PORTLAND, Ore. — If you like a Martini or an Old Fashioned, it can be a chore to have all the ingredients on hand to make one at home -- and do it right. A new Portland company wants to change that. Straightaway recently opened a tasting room on SE Hawthorne at 9th.
Two local bartenders got together to create perfectly, pre-mixed cocktails in a bottle. All you have to do is open it, and pour into a chilled glass or over ice. At Straightaway, they squeeze their own fresh fruit juices and make simple syrup from scratch.
Even after they're opened, the bottles stay fresh as long as any other liquor in your bar.
"I think a lot of times we default to a beer or wine because all we have to do is pop the top and you pour. For us, we wanted to make it as easy as that and people don't always have time to be mixologists at home nor do they want to be, and when you're hosting, it's an amazing time saver. Especially if you're entertaining with a bunch of people, or you want a hostess gift to bring over. This way, your entire first round is in one bottle," said Cy Cain, co-founder of Straightaway.
They have five different kinds: Old Fashioned, Negroni, Cosmopolitan, gin Martini and a drink popular in the Philippines called Lintik. It's gin aged with lemons, simple syrup, and bitters. Cain says it was created in the 1930s by a world traveler, an ex-pat from New York, at the Hotel Manila.
Cain and his business partner Casey Richwine made up a batch and tested it on some friends at a birthday party, and it was a hit. "It's a distant cousin of limoncello. Where limoncello has a sweetness to it and thickness to it, this is a really well-balanced cocktail where there's sweet and tart happening at the same time. And it invites you to come back and have more. It's a beautiful drink to sip in the summer. You picture what the weather is like in the Philippines and this cools you off, it's a really nice drink for that," Cain says.
This week, to introduce Lintik to Portland, they're holding pop-up tastings and food pairings all over the city. You can buy their cocktails at their tasting room on Hawthorne, or at many liquor stores across the state
MONDAY, MAY 13 - LEMON CLOUDS AT STRAIGHTAWAY
Experience Papa Vic’s world-famous Lemon Cloud dessert at the Straightaway tasting room. The origins of the family recipe (Vic Cain is the father of Straightaway co-founder Cy Cain) are somewhat mysterious but the dessert of lemon mousse topped with fresh whipped cream and chopped pistachios can only be described as delightful. Complimentary petite dessert with any purchase. Available from 12 noon until they’re gone.
TUESDAY, MAY 14 - COCKTAIL POP-UP AT ACE HOTEL & HOTEL MONACO
Enjoy a happy hour cocktail tasting in the lobby of two downtown Portland hotels: Ace Hotel (1022 SW Harvey Milk St) from 4-5 p.m. and the Hotel Monaco (506 SW Washington St) from 5-6 p.m. Tastings are complimentary with bottled cocktails available for purchase.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 15 - HAIKU DAY AT STRAIGHTAWAY
Write an original haiku poem including the word “Lintik” and enjoy a complimentary cocktail flight with the purchase of another flight. Bring your haiku to the Straightaway tasting room or craft one on location. We’ll publish some of our favorites on social media.
THURSDAY, MAY 16 - FILIPINO POP UP WITH CHEF CARLO LAMAGNA (MAGNA) AT JACOBSEN SALT CO.
Raise a glass to the birthplace of Lintik™ at this not-to-be-missed Filipino Happy Hour Pop Up from 5-7 p.m. with Chef Carlo Lamagna (Magna) at Jacobsen Salt Co. (602 SE Salmon St). Menu includes Chicken Inasal with Garlic Fried Rice & Longanisa Deviled Eggs. $25 + $3.16 service fee gets you a plate of tasty food and two full-sized cocktails. Space is limited so reserve your tickets on EventBrite today.
FRIDAY, MAY 17 - HOW MANY LEMONS IN A LINTIK™ AT STRAIGHTAWAY
Stop by the Straightaway tasting room, and count the lemons. Make a guess as to how many lemons go into one batch of Lintik™ and enter to win a prize. Lemon viewing available all week with a winner chosen on this day.
SATURDAY, MAY 18 - LINTIK™ SHAVE ICE WITH WAILUA SHAVE ICE AT STRAIGHTAWAY
Enjoy a taste of the tropics with Wailua Shave Ice at the Straightaway tasting room. Straightway drinks master Casey Richwine has paired up with the team at Wailua to create a boozy shaved ice that will transport you to the islands. Lintik™ shave with coconut foam, $5 each, starting at 1 p.m. until they’re gone.
SUNDAY, MAY 19 - STRAIGHTAWAY POP-UP SHOP & COCKTAIL TASTINGS AT PORTLAND GEAR
Portland-based Straightaway will create a pop-up shop at Portland Gear (627 SW 19th Ave). Shoppers can enjoy cocktail tastings from 12-3 p.m. Bottled cocktails will be available for sale with fun giveaways for shoppers who purchase both Portland Gear and full-sized bottles of Straightaway that day.