INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

What would a Dave Shenaut cocktail be?

One that I’m making today for Cocktail Camp is a Souracher. It’s named for this German guy who used to work as a line cook at the restaurant, Roots, that I used to work at. Every night he drank rye whiskey with Campari and a lime squeeze. I was so fascinated by that flavor combination, that I worked with that flavor combination for a long time. I found this drink called an Eva Peron. Are you familiar?

No.

It’s a Fernet cocktail out of San Francisco. I had that at Tales of the Cocktail and I applied that style of drink to this flavor combination that I’d been working with forever, finished the cocktail and just named it after this guy’s last name.

What do you look for when you’re hiring a bartender?

I think you have to treat it – and I’m by no means an expert – but I think you have to treat it as a puzzle, and certain people bring certain things to the table. I always wanted to hire people that are better than me at certain aspects of the job. I’ve got a girl, Emily, who’s more organized. She’s great at doing the ordering and the spreadsheets and keeping on top of day-to-day logistics. I’ve got a guy, Ricky, who’s prettier than I am, and better with the guests. Ricky Gomez is insane across the bar, and his technique is flawless. So start with those two, and then you’ve got to have a couple people who are willing to learn, so they can be a part of what’s going on there. We’re hiring a girl who has very little cocktail experience, but when we sat down with her, she just had such a warm personality that we wanted to be friends with her immediately. There’s another guy, Alani, who spent years as a line cook in Portland, at some of the best restaurants in town. He wants to get to the front of the house. He’s got a great approach.

What kind of music do you like to listen to when you’re behind the bar?

When I was at Kask, we did a lot of Billy Ocean. That Pandora playlist was perfect on a Friday night. In that kind of an environment, you want people to sing along. You want people moving, singing. In a small bar environment, it raises the level of fun. In the restaurant, it’s tough. How do you decide? Do you want people singing along in a restaurant? A restaurant playlist is a very big challenge for us. I’ve been working on it, basically collecting things that are the right BPMs so it feels right. Beach music, probably. I love reggae.

What inspired you to start Portland Cocktail Week, and what are your markers for success with that?

Portland Cocktail Week was basically born out of a conversation with Lindsey Johnson. Lindsey’s from Lush Life. Really, Portland’s a great market. We’ve got the best spirits, the best beer, some of the best wine, some of the best restaurants in the world. Produce, it’s here in Portland. A great running cocktail scene. We just needed to give people an excuse to come. My whole goal is to get the industry to come to Portland and check it out, and show off the best. We have the divey bars, the cocktail bars, the great restaurants, or even the strip clubs. We do it all. We’re in our second year, and I think we’ve doubled each year, both by the number of people who come, and frankly, the budget. This is going to be our third year, and we’re looking to double again. Just getting people excited about Portland. That’s the goal. Raise the community up. That’s what it’s all about.

How are you able to maintain balance in your life, if you’re even able to?

I have two children. I have a daughter who’s nine, and a son who’s six. My wife’s a schoolteacher. Balance is the hardest thing. Cocktail Week, opening restaurants, Bartenders Guild, it’s tough. I guess I’ll sleep when I’m older.

Who’s somebody that you’ve never worked with behind the bar that you’d most like to work with?

Well there’s two people in San Francisco that I would really love to work with. Trevor Easter and Erik Adkins. I look up to both of them. Trevor just looks like he has so much fun, and Erik runs a really tight ship with Heaven’s Dog and Slanted Door. The stuff that he’s done with those cocktail programs is pretty outstanding. To be a guy who can quote Charles Baker, Jr., and make almost any drink in that book, and make them well, is awesome. Those are people I’d love to learn from.

Where and what do you like to drink when you’re not working?

I like Bailey’s in my coffee. I drink a lot of Fernet. I love agave spirits. Usually I drink straight spirits, but I love a well-made Daiquiri. I think that’s one of the best things out there, with white rum. I’ve been really into Belgian beers lately. We have our Cheers to Belgian Beers festival this weekend. I’m really excited about some of the yeast varieties they get to work with, the strands that they work with, and then finishing them with orchard apples and cherries or grapefruit. We’ve got some guys doing some pretty cool stuff. I like the sours.

If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, primarily to drink cocktails and spirits, what city would it be and why?

Oh man. Give me a second on that one. That’s tough. I think the hospitality and cocktail culture in Vancouver, B.C., what they’re doing up there now is pretty outstanding. It’s been a few years since I’ve been up there, and I need to make the drive up to see those guys. Literally, for a city that large, just their hospitality level, and what they do. Have you been up there?

Last year.

They do some pretty cool stuff up there. You always feel good about being in some of those bars.

Yeah, some cool spots. The Refinery, and Keefer Bar, and places like that. West.

Lots and lots of spots, right?

Yeah…If you could only drink one more cocktail, what would be in the glass?

One more cocktail? One last cocktail? It would probably be a Vieux Carre.

How come?

I’d need something that I could sip and it would have really huge ice, just a rock in it that would take over the whole glass. I’d have a double Vieux Carre and I’d sit with it for a long time and enjoy it. I just love the complexity.

Who would you let make it for you?

Probably Ricky Gomez. He was born and raised in New Orleans, and since it’s a New Orleans cocktail, I’d have him make it for me.