Adventures in Minimalism
Apotheke: Love the liqueur, tolerate the clientele

by Jaime Vázquez for pdxguide.com
February 2007

Apotheke, located among the art galleries and warehouses in the northwest neighborhood, is a hipster haven that specializes in exotic liqueurs. The sum total of my experience with liqueur was limited to hotel mini-fridges, so I didn't know what to expect, but a friend of mine had recently returned from a trip to Italy where she developed a taste for it. She was eager to compare Portland's most posh to theirs.

Part gallery, part minimalist experience in white, Apotheke is an open, bi-level room with a bar on one end and tall windows overlooking the street on the other. A few paintings are casually draped along the walls, but for the most part, the décor feels somewhat like that of Woody Allen's Sleeper. In the center of the room hangs a translucent artwork that looks a bit like a modernist kite.

We walked over to the bar and a scruffy Noah Wyle handed us each menus. The word "menu" doesn't quite do this short book justice; tall and worn, the twenty-some pages each feature a few drinks followed by a remarkably long paragraph about the liqueur's flavor, evolution, and character. The abstract details almost make it read like a J. Peterman catalog, although for us newbies it also lists their wine and cocktails.

My friend mentioned her recent trip, and the bartender's eyes lit up. "Let me put together a sampler for you," he offered. "We've got a couple different Italian liqueurs you should try -- not all of them are on the menu right now. You'll love them." He stayed for a moment, asking a few key questions, like a tailor taking measurements, then briefly going over what he was planning on recommending.

I was grateful that the bartender was eager to further introduce us to the liqueur world, because to be honest, the rest of Apotheke gives off a bit of an art-snob vibe. I stopped for a moment to grab my camera, and immediately got a few down-the-nose scowls before I had snapped my first picture. Although he wasn't in frame, a hipper-than-thou skinny guy gave me the finger, just in case. When I mentioned that I might be in the mood for a hot drink (it was, after all, cold out), an audible snort came from a coifed gentleman two tables away. I made a mental note to hate the players, and not the game.

The drinks arrived. I had a Tanqueray and tonic as my mainstay, and we ordered a few recommended liqueurs along with the sampler. Each was different, although I found the process quite consistent: the flavor will start rich and almost syrup-like, and then as you drink more, the viscosity draws the attention away from the taste and on to the spice -- nay, the bite of the drink. Sip delicately--at anywhere from six to 20 bucks a pop, each liqueur is meant to be savored.

Despite the unwelcoming patrons, the ambiance of Apotheke feels fun and almost underground; it would be easy to picture cold war spies meeting here as a secret spot, and it's a nice change of pace from the other trendy spots in the area which can be crowded even on weeknights. The music could be a little bit more thought out -- Vincent Gallo's album "When" played all the way through, which has all of the accessibility of his movie, Buffalo '66 -- but unobtrusive is the name of the game here, so I can't complain.

For connoisseurs and first-timers alike, Apotheke is a great hideaway, with visuals that aren't easily forgotten -- and like good liqueur, is an acquired taste.

The opinions expressed within are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of pdxguide.com or The Columbian Publishing Co.