Deviate From the Usual Mimosa: 5 Brunch Cocktails in Portland

no more bloody marys and plain old mimosas for you

by Karen Locke in Roundups

Endless brunch opportunities in Portland bring a wealth of brunch cocktails along with them, giving mimosas and bloody marys new possibilities. Bartenders take as much care making our morning sips as they do the drinks from cocktail hour menus, making it no surpise that many cocktails stand up to the test either morning or night. Here are five brunch cocktails worth deviating from the usual mimosa or bloody mary.

Splendor in the Grass
Accanto (2838 SE Belmont St.; 503-235-4900)
Accanto’s Splendor in the Grass made from house-infused saffron vodka and topped with orange juice and ginger beer resembles (an upscale) Gatorade in color. Revitalizing bubbles and the zing from ginger beer create the perfect combination of crisp and refreshing. Shower yourself in “Gatorade” (if only we all looked as dashing as Silver Fox, Pete Carroll) from 10 AM - 2 PM during Accanto’s brunch service.

Bitchy Mary
Swift Lounge (1932 NE Broadway St.; 503-288-3333)
Swift made our list for “10 Essential Hangover Cures in Portland” for its hangover alleviating eats and clever cocktails. Plain old bloody marys just won’t do for Swift’s Hangover Brunch. Choose a “poison” like rosemary beet, habanero pineapple vodka, fennel radish vodka or cucumber vodka from the “Bitchy Marys” section of the menu. Your choice is mixed with Dylan’s horseradish-chili bloody mix, bacon dust, Aardvark hot sauce, chili-salt rim, and house made beef jerky.

K.O.B. Punch
Broder Nord (2240 N Interstate Ave; 503-282-5555)
Broder Nord’s cocktail list is brimming with bubbles essential for brunch. Try the Elderflower Mimosa (sparkling wine with St. Germaine Elderflower liqueur) or the White Peach Bellini (sparkling wine with white peach puree). Bubbles aside, we love the K.O.B. Punch as a solid go-to brunch cocktail. It's made from bourbon, triple sec, orange juice and lingonberry.

Mandarin Blossom
Irving Street Kitchen (701 NW 13th Ave.; 503-343-9440)
Irving Street Kitchen has an arsenal of morning cocktails (award-winning too) like the Irving St. Bloody Mary but for a citrusy, sweet (but not cloying so) and bubbly, pick-me-up order Irving Street Kitchen’s Mandarin Blossom. It's made from Hangar One mandarin vodka, chamomile, house made grenadine, lemon, and Prosecco.

Brown Derby
Oven and Shaker (1134 NW Everett St.; 503-241-1600)
Yes, it’s true — Oven and Shaker is open for brunch. While plenty of brunch cocktails incorporate bubbles and citrus, bourbon infiltrates the brunch table with Oven and Shaker’s Brown Derby made from Elijah Craig 12-year bourbon, housemade clover honey syrup and fresh grapefruit juice. Here’s your excuse to drink bourbon before noon without looking like a tippy.