Northwest: Portland, Oregon’s Distillery Row

New-wave cocktail-centric joints can be found in nearly any large town, but, with the recent addition of two more distilleries, this southeast Portland neighborhood testifies to the small-batch industry that lies at the center of America’s artisanal-spirit rebirth. A party air prevails as visitors walk, bike, or pedicab between tasting rooms. A nominal fee earns sips of aquavit aged in pinot noir barrels, saffron-infused vodka, and lots more.

There should be no imbibing without chow. Beaker & Flask matches top-notch food (a small plate of Black Lentil Salad, Shaved Fennel, Radish, Soft Egg) to its craft cocktails. Eating here, you’re in the nerve center of the high-spirited urban equivalent of a winecountry boom. —Ivy Manning