URBAN RIVER SPIRITS

Michelle Garner owns Urban River Spirits (Map It), located in downtown Forest Grove, with her wife Jackie. Their shop, which was born from Michelle’s love of entertaining, sells handcrafted, fruity mixers that can be used to make mocktails or cocktails.

One year during the family’s Easter celebration, Michelle was asked to bring stuff to make cocktails, and she decided to try something new and made her first mixer.

“Everybody was able to make their own cocktails, however they liked it, and I got to enjoy the festivities. So it’s kind of a win-win, and that’s how the idea was born.”

Michelle has a background in operations, but she also wanted to do something that would also allow her to be creative. And her creativity has allowed for the creation of some flavors that are unique to Urban Spirits, such as the “Spicy Cool-Aid,” a jalapeno and watermelon mixer, or the “Caramel. Bourbon and Banana.”

All of Urban River Spirit’s bottled syrups are made and bottled on-site, with fruit from local farms and farmers markets, and there is already a plan to expand the line to include ready-to-drink canned mocktails and infused simple syrups.

When it comes to using the mixers, Michelle has some tips. “The mixers are meant to be a full-fledged mixer. You can just mix it with alcohol or sparkling water, or you can add some bitters to it. [The mixers] really allow people to be creative.”

As with many small businesses in Tualatin Valley, Urban River Spirits got its start at the local farmers market.