September's Where to Drink Now

We're lucky to live in a city with everything you could ever want in the way of great bars and restaurants, but the Portland cocktail scene just got a little more interesting with the opening of The Secret Society. Located in a tiny room in the upstairs of an historic ballroom, the Secret Society does make you feel like you're stumbling onto a hidden gem. "No part of the business is visible from the street," says owner Matt Johnson. "We have a recording studio, a beautiful ballroom that holds 260 people and now a swanky cocktail lounge, and the best part is that you would never know that just walking by. It's such a great surprise once you step inside and find out what's waiting at the top of the stairs."

Dark wood and cushy seating make for a cozy atmosphere, and the cocktails pay tribute to some of the best of the classics, all served in lovely vintage glasses. "I decided to approach the cocktails with more of a revivalist or preservationist philosophy," says Johnson. On a recent night, we sampled a classic daiquiri, a Pegu Club, a Sazerac and a Green Flash. They were all delicious, but The Green Flash was definitely a crowd-pleaser, so we thought we'd share the recipe, which Johnson says he found in Mittie Hellmich's Ultimate Bar Book and adapted with a couple of tweaks (i.e., a sugar cube instead of simple syrup).

The Green Flash
1 1/2 oz. light rum
3/4 oz. Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
1 sugar cube
Soda Water
Ice
Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: cocktail

Shake ingredients, making sure to dissolve the sugar cube. Strain into a glass and top with a splash of soda water.