Gingko Blue

Stopped into Gingko Blue after a nice dinner at North Point. The latter place had set the bar pretty high on some really fantastic drinks, and I fear that the lads at Gingko Blue just couldn't match it.

I ordered the Grapes of Wrath - gin with muddled grapes, mint and cucumber. Tasteless. I could have been drinking $12 soda water. Poland Spring should aspire to have such a purely flavorless beverage.

My friend ordered the Tequila Mockingbird - a margarita variation with grapefruit juice and St. Germaine. In contrast to my tasteless drink, this one had plenty of flavor, and boy was it a terrible one. I like me a strong, flavorful margarita, but this tasted more like battery acid. They should skip the wordplay and simply call it "To Kill a Mockingbird" as I'm pretty sure if a bird tasted this beverage it wouldn't be flying much longer.

Drinks aside, the bar didn't impress either. The layout sucks - if you aren't fortunate enough to have one of the very few seats in the back, or a bar seat, you are left crammed between the bar and windows. Very awkward.
Portland has some amazing places to go, so do yourself a favor and go to one of those instead.

I have walked by this location several times and I am always intrigued to stop in due to the lighting and furnishings.  I am really glad I finally did!  This place is really chill and a great place to grab a couple cocktails.  They have a great beer selection, but their specialty drink selection is also great.  They have some very artistic and flavorful selections.  The bartenders are also very nice and very knowledgeable.  I look forward to my next visit to try another specialty cocktail!

I'm really glad I stopped in here, after almost passing it over thinking that from the outside it wasn't my kind of place (too Miami-ish in decor for me).  What I found was an amazing bartending staff with impeccable knowledge of their craft, producing cocktails at the highest level.  I drink a lot of cocktails at bars/restaurants all over the world, these guys are top shelf.