Meet Chilled 100 Member Nic Nye – Portland, Oregon

Chilled 100 member Nic Nye began his bartending journey working the door at a little Irish pub in Milwaukee Wisconsin.

His journey led him through all types of bars, fast cash, late nights, nothing career-worthy. It wasn’t until a few years later when, according to Nye, “We were just getting past the whole “Martini” craze in the Midwest,” that he found himself with an opportunity to work at a beautiful four-diamond hotel. “It was there that I met the people that started to truly inspire my craving for flavor,” recalls Nye.

“After that I read books. I hung out with chefs. I pestered the Bittercube guys to no end. I tried to taste everything. It was to become the thing that would bring me pleasure and financial stability.”
– Nic Nye, Chilled 100 Member – Portland, Oregon

Chilled 100 Member Nic Nye – Portland, OR

Since then, for Nye the experiences he gains as am explorer of the world of cocktails range from walking through Hawaiian cane fields or watching a unique glass bottle being blown by a local artist to meeting people from all over the country that share his passion with me and experiencing the cocktail culture in their cities.

Currently behind a beautiful copper bar at The KnockBack bar in Portland Oregon, Nye jokes, “In all my years of bartending, this spot is as close to Cheers as I’ve ever found. Not in appearance, but in style. A good solid set of five-day a week regulars. We listen to good music and talk about life,” he continues. “Jokes are plentiful and usually pretty bad, but it’s by far one of my favorite spots in PDX. I fell in love with it when I moved to Portland and was honored to take the helm when Jesse Card moved on to open his own spot. If you stop by make sure to order a Shifty and a TKB fried chicken slider.”

Give Nic’s signature cocktail, the 9 Lb. Hammer, a mix.

9lb Hammer

9 lb. Hammer

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Old Forrester Signature 100pf
• 1/2 oz. Cynar70
• 1/4 oz. Park Cognac VS
• 1/4 oz. Fernet Vallet
• 1/4 oz. Demerara Syrup (2:1)
• 2 dashes Bittercube Corazon Bitters
• 2 dashes Bittercube Jamaica #1 Bitters

Preparation: Stir ingredients in a mixing vessel until chilled. Rinse Old Fashioned glass in chartreuse and dump the excess. Pour over a 2″ cube and garnish with a long orange peel.