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Art of Hot
Pairs with: Whiskey Red Bull
Plays at: The Rose, 111 SW Ash St., therosepdx.com.
At acid-house and techno raves in the '90s, drug-dampening alcohol was replaced by smart drinks, whose nootropic ingredients were variously banned or caffeinated until only Red Bull remained. The Flight DJ night, Art of Hot's throwback to those very raves, has touched down at the Rose. It's not perfect, but raise a Red Bull and, if you must, whiskey to the Full Moon parties of yore.
Booty Bassment
Pairs with: Ginger Rogers
Plays: First Saturdays at Holocene.
A night dedicated to getting fucked up on the 1995 Compton-Brooklyn express begs for Seagram's and Minute Maid in your cup holder. But there's a metacultural element to Maxx Bass, Nathan Detroit and Ryan & Dimitri's Booty Bassment, though it is one of the wildest parties in town. Go for the house Ginger Rogers. As the juniper, ginger and mint battle over your mouth, listen to your favorite songs…again!
Strategy
Pairs with: Red Stripe lager
Plays: Second Thursdays at Moloko.
Every second Thursday, longtime Portland producer Strategy looks south by times past, spinning an all-vinyl set of crate-excavated dancehall and dub. Sure, you could have one of Moloko's well-crafted vodka cocktails. To really get in the spirit of things, though, go with a Jamaican classic: Red Stripe.
Stay at Home Mob
Pairs with: Long Island iced kombucha
Plays: Monthly at Valentines.
I could say that the many styles played by Quincy and Teen LaQueefa—from trap to house to pop—warrant a drink as cosmopolitan as its DJs. But a Long Island made with Bloom kombucha is not on the menu—you might have to ask twice—and its goal is decidedly unrefined: To maximize alcohol intake while minimizing reliance on the single, never-vacant restroom.
Perforce: DJs Musique Plastique and Sharpie
Pairs with: Kraken rum
Plays: Third Fridays at the Lovecraft.
During Perforce, a darkwave monthly show hosted by DJs Musique Plastique and Sharpie, the goth vibe is in full effect. Let's consult Lovecraft himself for a pairing, then, whose narrator in "The Tomb" sings a drinking song "in liquorish accents." The only booze referenced in the song is ale. Looking around, I guess he meant PBR, but Kraken rum is the best bet.
WWeek 2015