Bend Distillery Martini Bar & Mazama Bistro

We tried to go here on 8÷31÷2010, but discovered it was gone. Bendistillery should update its website.

Affectionately known by locals as «The Martini Bar», it is located in the breezeway between Wall St and the parkfront. There is a second location at the Old Mill which I understand is larger and has a nice balcony view, but I am so satisfied with this one that it is like a well worn shoe I refuse to take off. Once upon a time in the BOOM days it was one of the places which symbolized the temporary, Southern California style cultural domination of fake breasts and bleach blonde hair and vapid, empty personalities, and I am told that at the right time of night on a Friday or Saturday, it can still host such types in abundance. I am thrilled, however, that on my last several visits, this was not the case, as there was a mélange of average Joes and business types all sharing the same space. The drinks are amazing, and happy hour is a great deal. I avoided the place for years due to the vacant sort of clientele they served, and am now making up for lost time as Bend has returned to some sort of normalcy. Food is nothing special, just higher quality bar fare, but the atmosphere is good, the beverages are top notch, and the service is usually quite good as well (the tall, blonde woman that often serves us is among the best servers in town– hire her if you are opening a place here). Though it is not technically a restaurant, it is one of my favorite places to go. Tip one, two, or three back for me. They also sell their own Gin and Vodka in bottles, very high quality stuff, made right here in Bend.

LOVE the infusions! HATE the music. This is an excellent place for a group gathering if you can get a table in the back. If you are trying to talk one-​on-​one, the music is usually too loud. Summertime sitting outside is awesome for people watching and letting the fruit and vodka infusion cool you down. When the infusions aren’t flowing, I always recommend the Fruit Basket.

I was surprised to find a place like this in Bend. Pretty good martini bar atmosphere, DJs spinning a couple nights a week, and yummy martinis and drinks highlighting Crater Lake Vodka and infused fruit juices.
The service was great. I was eyeing the St. Patty’s Day green track jacket and decided I wanted to buy it. The waitress only had one left, an XL, and I looked like I was about to give birth when I put it on. She offered to run down to the shop they order them from the next day and pick me up the size I needed if I wanted to stop back tomorrow. Unfortunately, my trip ended early the next a.m., so I did not get my bright green track jacket. But I left impressed by the great customer service and a belly full of blackberry infused gin.

A large group of us gals congregated to meet up here, we were quite a large group of coming and going and the service was good. Their infused drinks are quite good, I just wish they actually had alcohol in them.
Good atmosphere, good service. I have had good snacks here too.

Wow the drink list is impressive! We also had dinner here and boy was everything really good. We had some sweet potato fries man good good good! Dinner was surprisingly better then I would have expected. They had a ginger martini that was a big hit at our table.
worth trying out and having a drink or two:) great ambiance and service.

I love this place. Seriously. Love.
The watermelon mojitos are delicious, the infusions divine, and the martinis are scrumptious. However, my favorite drink on their menu is a sparkling sangria with plenty of champagne. These drinks are so fabulous that I made the mistake one night of sucking down 5 of them. I don’t exactly remember the car ride home that night. ;)
The martini bar has a nice outdoor patio that’s perfect for people watching – especially on a Thursday summer evening when Munch N Music is going on at Drake Park. So sit back, enjoy a delectable cocktail, take in some local music, and soak in the downtown vibe. This place feels like home.

The blackberry cheesecake martini was amazing! The environment is neat being that it is in the middle of the Old Mill district. 4 stars for the prices being a bit high!

I like me a tasty cocktail, and the Martini Bar whips up a good one!
The menu is varied, and changes seasonally. There are many standards, including the fresh, infused lemon drops. Ladled out of a large glass jug, shaken with ice, and served in a sugar-​rimmed glass… these hit the spot after a long day (or night out). Another favorite is the Crater Lake Sunrise.
If you just can’t make up your mind, the friendly bartenders can help with extra info about the drinks.
The spirits are distilled locally, but not on the premises. You can purchase a bottle to take home if you liked what you tasted. I highly recommend a the hazelnut espresso vodka!
If only they served more than one kind of crummy beer — usually MacTarnahan’s or the like! (Not for me, for my boyfriend who doesn’t drink cocktails!) Then I would get to go there more often and would be able to give them five stars.

This place, and its staff, have zero character. The cocktail menu sounded intriguing but it’s a space with no design or character.

I love martinis, which means I’m almost guaranteed to hate anything that calls itself a martini bar. And if you’ve been paying attention, you already know why: these places almost always feature lousy music, an obnoxious, high-​rent crowd, and a 20-​page menu of «martinis,» all of which are really just syrup and vodka in a cocktail glass.
But during a visit to the Bend area for a wedding last summer, my beau and I decided we had to check this place out. Because, for one thing, it’s a gin distillery, and I love me a good glass of gin. (Actually, I love me a bad glass of gin, too, but that’s another story.) In fact, I attribute my interest in gin — at least in part — to the fact that I grew up in the high desert myself, and the smell of juniper makes me wax nostalgic. This place is situated right in the heart of downtown Bend, attracts just the kind of trendy, moneyed crowd I was just ranting about, and the lighting and music are both evocative of trendy west-​side-​of-​Portland establishments I hate, the folks behind the counter know what they’re doing. We shared two dry martinis — one with the distillery’s Cascade gin and one with the High Desert Juniper gin. The former was pretty decent, but a bit strong and medicinal for my tastes; the latter has a wonderful, almost smoky taste, like the desert itself. And the service was top freaking notch.
The gins are well worth checking out if you can find them, and the distillery is well worth checking out if you’re in the area.