12 of the Hottest Things to Eat and Drink in Portland this Winter

Portlanders know all about inclement weather. Winter temperatures can drop to the 30s (and the skies can drop more than 10 inches of rain in a single month). They also know their way around and through that weather, and you’ll find hearths and outdoor fire pits, soul-soothing comfort food and cocktails to bring a warm flush to your cheeks all over the city. Chart a course for coziness with these 12 offerings (and destinations).

For a pitch-perfect cocktail, look no further than Café Nell — a sparkling neighborhood bistro in the Alphabet district — and wintry offerings like bartender Michael Dreher’s It’s an Old-Fashioned Life, inspired by "a fireplace always lit and the smell of rosemary and cinnamon simmering on the stovetop.” Can’t make it to PDX? Channel Dreher’s genius by creating his seasonal simple syrup (one cup each of water and honey, boiled together in a sauce pan and combined with a sprig of fresh rosemary, a cinnamon stick and two fresh cloves, then cooled, strained and refrigerated), spooning 1-1/4 ounces of the mixture into an old fashioned glass, adding one extra-large ice cube and finishing with two ounces of Jim Beam. Stir, then garnish with a flamed rosemary spring and sliced cranberries.

Eleven years ago, Liberty Glass sprouted from a two-story pink house at the bottom of a hill in the Mississippi Avenue district. Siblings Rose and Jason McCormick named their bar and restaurant after their great-grandparents’ post-Prohibition establishment in Ohio, and the funky family vibe they’ve cultivated is readily apparent. The quirky space still sports residential details like an upstairs bathtub, and the food they serve is an elevated homage to the after-school snacks your mom might make. Tuck into their hefty grilled cheese sandwich (a fat stack of mozzarella, two kinds of cheddar and chives on slabs of buttered bread) with a side of spicy tomato soup, and make yourself at home.

Continue your tour of former-Mississippi-Avenue-homes-turned-bars at the 1920s bungalow that’s now The Rambler, a neighborhood destination with a generous array of fire pits in both its front and backyard spaces, a towering pile of board games and steaming hot drinks like Spanish Coffee. This winter warmer is almost as fun to prep as it is to sip: The Rambler’s bartenders pour Cruzan 151 rum into a mug, set it aflame, add a few dashes of a cinnamon-and-nutmeg blend (hence those spectacular sparks, above), then add their house mixture of triple sec, Kahlua and Appleton Estate rum. Topped with coffee, whipped cream and a few more dashes of spice, it’s the boozy equivalent of your favorite sweater.