Drinking Buddies
Food and cocktail pairings in boozehound heaven
Photos by Emily Knudsen
Restricting cocktails to pre- and post-dinner is now a tired tradition, thanks to the surge in restaurants and bars that value what’s in your glass as much as what’s on your plate. But finding the perfect pairing poses a big challenge: Mixed drinks typically have more aggressive flavors than wine or beer. We’ve searched the city for the ultimate complementary sips and nibbles and divided them by liquor. After all, one man’s Aviation could be another’s downfall.
Area Four
500 Technology Square, Cambridge
617-758-4444
areafour.com
Chicken wings are an enduring bar snack, but Area Four swaps Buffalo-sludged drumsticks for bites bursting with umami flavor thanks to a marinade of soy, ginger and bourbon ($9). Red pepper flakes give them enough spice to stand up to the Tampopo ($11), bar manager Chris Graeff’s East-meets-West mix of classic American bourbon with ginger syrup and Amaro. “A lot of the same flavors can be found in both,” he says.
Posto
187 Elm St., Somerville
617-625-0600
pizzeriaposto.com
“I started playing around with the recipe for an Old Fashioned,” says Posto bar manager Anthony Valera. “And then I had this idea for a drink that would work really well in the colder months.” The result is the Old Man Winter ($10.95), a blend of Redemption Rye, crushed orange, ginger beer, rhubarb bitters and granulated sugar. “It’s the kind of drink you can have anytime, so many people order it with our pastas.” Try it with the meaty Bolognese ($19.95; $13.95, half order).
Sweet Cheeks
1381 Boylston St., Boston
617-266-1300
sweetcheeksq.com
Patrons are often surprised to see that Sweet Cheeks swaps classic barware for Mason jars, but general manager/cocktail impresario Ian Grossman thinks it adds to the down-home feel of chef Tiffani Faison’s Fenway barbecue joint. “Glassware certainly has an impact on the flavor of what you’re drinking,” he says. “But I was conscious of that when I created our list.” His theory is most evident in The Damn Yankee ($10), a blend of W.L. Weller bourbon, maple liqueur and bitters that makes for a sturdy and slightly sweet libation. Also available in a Mason jar: a luxurious spin on butterscotch pudding ($6) that’s creamy enough to erase any instant Jell-O memories from the mind.
The Hawthorne
500A Comm. Ave., Boston
617-532-9150
thehawthornebar.com
The casual, inviting vibe of Jackson Cannon’s Fenway lounge belies the seriousness given to the art of the cocktail. In the Tuxedo ($12), he blends gin with sherry and orange bitters—an ideal gateway to classic tipples for those who typically rely on tonic. Cannon recommends trying it with Reuben toast ($12), bite-sized open-face sandwiches that pile a lot of flavor onto house-made bread. “Together they’re very balanced. You need something to stand up to the bolder flavors of the toasts.”
Cognac Bistro
455 Harvard St., Brookline
617-232-5800
Cognacbistro.com
“People are definitely lingering on the cocktail list a little longer,” says chef Nelson Cognac. While many diners naturally opt from the 19 Cognacs on offer, bar manager Michael Costa’s evolving lineup features creative takes on mainstays, like the Carthusian Gimlet ($11), a Chartreuse-spiked, bright and herbal spin on the classic. When paired with the sautéed duck breast ($24), the beverage’s subtle lime undertones explode on the palate and slice through the sweetness of the dish’s braised red cabbage.
Blue Inc.
131 Broad St., Boston
617-261-5353
blueincboston.com
Bar manager Trish LaCount’s drink list at Blue Inc. flaunts a lot of high-tech ingredients and surprising combinations, but the popular Memoirs of a Cocktail ($12) reveals her softer, simpler side. “It’s my spin on a French 75,” she says of the fluted delight. “It’s just so smooth, and you don’t feel like you’re necessarily drinking.” It mixes Farmer’s Botanical Small Batch Organic Gin with Champagne and simple syrup infused with lemongrass, Thai basil and lavender. “I love it with the peach clafoutis ($9) because they’re both so airy.”
Red Lantern
39 Stanhope St., Boston
617-262-3900
redlanternboston.com
Egg rolls are an Asian restaurant’s greasy cliché, but at Red Lantern, executive chef Kevin Long serves crispy cylinders packed with duck, cabbage and carrots ($12). “The trick is to control the moisture of the filling. Most people don’t know how to work with the wrappers, and if you don’t prepare them properly they’ll be gummy.” Wash them down with bar and beverage director Joseph O’Connor’s Grass-Fed Mule ($11). Served in a tiki glass, it blends the bold flavors of lemongrass-infused vodka and ginger beer.
East by Northeast
1128 Cambridge St., Cambridge
617-876-0286
exnecambridge.com
“We’ve infused vodka with rooibos tea for a couple of different cocktails, but this one really works,” says East by Northeast general manager Blayne Daley. “It’s more of a citrus tea, so it’s best to keep in that theme.” To that end, this season’s iteration uses apple cider and orange to complement a creamy vanilla kick that the vodka pulls from the tea ($9). Paired with sweet and sour pork meatballs piled into house-made mantou bread ($8), the cocktail cuts the astringency of the sauce. Sugary sips are mellowed by the briny crunch of the accompanying pickled vegetables.
Harvest
44 Brattle St., Cambridge
617-868-2255
harvestcambridge.com
Pastry chef Brian Mercury’s love for local ingredients is a natural fit at Harvest, where farm-to-table has always been the mind-set. For his flourless chocolate cake ($11), Mercury uses Somerville’s Taza chocolate to form a fudgy slab. Topped with peanut butter mousse, peanut brittle and marshallows, it’s the ultimate candy bar. “These flavors aren’t crazy, they’re what you want with chocolate,” he says. The Nespresso martini ($12) incorporates Rhode Island’s Autocrat Coffee Syrup to give the vodka and Baileys combo a milkshake quality.
Backbar
9 Sanborn Court, Somerville
617-718-0249
backbarunion.com
Despite being served in a soda glass and being named the Smoke ’n’ Coke ($11), Sam Treadway’s version of the frat-house standard doesn’t actually contain cola. It gets its fizz from New England’s Moxie soda. “Our chef introduced me to it, and I’ve used it ever since,” says Treadway. He dreamed up the drink at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans before creating it in the Legacy Cocktail Showcase at the House of Blues this November. It took top honors, and now the drink, a mix of Bacardi Oakheart, Moxie and smoked ice, sits pretty on Backbar’s menu. The salty kick of the charcuterie plate ($7, per item; or $15, for sampler) is a perfect match. “There really isn’t a better bar snack.”
Trade
540 Atlantic Ave., Boston
617-451-1234
trade-boston.com
“I think rum is definitely the next thing for bar-goers,” says Sean Griffing, co-owner of Trade. He’s chosen to showcase the spirit in the Kingston Negroni ($10), a twist on the classic cocktail menu staple. “No one ever gets tired of a Negroni,” he adds. This one subs Jamaican rum for gin to deliver a sugary finish. The bold flavors stand up to dishes with heavy spices, like the lamb sausage flatbread ($15). “A sweeter drink just wouldn’t work.”
Mooo
15 Beacon St., Boston
617-670-2515
mooorestaurant.com
Bananas Foster is a classic steakhouse dessert, but it usually devolves into mushy nubs of fruit. At Mooo, three brûléed banana halves ($12), accompanied by ice cream and sponge cake, are served with a buttery, banana-chunked rum sauce. A natural match is the Melbach ($15), bar manager Melissa Cone’s reimagining of a Seelbach. Instead of the usual bourbon, aged Guatemalan rum adds depth to the Champagne and bitters.
