The Beagle. When thinking of things to name cocktail bars after, small meek-mannered canines are not necessarily where we would go. But when a co-founder of Portland's seminal Clyde Common decided to drop a cocktail restaurant in the middle of the uber competitive East Village, we were intrigued. Name notwithstanding.
It was almost as if by accident we found our way to The Beagle shortly after it first opened. The hype was fairly minimal and the room quiet, so we easily found spots at the bar. Apparently, that night we had sherry on the brain - ordering both the Adonis, a mix of fino sherry, sweet vermouth and orange bitters and The Artist's Special (scotch, oloroso sherry, lemon juice & red currant syrup), which both hit the spot. The only misstep was a "pairing board" of sweetbreads and calvados - more on that concept in a moment.
A few months later, we dropped in for a more. The room was buzzing in a way it hadn't been earlier though luck had two barstools ready for us. We revisited the two aforementioned drinks, which stood up over time, though the Adonis now strikes us more as a jumping off point. We delved further into the menu, finding unexpected combinations and complexity. Highly recommended are the V.O.C. (Genever, Swedish rum, Lillet, lemon & angostura), which was very complex with herbal notes - let it warm up for the full effect - and the Golden Dog, a rich yet slightly sweet drink with Talisker 10 year old scotch, Lillet, Benedictine, apricot liqueur & angostura. El Guero shows off the lighter side of mezcal - another drink to start with. Meanwhile, if you're feeling adventurous, try one of the Barrel-Aged Cocktails - when we were in they were serving a rich, terrific Solera-Aged White Dog Manhattan.
A word on the pairing boards - they can be hit or miss. If you're looking for a high wire act, this is where you'll find it. Burrata and gin? Lamb neck and rye? Sweetbreads and calvados? The last one we tried over the summer and it was discordant. More recently, it was uni and sherry - yes that again, it's a theme at The Beagle. The sherry was good, a manzanilla from Manuel Cuevas, though the uni that came with it was on the meager side.
Sherry cocktails, attention to detail and barrel-aged drinks. That's a recipe for success and we'll happily occupy a stool anytime one is open. Maybe it's not the most famous place in the in town, but, somehow The Beagle stands on its own. And that's really saying something.
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