Enjoyed: Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Listed on the menu: Yes, as “L.O. Rum Old Fashioned”

Ingredients: Appleton Estate signature rum, Denizen Merchant’s Reserve rum, Wray & Nephew Overproof rum, spiced demerara, aromatic + orange + tiki bitters

The occasion: This was our final night on the Oregon coast, so we chose a highly-rated seafood restaurant overlooking the harbor. We started the day in Florence, at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, where we rented a side-by-side vehicle and drove it not only over all the dunes, but also along the Pacific Ocean beach! We ate a picnic lunch of locally-made Tillamook cheese, walked up a hill to a lighthouse, then hiked to a five-hundred-plus-year-old Giant Sitka spruce. Needless to say, we had had a full day, so a relaxing supper in a scenic spot was the perfect ending.

My rating: ***** out of 5. I was intrigued by the use of three types of rum in this cocktail, with no whiskey at all. The predominant flavor was burnt sugar cane, which I enjoyed. The citrus flavors lingered at the end. I was not familiar with tiki bitters, but I suspect they helped the drink taste more “Caribbean,” which was perfect alongside all the the seasonal locally-caught fish, such as black cod, which I ordered.

Final thoughts: Four days and nights along the Oregon coast was not long enough. We experienced so much rugged natural beauty, yet missed several opportunities to see even more due to the marine layer and the pockets of fog that would creep up unexpectedly. Still, we loved our trip and hope to return.

Enjoyed: Saturday, July 5, 2025

Listed on the menu: Yes, on the online menu site, as “Burnside Old Fashioned”

Ingredients: Burnside bourbon (from Portland, Oregon), Angostura bitters, soda, all-natural Bordeaux cherry, orange twist

The occasion: After a several day visit with Daughter in Seattle, we rented a car and headed for the picturesque Oregon coast. I have a long-standing interest in the Lewis and Clark Expedition, probably because we live in Albemarle County, Virginia, the birthplace of both men, and the location of Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello. In fact, many of the artifacts sent back from the Expedition to Jefferson are still on display at Monticello. The initial details for the trip were drafted here, so going to the “edge of the continent” to see the terminus of the Expedition (“Ocean in view! O! the joy”) has always been a goal of mine. We stopped at several Lewis and Clark Trail points of interest near Astoria, such as Fort Clatsop and Cape Disappointment.

My rating: ***** out of 5. I wanted to try a local bourbon, so the Burnside was a logical choice. The drink was well-balanced, with the bourbon being the most prevalent taste. Burnside has a 70% corn mash bill, and the sweet notes were obvious. Since simple syrup was not listed as an ingredient, I wonder if the soda used (it must have just been a splash) was sweetened.

Final thoughts: We stayed two nights in Astoria, at the four-mile wide mouth of the mighty Columbia River. The city, the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains, was founded in 1811 as a fur-trading outpost and named for tycoon John Jacob Astor, who was then the richest man in America. Astoria experienced a salmon canning boom in the 1870s and quickly became the salmon canning capital of the world. Unfortunately, over the decades, the salmon were over-fished in this area, and the last cannery closed in 1980. The remaining industrial buildings have been re-purposed into museums, shops, hotels, and restaurants, such as the Bridgewater Bistro. We happily dined at a table overlooking the river and the gorgeous sunset. Our AirBnB was likewise in a re-purposed building on Pier 12, so we were able to watch the shipping activity from the large picture windows in our suite of rooms–truly one of the most unique places we have ever slept!