Shift Drinks

Shift Drinks was a cocktail bar in Portland, Oregon. The bar opened in 2015 and closed in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shift Drinks
2023 photograph of the space which previously housed Shift Drinks
Restaurant information
Street address1200 SW Morrison Street
CityPortland
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97205
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45°31′13.8″N 122°41′4″W
Websiteshiftdrinkspdx.com

Description

Shift Drinks' interior was described as "spacious and minimalist".[1] Willamette Week Matthew Korfhage said the "monochromatic, airy space is an exercise in minimalism and knowing ironies, down to the giant black-and-white photo of drunken Batman, or another of a beautiful woman having a drink thrown in her face".[2]

The cocktail bar had a wine list with approximately 100 bottles.[3] The food menu included grilled cheese with tomato soup and drink options included the Tijuana Pipe Dream[4] and a collaboration with StormBreaker Brewing on a single-hop pale ale called ShiftBeer.[5]

History

The bar opened in the Terminal Sales Building on May 18, 2015.[6][7] Anthony Garcia was a co-owner, along with his wife Anne Garcia and Alise Moffat, a chef and bartender, respectively.[8][9]

For approximately 11 months of 2015–2016, the upstairs area hosted the restaurant Nomad.PDX. In May 2016, Shift branded the area as Makeshift Room for hosting private events.[10] The bar began offering free dinners on Sundays in 2016,[11][12] followed by all-day happy hour in 2017.[13][14]

Shift closed permanently in mid 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic,[8][15] and was replaced by the bar and restaurant City Bridge & Tunnel.[16][17] Oregon Business attributed the closure to the pandemic.[18]

Reception
Shift Drinks was housed in the Terminal Sales Building (pictured in 2012).

Condé Nast Traveler said, "You're here for the excellent and bold drinks, the fresh bruschetta, the sprawling wine list, and the all-day happy hour".[19] Samantha Bakall ranked Shift Drinks number four in The Oregonian's list of "Portland's best new bars of 2015".[20] She also included the business in a 2017 list of the city's 10 best new happy hours,[21] and Michael Russell included Shift Drinks in a 2016 list of Portland's 21 "essential" bars.[22] Thrillist's Alex Frane included the business in a 2016 overview of the city's best cocktail bars.[23] He also included Alise Moffatt in a list of "Portland's most influential and kick-ass bartenders of 2016", writing: "Though it took Shift Drinks a moment to find its footing, as of 2016, it offers one of the best and most inventive cocktail programs in the city, raising the standards for everyone. Alise can be found behind the stick almost every night of the week serving creative and delicious cocktails with expertise and an endearing passion."[24]

In 2016, Willamette Week's Sami Gaston called Shift "a bartender's bar".[25] In 2019, the newspaper said:

There may be times when a rooftop view is worth an overpriced cocktail. Shift Drinks is just the opposite. Come here if you need a quality drink and a simple space that leans more toward the contemplative than the rowdy. The music is good, the menu caters to modest budgeted connoisseurs and rookies looking for 'something sparkly' alike, and the snack menu easily makes a satisfying dinner.[26]

In 2020, the Portland Mercury's Suzette Smith described the Moffatt's Physically Forgotten as "a standard and favorite".[27] Following the bar's closure, Eater Portland's Brooke Jackson-Glidden called Shift "beloved" and "iconic".[28][29] Frane mentioned the bar in the website's list of the "saddest Portland restaurant closures of 2020".[30]

See also

References
  1. Nanbu, Seiji (March 31, 2020). "How to Get Booze Delivered to Your Door in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  2. Korfhage, Matthew (June 23, 2015). "Shift Drinks: Bar Review". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2020-11-27. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  3. Walsh, Chad (2015-02-10). "Anthony Garcia and Alise Moffatt Aim to Make Shift Drinks Your Post-Work Pit Stop". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2015-09-08. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  4. "City in a Glass: Portland, Oregon". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  5. "100 Portland Happy Hours: Downtown". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  6. Centoni, Danielle (2015-05-18). "Shift Drinks Bar is Now Open; Take a Look Inside". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  7. Korfhage, Matthew (May 23, 2017). "Shift Drinks Is Maybe the Smartest Bar in Portland". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2019-04-06. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  8. Frane, Alex (2020-06-30). "Quintessential Industry Bar Shift Drinks Will Close Permanently". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-02-24. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  9. "Shift Drinks". Thrillist. 5 October 2017. Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  10. Bamman, Mattie John (2016-05-11). "Industry Bar Shift Drinks Launches Private Event and Dinner Space". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2019-05-19. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  11. Bamman, Mattie John (2016-11-18). "Downtown's Shift Drinks Unleashes Free Sunday Dinners". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  12. "Eight Crazy Portland Meal Deals and Delicious, Inexpensive Cocktail Recipes". Willamette Week. March 11, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-10-24. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  13. Frane, Alex (February 20, 2017). "Shift Drinks Unleashes Insane All-Day Happy Hour". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  14. "Shift Drinks Extends Happy Hour". kgw.com. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  15. Anderson, Micah (2020-10-14). "If Oregon Wants to Keep Its Bars Alive, It Needs to Legalize Takeout Cocktails". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  16. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2021-01-27). "A Guide to Portland's Bar, Restaurant, and Food Cart Openings". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  17. McConnell, Ryan (2022-05-11). "Get outside and eat!". Vanguard. Archived from the original on 2022-05-19. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  18. "A Tale of Two Cities". Oregon Business. 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  19. "Shift Drinks, Downtown Portland, Portland, Oregon, United States - Bar Review". Condé Nast Traveler. Archived from the original on 2022-08-11. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  20. Bakall, Samantha (2015-10-14). "Portland's best new bars of 2015 -- No. 4: Shift Drinks". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2022-08-14. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  21. Bakall, Samantha (2017-04-17). "Portland's 10 best new happy hours". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  22. Russell, Michael (2016-08-26). "Portland's 21 essential bars". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  23. "The Best Cocktail Bars in Portland". Thrillist. 13 July 2016. Archived from the original on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  24. "Portland's Most Influential & Kick-Ass Bartenders of 2016". Thrillist. 9 November 2016. Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  25. "Shift Drinks Is a Bartender's Bar". Willamette Week. May 10, 2016. Archived from the original on 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  26. "Shift Drinks". Willamette Week. August 20, 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  27. Smith, Suzette (March 12, 2020). "Bartender's Choice: Portland's Top Cocktails from the People Who Make Them". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  28. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2021-01-20). "Beloved Beer Bar Bailey's Taproom Has Closed For Good". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  29. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2020-10-14). "Drinking in Portland During the Coronavirus Pandemic". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-11-06. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  30. "The Saddest Portland Restaurant Closures of 2020". Eater Portland. 2020-12-29. Archived from the original on 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
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