Cocktail For A Cause

In September 2015, the Pickled Fish bar manager Matt Lessnau (now Head Distiller at Adrift Distillers) was also working as a city council member for the Parks and Rec department for Ilwaco. He wanted to find a way to raise money for a new play structure they were building, and suggested creating a cocktail special, with 50% of the sale going to help fund the new play structure.

The first cocktail was incredibly popular, and raised $2,145 for the new play structure! This success was the birth of the Cocktail For A Cause program. Every month we select a cause, dream up a new cocktail, and offer the drink at our fine drinking establishments all month long.

Get your hands on one of these expertly crafted cocktails and feel great about supporting some really excellent local causes. Come and see us at The Knot Bar at Bowline Hotel, Pickled Fish restaurant atop Adrift Hotel, and Shelburne Pub at Shelburne Hotel to try the current Cocktail for a Cause. Cheers!

Bourbon Renewal

The first cocktail we offered as a Cocktail for a Cause was taken from a modern classic by Jeffrey Morgenthaler, the Bourbon Renewal:
2 oz bourbon
1 oz fresh lemon juice
0.5 oz creme de cassis
0.5 oz simple syrup
1 dash Angostura bitter

Over the years, through the Cocktail for a Cause program, we’ve supported over 50 different local charities – from Astoria food banks to our local ACLU chapter, to projects tackling youth homelessness on the peninsula – and raised over $100,000 and counting!

Our Most Recent #CocktailforaCause

April 2024  – April Showers
CFAC – gin. blanco vermouth. aperol. grapefruit. lime. simple. edible flower.

N/A CFAC – grapefruit. blutul n/a blanc vermouth. wilfred’s apertivo. simple. edible flower.
Cause: Astoria Community Foundation

March 2023 – Fixer Upper
tequila. grapefruit. lime. hot honey simple. tajin rim. mezcal spritz. (n/a omits tequila + mezcal)
Cause: Rebuilding Together Pacific County Washington

February 2024 – Centre Stage
gin . chai simple . lime . ginger beer . soda water . absinthe spritz. star anise . orange peel . (n/a omits gin + absinthe spritz)
Cause: Liberty Theatre