The Best Boozy Slushies in Portland, Oregon
The creamy, dreamy pistachio daiquiri at Palomar.
For many, childhood summers meant road trip Slurpees and movie theater Icees, the kind of frosty beverages that dyed our tongues blue and gave us brain freeze. The natural progression as we got older was to keep the blended drinks but make them boozy, from college party blender margaritas to the inescapable “frosé” of 2016. When it comes to grown-up slushies, Portland has it on lock, whether it’s strawberry margaritas, blended mai tais, or, yes, frosé. Here are some of our favorites.
buckman
For more than a decade now, Tommy Habetz’s cavernous Bunk Bar on Water Avenue has served cubanos, turkey clubs, our favorite meatball sub in town, and that quintessential warm weather beverage, the iceberg. A pint of Rainier (a.k.a. vitamin R) beaded with condensation is refreshing enough, but top it with a generous dollop of blended margarita and you could take on the next heat dome. Not a beer drinker? Go for the Ciderberg, essentially the same drink only with Double Mountain dry cider. Or just try the frozen margarita itself—a damn good one.
kerns
The year was 2016. Marvel dominated the box office with Captain America: Civil War. The music world mourned the passings of David Bowie and Prince. And frosé swept across Portland as bars filled their slushy machines with sweetened pink wine. While the craze eventually tapered off, Cheese & Crack Snack Shop keeps the dream alive with its frosty pink wine. It’s lightly sweetened—a necessity for any blended drink—but crisp, bright, and nearly impossible to top when it comes to refreshing beverages on hot days. If you visit on a sunny weekend evening, be prepared for a line stretching down SE 28th Avenue.
Slushies taste better from a pufferfish mug—it’s science.
Boise
As much of a fixture as the brisket burnt ends in white curry, the Jesus & Tequila at Eem has been knocking socks off since before the Thai barbecue restaurant opened its doors in 2019. Originally, the frothy tropical drink was a staple at Eem co-owner Eric Nelson’s Shipwreck pop-up. In the J&T, lime froyo and tequila temper smoky mezcal while a hint of bittersweet curaçao cuts through the swirling flavors and some “fancy salt” deepens them. The online menu also mentions “blessings” as an ingredient, and while they’re hard to pinpoint on the palate, their presence is felt in each sip from the blowfish-shaped tiki mugs.
What’s better than a single slushy flavor? Double Trouble.
richmond
The slushies at SE Division’s the End illustrate just what this compact little cocktail bar is all about: indulgent and over the top but smartly executed. This season, the End is running a sweet-tart strawberry hibiscus margarita, bright and delightfully puckering. It joins the Makin’ Love at Midnight, which runs year-round as one of the city’s best takes on a piña colada, creamy and rich with toasted coconut crumbles lending a light nuttiness and crunch. Consider mixing the two (the Double Trouble) and/or adding a $4 float of spirit—a little dark rum punches either of them up nicely, or you can rely on the bartender’s choice for something fun and unexpected, like an amaro or mezcal.
Sunsets and slushies await at 5 & Dime.
foster-powell
During the hotter months, the best reason to visit this spacious neighborhood bar is the grab-bag approach to blended drinks—you’re never quite sure what 5 & Dime will have on offer. Salted mango and lime leaf daiquiris? Strawberry shiso margaritas? Aperol spritzes? You’ll have to stop by yourself to determine what’s on tap. Then grab yourself a hot dog (or veggie dog) and head out to the covered streetside patio. If that doesn’t scream “Portland summer” I don’t know what does.
It’s always a party at Hey Love.
Buckman
A blended mai tai pairs wonderfully with Oma’s cooking.
Richmond
The mai tai may be the most definitive tiki cocktail, a heady blend of rums, lime, orgeat (a nut syrup), and triple sec. Most spots serve it over crushed ice, but at the fabulous Malaysian and Singaporean-inspired party bar Oma’s Hideaway, it gets slushy-fied and juiced up with pandan, guava, and coconut. The finishing touch: an herbaceous amaro float, which gives the whole thing lush tropical notes and extra depth. Not into mai tais? Weird…but there’s always a second rotating slushy, whether it’s a lychee- and soursop-infused margarita or a boozy five-spice coffee with pandan.
hosford-abernethy
Palomar may have ditched its original locale, but the Miami vibes persist within its new Nob Hill digs, down to the whirring blenders and shakers full of Hotel Nacionals. Frozen margaritas and Painkillers abound here, not to mention nonalcoholic coladas and strawberry daqs; however, these days, the pineapple pistachio daiquiri is the It Girl—1960s Cadillac green in the glass and frothy-smooth through a straw. The combination of the pistachio and condensed milk gives the drink a sweet, luscious nuttiness, almost like a sophisticated Coco López, while the pineapple and lime provides some welcome lift. Sip it sitting at a sidewalk table, or next to one of the wide open windows when the weather behaves.
Why drink out of a glass if you can drink out of a pineapple?
Kerns
One of the founders of Tropicale, Alfredo Climaco, was known across Portland as the Piña Colada King. He got his start perfecting nonalcoholic piña coladas at pop-ups, then opened Tropicale in the summer of 2020. Tragically, Climaco died of COVID-19 at 32 in 2021, but his legacy lives on at the lively lounge he founded. Where else can you get a hefty rum-forward, not-too-sweet piña colada served inside a massive hollowed-out pineapple? The sprawling patio, which it shares with a string of other restaurants, attracts hordes on hot days, and for good reason.
humboldt
One of our favorite hangouts in town, Tulip Shop Tavern manages to hit that very Portland balance of sophistication and approachability. On its face, it’s a standard neighborhood watering hole, but tasting through the menu belies the precision and quality of both the bar and kitchen. All that’s to say: The slushies here are excellent and go far beyond the standard takes on blended margaritas and daiquiris. You’ll find one with Mountain Dew, Suze gentian liqueur, and peach purée one day, the next a blended 20th century cocktail, and the next an El Diablo with tequila, cassis, and ginger ale. They all go best with the exceptional smashburger, whether it’s the meaty version or the vegan one.
Passionfruit lemonade, all grown up at Wonderly.
cully
With ample patio seating and wide windows that soak the marble dining room in sunlight, NE Fremont’s Wonderly is an ideal locale for sipping a blended cocktail. Good thing, then, that the team here brings its customary aplomb to its slushies as much as its split-base old-fashioneds and pink Negronis. This year, the bar is sticking with two options, and yes, the correct choice is a mix of both: The vivid orange passionfruit vodka lemonade tastes like childhood block parties all grown up, while the blended daiquiri gets extra tropical with coconut and pineapple. Like Wonderly, they’re a little classy, a little fancy, and a whole lot of fun.
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