, first came to Eugene from Red Bluff, California, to play sax in the UO marching band. She has since ditched green and yellow for black, keeping bar at the Starlight Lounge for the past three and a half years. Threlkeld is honored to win “Sexiest Bartender,” especially because she has a “crush” on all the “beautiful and talented” women who bartend downtown. Continue reading →