Pacific Standard
Bar · Kerns
100 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97232
Highlights
Craft cocktails, wine & happy hour specials in a stylish hotel lobby
Craft cocktails, wine & happy hour specials in a stylish hotel lobby
"Located within the Kex hotel in Portland, Pacific Standard owns its identity as a hotel bar unapologetically, adding a level of service and sophistication to its fundamentally adaptable format. The bar is home to Jeffrey Morgenthaler, long considered one of the city’s most famous bartenders, particularly during his time at the now-closed hotel bar Clyde Common. Morgenthaler and partner Benjamin Amberg approach cocktail classics obsessively, so each drink is deliberately executed. The gimlet uses Tanqueray gin and blood orange cordial, while the Rosé Negroni mixes gin with bianco bitters, rosé vermouth, and some sea salt. Pacific Standard also offers both zero-proof and low-proof cocktails. This is a vacationer’s day-drinking bar, which means visitors will find a strong bloody mary and plenty of coffee cocktails." - Rebecca Roland
"In terms of breadth of options, this Northeast Portland hotel bar is a clear winner: The happy hour(s) run from 3 to 6 p.m. daily and from 10 p.m. to midnight. That means diners will find a $10 burger and fries special, accompanied by an $8 “fun-sized” gimlet, $12 house martini, and more." - Dianne de Guzman
"Benjamin Amberg says, “I love the martini service. It feels classy. Dignified. Adult. I love seeing the grin on someone’s face after that first sip. I love the excitement a bartender gets when you order one. It’s a sign of respect.” The bar also serves a boozy espresso-martini remix developed with Jeffrey Morgenthaler that uses Spanish brandy and Kahlúa; Amberg explains, “The Spanish brandy, while there’s not a ton in the cocktail, is really what sets ours apart ... the rich raisin-esque quality of the brandy really helped give the cocktail an added depth,” and “[it] still retains all of the elements about the cocktail that people know and love. Ours just turns it up to 11.”" - Zoe Baillargeon
"With book-lined shelves and study lamps atop the bar, this handsome watering hole in the lobby of the Kex Hotel is more than just a place for guests to grab a drink. Cocktail lovers come because it’s the latest venture of renowned local bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler, so it’s guaranteed that everything — from espresso martinis to zero-proof beverages — is on point. The Westward Whiskey Original-based Honeycrisp is practically autumn in a glass. The drink is sweetened with local lavender honey with seasonally appropriate apple juice and a little lemon cordial for brightness, garnished with a lavender sprig." - Krista Garcia
"In terms of breadth of options, this Northeast Portland hotel bar is a clear winner: The entire menu is $2 off from 3 to 6 p.m. daily and from 10 p.m. to midnight. That means diners will find $5 deviled eggs and $6 spring onion dip, accompanied by $6 cranberry gimlets, $12 sherry-spiked date shakes, and $11 rosé Negronis. Finish things off with an $8 Oregon cherry hand pie." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden, Maya MacEvoy
