Aria Gin Behind the Scenes Tour & Tasting, Portland

This post is in collaboration with Aria Gin.

Aria Gin is a classic English style gin distilled by hand right here in Northwest Portland. Crafted by a seasoned professional bartender over the course of four years, Aria Gin is, as far as I know, the only single product distillery here in Portland. That one product is a winner — Aria has won a gold medal in every competition they’ve entered, and they’ve officially retired from competitions.

I was invited to a tour and tasting at the Aria Gin facility, where we sampled the current tasting flight before venturing into the distillery in the back. The tasting room and distillery at NW 23rd and Savier opened in late 2015. Before that, owners Ryan Csanky and Erik Martin had been distilling their gin at Bull Run Distillery, which is also in the neighborhood. To create this versatile gin, Ryan combines traditional distilling techniques with ten aromatic ingredients and the soft, pure water of Bull Run.

The tasting room is bright and clean. Floating shelves are lined with locally sourced bitters and syrups for mixing up cocktails. The ten botanicals used in Aria Gin are on display too: juniper, coriander, angelica root, orange peel, lemon peel, cassia bark, cardamom, grains of paradise, orris root, and cubeb berry. The tasting room experience is great, but the real magic happens in the back, where you’ll find dozens of meticulously labeled bottles and flasks. In the back, we also sipped on the newest concoctions that Ryan was working on for the next tasting flight.

Even though Aria’s spring cocktails feature several local products, Ryan emphasized that he crafted the cocktails to be as approachable as possible. You don’t have to go out and buy all these specialty bitters, just use what’s available to you. Pop into the Aria Gin tasting room for the seasonal tasting flight, or have a go at these cocktails at home! My favorite is the Gin n Juice. What’s yours?

Spring, Loaded
2-1/2 oz Aria Portland Dry Gin
1 bar spoon of Portland Soda Works Rose Cordial
2–3 healthy dashes of Portland Bitters Project Aromatic Bitters
1 thick piece of lemon peel

Stir ingredients with ice. Strain over ice. Garnish with lemon peel.

Gimlet
2 oz Aria Portland Dry Gin
1 oz fresh lime
1 oz simple syrup (1:1, sugar:water, by weight warmed over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves)
2–3 healthy dashes of Scrappy’s Orleans Bitters
2–3 healthy dashes of Bitter Housewife Orange Bitters

Combine ingredients with ice. Shake well and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Carbonated Gimlet
14 oz Aria Portland Dry Gin
6 oz fresh lime
6 oz simple syrup (1:1, sugar:water, by weight warmed over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves)
10 mL Scrappy’s Orleans Bitters
10mL Bitter Housewife Orange Bitters
6 oz water

Combine ingredients and chill well. Carbonate using iSi soda siphon.

Gin n Juice
2 oz Aria Portland Dry Gin
1-1/2 fresh grapefruit
1/4 fresh lemon
3/4 Raft Hibiscus Lavender Syrup
2–3 healthy dashes of Portland Bitters Project Woodland Bitters
Pinch of Jacobsen’s Pinot Noir Infused Oregon Sea Salt

Combine ingredients with ice. Shake well and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Gin & Tonic
2 oz Aria Portland Dry Gin
3/4 oz Jack Rudy Elderflower Tonic
3-5 oz Club Soda

Combine ingredients with ice. Shake well and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Note: This post is in collaboration with Aria Gin. I was invited to a private tour and tasting at Aria Gin’s tasting room and distillery. This was not in exchange for a positive review and all opinions expressed here are my own.

Save