When I first started doing on-camera work for InsideHook, there was one person and one person only who I looked to for inspiration: Hannah Chamberlain, the unbelievably charming, impeccably dressed imbiber behind SpiritedLA, where she shares cocktail recipes, drinking travel guides and more on Instagram and TikTok. Hannah is always mixing up something delicious (and sometimes kooky — Filet Mignon Dirty Martini, anyone?) at her Portland, Oregon, home or traversing the globe to find the best bars in every city (and likely making you jealous with her airplane cocktails, real glassware and all).
I recently caught up with Hannah to talk about her favorite Martini in the world, the unlikely bar where she’s a regular and the establishments she frequents in Portland that are inspiring me to plan a return visit ASAP.
Amanda Gabriele: What’s your favorite restaurant in Portland right now? What should I order when I go?
Hannah Chamberlain: I can never get enough of Kachka. It’s one of the few restaurants I’ve been to in the United States that draws inspiration from the cuisine and dining culture of the former Soviet Republics (I planned on getting my PhD in Cold War Eastern European history before switching paths to drinking for a living, so I’m particularly obsessed with the theme). The food and drink offerings are delicious, and its interior features all kinds of interesting artifacts from the region and era, including Soviet propaganda posters, Socialist Realism paintings and wooden columns carved like chicken legs (harkening to Baba Yaga’s hut). Not only is it a restaurant, it also has a distillery and shop so you can buy delicacies to enjoy at home, like dumplings, caviar and candied pinecones.
If you go to Kachka, you have to order caviar, golubtsi (stuffed cabbage that will change your life), sour cherry vareniki and many rounds of vodka to get the full experience. They make many flavored vodkas in house, including horseradish, birch, rhubarb and Earl Grey.
Which bar makes the best Martini?
If we’re talking worldwide, I’ll say a Martini from Alessandro Palazzi at Dukes London is iconic for a very good reason. Exquisitely chilled, crisp and boozy, it perfectly captures my favorite quote about Martinis from Hemingway: “I had never tasted anything so cool and clean. They made me feel civilized.”
Alternatively, I love the rotating Martini menu at Queen Mary Tavern in Chicago, especially because you can pair one with onion dip topped with caviar and a bag of kettle chips. Heaven.
Where are you a regular?
Since I’m so often traveling to booze around, I don’t think I qualify as a regular at any bar other than Loyal Legion at the PDX Airport. Luckily, while many airport bars can be pretty dismal, Loyal Legion is the exception. It has a great whiskey selection, a solid and often updated cocktail menu, giant clear cubes, and even boasts a fantastical neon and glass brick speakeasy that looks straight out of 1980s Miami. My pre-flight ritual is to order something off their Old Fashioned menu and pair it with a bunless smash burger. Divine.
What’s your perfect Saturday in Portland?
I’d start out by dipping into my favorite grocery store, Zupan’s, for freshly baked goods, coffee and local fruits, which I’d then take on a scenic drive. Depending on the time of year, I’d either head through wine country to the Oregon Coast or up the Columbia River Gorge for waterfalls and mountain views. Next, I’d dip into some of my favorite vintage shops like Magpie for clothes, Lounge Lizard for furniture or Old Portland Hardware for all kinds of curiosities. I’d follow up shopping with a pre-dinner shrimp cocktail and Martini at the classic steakhouse RingSide, then dinner at Kachka before stopping into LaVerne’s for their take on a Wisconsin Old Fashioned. Finally, I’d end the evening at Too Soon for their Espresso Martinis and closing-time hot chocolate chip cookies.
What’s one place you’d tell a friend to go this week?
A weird answer because I haven’t been since its reopening, but I’m dying to check out the updated Big Four at the Huntington Hotel in San Francisco. I used to love going to their bar and listening to the pianist with a Manhattan in hand when I lived nearby, and from what I’ve seen online, it looks like the character of the historic bar hasn’t been altered, only revived. I’d tell a friend to visit and then give me a full report.
What’s the best hotel you’ve stayed in this year?
This is tough, but I’d have to say The Shilla Seoul. The understated rooms were serenely comfortable, and the breakfast was phenomenal. One of my favorite things about it was how conscientious and accommodating the staff was. I have celiac disease, which is tricky in Seoul, but the hotel staff did absolutely everything they could to make room service not feel like Russian roulette.
Honorable mentions for Raffles Boston and Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver. Both properties were immaculate and painful to leave.
What’s one trip you’ll never stop talking about?
Seoul! I had so much fun hunting down bars through dark alleyways, winding streets and in barely marked buildings. It was like a boozy scavenger hunt with some of the best cocktails and hospitality in the world as a reward at every stop. I can’t wait to go back.
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