Imperial Celebrates Russian Sun Festival With Pop-Up Blini and Vodka Bar at Portland Penny Diner, Fri., Feb. 28
Blinis (Russian pancakes) are always part of the Russian Sun Festival, and on Friday, February 28, Imperial will celebrate by bringing a blini and vodka pop-up bar ($15) to Portland Penny Diner from 5:30 - 8:30 PM.
You’ll have your choice between traditional and non-traditional toppings for your pancakes: Steelhead caviar, Steelhead pastrami, sour pickles, fire roasted and marinated mushrooms and pickled herring. Other zakuskis, or Russian drinking snacks, such as smoked mackerel salad. Also, Chef Vitaly Paley is serving his grandmother’s fish under carrot marinade and beet pkhali.
Bar Manager Brandon Wise has created a range of Russian cocktails and infusions for the blini pop-up bar, which includes $6 infused vodkas and $7 cocktails.
Cocktail infusions include: Apple and Ginger Vodka, Beet and Carraway Vodka, Honeyed Pear and Spicy Pepper Vodka, and Black Truffle Vodka.
In addition to the infusions there will be other speciality cocktails made by barman Wise. Two of them are Iron Curtain, vodka, Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth, green chartreuse, mole bitters and spicy pepper tincture; and Red Gazette, brandy, cherry herring, Amaro St. Maria, lemon juice, mulled Pinot Noir syrup and bergamot black tea.
Along with the pop-up at Portland Penny Diner, Imperial is continuing its Russian Sun Festival celebrations, Maslenitsa, and the end of the winter Olympics in Sochi with a four-course Russian dinner on March 2.
