MALPRACTICE

High-Concept Cocktail Pop-Up Malpractice Is Opening a Portland Bar | Eater Portland

"Starting as a 2022 pop-up, I watched Munro evolve Malpractice into a buzzy, high-concept project that this fall will become a full-fledged cocktail bar; he’s designing it as a place he personally wants to go, with a loud, dark ambiance and an experimental bent using techniques like acid adjusting, force carbonation and milk clarifying. Many of the drinks are culinary in genesis—I've seen him translate dishes into cocktails, from feta cheese–infused sotol and a banana vinegar reduction to a cantaloupe drink inspired by prosciutto and melon and prosciutto fat–washed liquor—and he often works backward from a playful name (like “Waste of Time”) or consults The Flavor Bible for direction. The bird motif that began with a clarified jungle bird pairing has persisted in cheeky cocktail names such as “Birds Having Sex on the Beach” and “Birds Aren’t Bitter,” and I noted his tongue-in-cheek approach even extends to DIY solutions like making his own Chartreuse (with a deliberate blue tint). He plans to create tight food-and-drink pairings—examples include a freezer martini infused with pineapple and oyster shells paired with an oyster topped by an absinthe-infused pineapple granita, or a crudo with lacto-fermented grapefruit—aiming for a near-tasting-menu level of cohesion rather than a full tasting menu." - Janey Wong