During the first week of September, Ken’s Artisan Pizza launched a new Italian cocktail program at this neighborhood stalwart of high quality pizzas in a family friendly and date worthy den of among the top 5 doughs in Portland. Ken’s Artisan Pizza also celebrated it’s 10 year anniversary since opening in 2006, and just like then, there are still lines now for that legendary perfect balance of crispy but chewy, simple but full of flavor toppings that compliment and never overwhelm in ratio to dough, sauce, and cheese. They know their pizzas, and until now, they’ve been paired with beers and wines. Now at 10, it seems Ken’s is ready for a little hard liquor. Here’s a closer look at the new Ken’s Artisan Pizza Cocktails Menu.

The tables and bar inside were crafted from old growth Douglas fir that was once part of The Big Dipper roller coaster at Jantzen Beach (1923-1970). You can see photos of it in the back by the restrooms! 

When I say a little hard liquor, I mean that literally- the bar program at Ken’s is very curated and limited in order to keep everyone satisfied with service pace, which is smart and conscientious of them. There are 6 cocktails as part of cocktail offerings and half of them are takes on a Negroni. These are what I enjoyed on my visit, but I expect there will be some rotation of some of the beverages for the season. They were priced from $7-$10.

For something light and refreshing, there’s the Aperol Spritz with Aperol, Sparkling Wine, and orange wheel.

Their Negroni with Aria Gin, Cocchi Torino, Campari, and orange skin is the ultimate classic sipper but is perfect to balance out the richness of cheesy pizza.

An interesting twist on the classic Negroni is their White Negroni with Aria Gin, Suze Bitter, Dolin Blanc, and lemon skin, offering a slightly more brighter acidicity of citrus then the slight bitterness with citrus you get with orange skin.

Negorni Sbagliato with Meletti 1870 bitter, Cinzano Sweet, Sparkling Wine, and orange wheel is the final Negroni variation that adds extra effervescene and celebration with that sparkling wine, here pictured with a slice of Cherry Tomato Pancetta Bomb with chopped garlic, mozzarella di bufula, and pecorino romano and the other with a whole pie of the Summer Pesto Pizza with zucchini, cherry tomatoes, hazelnut pesto, mozzarella, pecorino romano

I didn’t catch a photo of it (the distraction of good eats, drinks, and company alas), but there’s also a classic Americano with Carpano Antica, soda water, and orange slice as an option.

As for me, I’m at heart a whiskey girl (whether it’s barrel aged in whiskey barrels beer, neat, or in a cocktail), so my favorite of the six was Ken’s Old Fashioned with Evan Williams, Ramazotti Amaro, demerara sugar, Angostura bitters, and orange skin. I loved it with my favorite pizza of Ken’s, the very seasonal while the corn is sweet Fresh Corn Pizza with corn, mozzarella, ricota salata, smoked pickled jalapenos, scallions. The hint of smokiness with the heat of those jalapenos with this cocktail are damn perfect.

Let me finish with just some evidence of why if you haven’t been to Ken’s yet, you should. Yes, there’s a line (more reasonable if you come earlier so you can be in the first seating when they open – that’s what I do). If you’re not into cocktails don’t forget Ken’s still continues to offer 4 beers on tap, and a 100-bottle wine list with a selection of local Pacific Northwest as well as French, Italian and Spanish wines, with 15 – 20 options by the glass available.

Most importantly, here are examples of the 12 inch thin crust perfections you will be able to enjoy… these are usually around the $13-$18 dollar range, with the meat heavy ones being the more pricey and most hovering around $15. The Summer Pesto and Corn are example seasonals that rotate and were on the menu when I visited in early September.

Pomodoro Royale with tomato sauce, basil, evoo, Pecorino Romano, enjoyed here with the Aperol Spritz (with Aperol, Sparkling Wine, orange wheel) as I liked how the sparkling lightness went with the simplicity of this pizza

Margherita with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil

Cherry Tomato Pancetta Bomb pizza with chopped garlic, mozzarella di bufula, and pecorino romano

Summer Pesto Pizza with zucchini, cherry tomatoes, hazelnut pesto, mozzarella, pecorino romano

The Beautiful Pig with local pork beef salami made with chianti, tomato sauce, basil, and mozzarella

As stated earlier, IMHO the genius combination of sweet and spicy with corn and smoked pickled jalapeno is the all star win of all the pies for me.

Confession! I will admit one thing- I’ve never had dessert at Ken’s, and the only appetizer has been their wood roasted vegetables. Instead, I always over order pizza because I can always take it home, and then I go down 2 blocks to Cheese & Crack for some soft serve. But you can see why I’d focus on pizzas over everything on the menu, wouldn’t you?

What about you? What is your stalwart pizza place? Have you been to Ken’s Artisan Pizza? Which of these pizzas and/or cocktails sounds right up your alley?

Disclosure: I attended a complimentary media dinner where I was able to share and sample all of the beverages and pizzas shown, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. I was already a fan of Ken’s Artisan Pizza before this meal and continue to be so – this opportunity just gave me a chance to try more than I would normally be able to order, although I’d certainly want to order all of these! The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.