Cocktail Camp ran in Portland from 2010 to 2012, but we have no further events planned at this time.

Cocktail Camp 2011 was held on April 10, 2011, at the Gerding Theater in Portland, Oregon. Our second annual event featured five discussion panels, three cocktail bars, and an audience of 120 cocktail and spirits professionals and enthusiasts.

Cocktail Camp PDX 2011

The Art of Tasting

Set the stage and your palate for the day by learning how to really taste your spirits and beer. Lee Medoff, Nathan Gerdes, and Alex Ganum lead us in a discussion around spirits vs. wine and beer; how to look, smell and taste; and tasting a variety of spirits including grain, fruit, aged, unaged, and infused.

Beer Cocktails: Why have one when you can have both?

Purists might scoff at mixing spirits and beer, yet they have been a classic combination since the Middle Ages. Jacob Grier and Ezra Johnson-Greenough discussed several ways to use beer behind the bar, in both hot drinks and cold.

New American Whiskey

These whiskeys have been taking bars by storm and redefining what “American Whiskey” means. Lance Winters, Lee Medoff, and Sebastian Degens spoke about how whiskey is produced and defined, how new whiskeys are breaking the mold, and finally: What exactly is Oregon Whiskey?

Yes, you can entertain!

Whether you are hosting an Oscar viewing, having drinks before a show, or just gathering with friends, Jackie Patterson and David Shenaut called upon their combined years of cocktail expertise to guide you in crafting a great cocktail menu that will keep you in the mix instead of stuck mixing all night.

DIY Syrups, Sodas, and Bitters

Jennifer Colliau and Columbine Quillen gave us a look at the history of syrups for cocktails how best to create the most flavorful versions for cocktail use. We learned why cold dissolved syrup is chemically different from cooked simple syrup, explored the different techniques required for creating fruit or spice syrups, and how to make the most of our ingredients.

2011 Recipe Cards

Morning Bar
Lunchtime Bar
Afternoon Bar
Beer Cocktails

Mont Blanc

  • 2 ounces Lillet Blanc
  • ½ ounces Solerno
  • ¼ ounces Gran Classico Bitter
  • 3 ounces Fever Tree Bitter Lemon Soda
Pour all ingredients over ice into a highball glass and stir gently to combine.

Bordeaux Sunrise

  • 1 ounce Lillet Blanc
  • 1 ounce Lillet Rouge
  • 1 ounce fresh orange juice
  • ½ ounce Small Hand Foods Grenadine
  • 2 ounces dry, sparkling white wine
Combine first four ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake until cold. Strain over ice into a highball glass and top with sparkling wine.

Royal Brunch Punch

  • 25 ounces Earl Grey Tea
  • 1 bottle Lillet Blanc
  • 1 bottle Hendrick’s Gin
  • 1 bottle Solerno
  • 18 ounces fresh Meyer lemon juice
  • 12 ounces orange marmalade
  • 12 ounces soda water
Brew tea and set aside to cool. Combine all ingredients except soda in a punch bowl with a few large blocks of ice and stir briskly to combine. Gently stir in soda water and serve.

North West Andesine

  • 1 ounce Liquid Vodka
  • 1 ounce Imbue Vermouth
  • ½ ounce Dolin Rouge Vermouth
  • ½ ounce lemon-chamomile simple syrup
  • Rinse of Kubler Absinthe
Combine all ingredients except absinthe in an ice-filled mixing glass and stir until cold. Swirl a splash of absinthe in a chilled cocktail glass. Discard absinthe and strain cocktail into glass.

English Violet

  • 1 ½ ounces Lavishmint Vodka
  • ¾ ounce lemon-chamomile simple syrup
  • ½ ounce Rothman & Winter Crème de Violette
Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled mixing glass and stir until cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Lemon-Chamomile Simple Syrup

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 ½ cup water
  • ½ cup lemon juice (strained)
  • 4 chamomile tea bags
Heat ingredients together on the stove, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved.

St. Helens Punch

  • 1 bottle Liquid Vodka
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1 bottle Cock and Bull Ginger Beer (12 ounces)
  • ½ cup Luxardo Maraschino Liquor
  • ½ cup fresh lime juice
  • ½ cup pineapple juice
  • ¼ cup St Elizabeth Allspice Dram
Combine all ingredients except ginger beer in a punch bowl with a few large blocks of ice and stir briskly to combine. Gently stir in ginger beer and serve.

The 33rd State

  • 1 ounce Krogstad Aquavit
  • 1 ounce Imbue Vermouth
  • 1 ounce fresh grapefruit juice
  • ¼ ounce simple syrup
Shake all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker until cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Stuyvesant

  • 1 ½ ounces Aviation Gin
  • 1 ounce Combier
  • ¾ ounce fresh lime juice
  • ½ ounce Bonal Gentian
  • 1 dash of Peychaud’s bitters
Shake all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker until cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Ale-Avit

  • 1 ounce Krogstad Aquavit
  • ¼ ounce fresh lemon juice
  • Chartreuse rinse
  • Upright Five Ale
Rinse a stemmed wine glass with Chartreuse, discarding the excess. Add the lemon juice and aquavit. Top with 5 – 6 ounces Upright Five or other hoppy ale and stir gently.
Recipe by Jacob Grier, Metrovino

Hot Scotchy

  • Malted Barley
  • 2 ounces peaty Scotch whisky
  • Heavy cream
Crack the barley by using a rolling pin over a bag of the grain, just long enough to crack the hull. Fill a coffee press about ⅓ full of the cracked grain and fill with 160°F water and let steep for at least 15 minutes. Add 2 ounces of Scotch to an Irish Coffee mug. Once the barley is ready, press and strain into the mug. Top with about one inch of lightly whipped, unsweetened cream.
Recipe by Ezra Johnson-Greenough, Upright Brewing

Cocktail Camp 2011 was possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors.