Curious about the Portland Maine cocktail scene? It grew from a beer-and-highball town into a small, serious craft-cocktail city, with bars, restaurant programs and distillery tasting rooms all within easy walking distance.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Portland Hunt & Alpine Club opened | Fall 2013 |
| Maine’s rank for craft breweries per capita | Sixth largest among the 50 states (Imbibe, November 2015) |
| Breweries within Portland city limits | More than a dozen (April 2015) |
| Distilleries within Portland city limits | Three (April 2015) |
| Restaurants in Portland | 230 (April 2015) |
These figures come from Imbibe Magazine’s November 2015 report and Market Watch’s April 2015 City Scope. They are several years old and can change, so check the sources and current local listings before you rely on them.
From beer town to cocktail town
For years, Portland was known for beer far more than for cocktails. Imbibe’s November 2015 report said the city had more or less ignored the modern cocktail revolution that was infiltrating nearby Boston and beyond, and that it seemed content to remain a city of beer bars and highballs.
Beer set the template. Market Watch’s April 2015 City Scope dates craft brewing in Portland to 1983, when David and Karen Geary opened D.L. Geary Brewing Co., and Imbibe notes that Rob Tod founded Allagash Brewing in 1995. Imbibe also reported that Maine had the sixth largest number of craft breweries per capita among the 50 states.
That beer culture shaped what bars were expected to do. Brewer Heather Sanborn told Market Watch that a regional craft beer program had become “as important as having a good wine list-or maybe more important.” Market Watch tied this to Maine’s long tradition of supporting locally made and harvested products.
The cocktail bar arrived later. Andrew Volk told Imbibe that Maine is a place that has “always been five years behind,” and he and his wife opened Portland Hunt & Alpine Club in the fall of 2013. By most accounts, Imbibe reported in 2015, it was the city’s first stand-alone craft-cocktail bar.
Neighborhoods changed along with the drinks. Market Watch described East Bayside as a place where people once didn’t go, and listed what was there by April 2015:
- Bunker Brewing Co.
- Maine Mead Works
- Maine Craft Distilling
- Urban Farm Fermentory, which produces hard cider and kombucha
Market Watch also reported that Liquid Riot Bottling Co., with both a brewery and a distillery, opened in 2014. Its small cocktail list, the magazine said, featured the distillery’s own products.
Portland Maine cocktail bars people talk about
Bevvy’s guide argued that Portland’s cocktail scene can compete with much larger towns, and that this small city punches way above its weight. Its list was alphabetical rather than a ranking, and it was a snapshot of that year.
Here is how Bevvy described a few of the bars it named. These are the guide’s descriptions, not a review or a recommendation from this site:
- Blyth & Burrows: an Old Port bar that leans into its theme with wall-mounted ship maidens and a mural of dueling brigs, with drinks on the strong side.
- Bramhall: a near-encyclopedic whiskey list and adventurous combinations such as the What’s Up Doc, with gin, carrot and pepita orgeat.
- Chaval: first and foremost a French/Spanish small plates restaurant, with a small bar whose cocktail menu is worth a visit on its own.
- Cocktail Mary: bright, punny creations such as the Single Jenni, made with Absolut Citron, Cappelletti and lemon.
- The Independent Ice Co.: a whiskey-focused bar, with a neat pour from a large wall of bottles or a smoked rye Manhattan.
- Portland Hunt & Alpine Club: a high-low sensibility, expressed in an Espresso Martini and in the use of Allen’s Coffee Brandy, plus signatures such as Green Eyes and the Norseman, made with brown butter-infused aquavit.
A newer snapshot comes from Table Journey’s 2026 bar guide. It lists nine places, with five in the Old Port and two in the Arts District, and says Hunt & Alpine serves cocktails and snacks 6 days a week. Menus, hours and days open change often, so confirm before you go.
Distillery tasting rooms and Maine spirits
What sets Portland apart from many small cities is how many tasting rooms double as cocktail bars. Market Watch counted three distilleries within the city limits in April 2015, and Bevvy’s 2021 guide featured several that mix their own spirits into drinks.
- Liquid Riot: described as everything short of a winery, with a Bierschnaps (distilled beer aged in whiskey barrels) and an oat whiskey made from Maine oats.
- Hardshore Distilling: a menu limited to its flagship gin and its aged expressions, with a Gin Rickey, a Gimlet and a Tom Collins.
- Maine Craft Distilling: spirits that feel uniquely of the Pine Tree State, from a blueberry moonshine to a distilled-carrot juice spirit.
- Stroudwater Distillery: in a historic brick building at Thompson’s Point, producing a vodka, a gin, a rum, a rye and a double-barreled bourbon.
- Three of Strong: concerned, in Bevvy’s words, with rum, rum and some more rum.
Prices give a sense of the casual end of the scene. Portland Monthly’s Summerguide 2019 described a happy hour at Maine Craft’s tasting room running 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., with $4 cocktails. The same piece priced a Stroudwater tasting flight at $10 and signature cocktails such as the Hawaiian Stone Sour and the Jungle Bird at $12 each, so treat those amounts as dated.
Our guide to maine craft distilleries looks at the makers in more detail.
What ends up in the glass
The sources describe a scene that mixes classics and local twists. Gimlets, Tom Collins, Manhattans, Negronis and Mojitos appear alongside drinks built on Maine spirits, coffee brandy or house-made syrups.
If those names are unfamiliar, the classic cocktails list is a gentle starting point. Whiskey features strongly in the bar descriptions above, so it helps to know how to make an old fashioned before you taste how different bars handle the same idea.
Rum shows up often too. Portland Monthly described a Jungle Bird of Liquid Riot rum, fresh pineapple, Campari and lime as refreshing and not overly sweet. For a rum drink to try at home, there is a dark and stormy recipe on this site.
Getting the most from a visit or a move
Many of the places named above are restaurants as well as bars. Bevvy pointed to a handful of excellent restaurant bar programs, and Market Watch counted 230 restaurants, so our portland maine restaurants guide is a useful companion.
A simple way to plan an evening:
- Check opening days and hours first, because not every bar serves every night.
- Start early at a tasting room, where the staff can walk you through the spirits.
- Move to a cocktail bar and tell the bartender what flavors you like. Our notes on how to order at a cocktail bar can help.
- Notice the vessel your drink arrives in; cocktail glassware types explains why bars choose them.
- Finish with a meal at a restaurant bar, and tip as you would anywhere; see bar tipping etiquette for the basics.
If you are skipping alcohol, our overview of non alcoholic cocktails shows what to ask for. If the city appeals as more than a weekend trip, our guide to living in portland maine covers life beyond the bar.
Frequently asked questions
When did Portland’s craft-cocktail scene begin?
Show answer
Imbibe reported in 2015 that Portland Hunt & Alpine Club opened in the fall of 2013 and was, by most accounts, the city’s first stand-alone craft-cocktail bar. Beer had a much longer head start, with craft brewing in the city dating to 1983 according to Market Watch.
Is Portland, Maine, better known for beer or cocktails?
Show answer
Beer has the longer history. Market Watch’s April 2015 City Scope said craft beer and an emerging cocktail culture define the city, and Bevvy’s 2021 guide described a cocktail scene that competes with much larger towns.
Can you drink cocktails at the distilleries?
Show answer
Several distillery tasting rooms serve cocktails made with their own spirits, according to Bevvy’s 2021 guide and Portland Monthly’s Summerguide 2019. Hours and menus change, so check before visiting.
How much do cocktails cost?
Show answer
Portland Monthly’s Summerguide 2019 reported $4 happy-hour cocktails at one tasting room and $12 signature cocktails at others. Those prices are dated, so check current menus.
Is this the same Portland as the one in Oregon?
Show answer
No. Bevvy noted that Portland, Maine, took the name first by a factor of 219 years. Imbibe added that the Hunt & Alpine founders met in Portland, Oregon, before moving to Maine.
