Boston’s creative bartenders are shattering expectations when it comes to glassware, presenting potables in everything from gardening gear to vintage treasures. Here are some cocktails that are as eye-catching as they are delicious.
Star-crossed lovers can get carried away at Area Four Boston, where bar manager Dan Lynch and Co. serve up the Romeo and Juliet-inspired Any Other Name. The floral gin martini made its way onto the menu a couple of months before the bar team spotted an old-school suitcase nestled among the vintage televisions that decorate the pizza joint. Repurposing it as an “elaborate tray,” they decided to make the cocktail a double, presenting the concoction of gin, vermouth, rose liqueur, absinthe and orange bitters in a pitcher on ice with scattered flower petals. “Large-format drinks are weirdly the small plate of the beverage world in that they engender sharing and communal dining,” Lynch says. And in that spirit, additional tipples for two or more are on the way, from draft cocktails in vintage pitchers to garnished drinks in antique chip-and-dip sets.
$24 at Area Four Boston, 264 E. Berkeley St., Boston (857-317-4805) areafour.com
Breaking the Glass
By Sarah Hagman & Meghan Kavanaugh | Photo Credit: Holly Rike | April 7, 2017
Boston’s creative bartenders are shattering expectations when it comes to glassware, presenting potables in everything from gardening gear to vintage treasures. Here are some cocktails that are as eye-catching as they are delicious.
Any Other Name at Area Four Boston
Star-crossed lovers can get carried away at Area Four Boston, where bar manager Dan Lynch and Co. serve up the Romeo and Juliet-inspired Any Other Name. The floral gin martini made its way onto the menu a couple of months before the bar team spotted an old-school suitcase nestled among the vintage televisions that decorate the pizza joint. Repurposing it as an “elaborate tray,” they decided to make the cocktail a double, presenting the concoction of gin, vermouth, rose liqueur, absinthe and orange bitters in a pitcher on ice with scattered flower petals. “Large-format drinks are weirdly the small plate of the beverage world in that they engender sharing and communal dining,” Lynch says. And in that spirit, additional tipples for two or more are on the way, from draft cocktails in vintage pitchers to garnished drinks in antique chip-and-dip sets.
$24 at Area Four Boston, 264 E. Berkeley St., Boston (857-317-4805) areafour.com
By Sarah Hagman & Meghan Kavanaugh | Photo Credit: Holly Rike
The Middlebury Inn at Wink & Nod
When the Wink & Nod bar team took a trip to the WhistlePig distillery in Vermont last fall, the weather may have been too warm for curling up in front of a roaring fire, but that cozy feeling still found its way onto the bar’s luxe Black Card cocktail menu. The Middlebury Inn, named for the place where the staff stayed, is a take on a Manhattan made with WhistlePig 15-year rye, Carpano Antica and house-smoked bitters that’s served in an airtight box filled with smoke. “The smoke box is meant to simulate the idea of drinking this cocktail next to a log-burning fireplace,” says Boston Nightlife Ventures beverage director Mike Boughton. “The guest opens the box, releasing the smoke, and pulls out the cocktail.” Boughton assures us that the drink isn’t all smoke and mirrors: “The cocktail is a perfect balance of spice, sweet, bitter,” and, perhaps surprisingly, “just a touch of smoke.”
$50 at Wink & Nod, 3 Appleton St., Boston (617-482-0117) winkandnod.com
By Sarah Hagman & Meghan Kavanaugh | Photo Credit: Holly Rike
The Banana Smuggler at Tiger Mama
When it comes to Tiger Mama’s elaborate cocktail presentations—from beverages in takeout containers to conch shells stuffed with inverted beers—the bar team at the Southeast Asian eatery isn’t just showboating. “Making them as tasty as they are good-looking becomes a very welcome challenge,” says beverage director Moe Isaza, who notes that when this hand-carved outrigger canoe first arrived at Tiger Mama, “the vessel really became the inspiration for the beverage.” Isaza was floating a blue-colored drink initially, but he ultimately landed on the Banana Smuggler, which he describes as having “layers and layers of flavors” thanks to an aged Venezuelan rum, smoky scotch, crème de cacao, pineapple juice and a house cinnamon orange coconut cream that lends a dreamy texture while balancing out the booze. Be sure to grab two or three mates so you don’t go overboard.
$70 at Tiger Mama, 1363 Boylston St., Boston (617-425-6262) tigermamaboston.com
By Sarah Hagman & Meghan Kavanaugh | Photo Credit: Holly Rike
Alligator Wine at Buttermilk & Bourbon
Talk about a tempest in a teapot—Buttermilk & Bourbon’s Alligator Wine cocktail features a tea service presentation complete with liquid nitrogen for a quick chill and a lasting wow factor. “It creates a very dramatic effect of a steaming pot of hot tea,” says general manager Colleen Hagerty, noting that the idea to serve booze out of a teapot was a nod to afterhours “cold tea” service in Boston. But the handpainted teapots and cups adorned with skulls and “poison” are inspired by New Orleans’ voodoo culture, and the off-menu concoction for two or more is available exclusively in the blacklight-adorned Voodoo Lounge. Named for a song by blues singer Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, the cocktail features Woodford Reserve rye, a housemade pomegranate syrup and fresh orange and lime juices. “It’s a fruity, refreshing drink [whose] sweetness is balanced by the spicy robustness of the rye whiskey,” Hagerty says. Pinkies up!
$40 at Buttermilk & Bourbon, 160 Comm. Ave., Boston (617-266-1122) buttermilkbourbon.com
By Sarah Hagman & Meghan Kavanaugh | Photo Credit: Holly Rike
Morning Star at RUKA
A booklet-length menu details some of the diverse sources of inspiration beverage director Will Thompson dug into while dreaming up RUKA’s cocktail program, which include Peru’s punk-rock scene, an obituary in a British newspaper and Incan mythology. The last lent the name to the Morning Star, delivered to guests in a flowerpot. “I really enjoy the reaction of after-work drinkers who order it without taking in any of the information about the drink besides the presence of Japanese whisky,” Thompson says. “They tend to get surprised and occasionally a little embarrassed when they see it arrive.” But doubts usually dissipate once they taste the savory cocktail, which features sherry, vermouth, a dry Mexican apple soda and produce native to Peru, like beets and carrots, though Thompson expects those ingredients will change in warmer weather. “They always end up loving it and getting several more. It’s not a drink I ever expected to be a top-seller, but there’s a growing number of regulars who are ordering it over and over.”
$18 at RUKA, 505 Washington St., Boston (617-266-0102) rukarestobar.com
By Sarah Hagman & Meghan Kavanaugh | Photo Credit: Holly Rike
Hit Me with Your Best Shot at Committee
Sharing is caring at Committee, where the menu boasts dozens of mezes and plates of grilled meats for two. That mindset also extends to the bar program, given that guests can order the Hit Me with Your Best Shot, a cocktail served in a vintage rotating drink dispenser that can fill up to 20 shots—depending on how heavy-handed imbibers are at the pump. General manager Tasha Breshinsky remembers one night when the drink’s appeal bridged generations: “We had a family sit down for dinner. The grandchildren had ordered, and the grandparents were taken aback as they remembered having the same one on their bar cart at home in the ’50s.” As for the shot itself, guests pick the spirit and the rest is bartender’s choice, but allow us to recommend this concoction: a serrano pepper-infused vodka shot made with lime, pineapple, Aperol and angostura for a taste that’s both sweet and spicy.
$88 at Committee, 50 Northern Ave., Boston (617-737-5051) committeeboston.com
View All Events
Related Articles
License to Chill
Relax around the clock with these CBD-infused sips...
Bean There, Done That
These new spots offer a little something extra with their coffee...
Wine for the People!
We're thirsty for the stuff—without the stuffiness...
Most-Read Stories of 2018
Here's a look back at some of our top reads from 2018...
A Final Bow
If you’ve ever had a Hoodsie Sundae Cup...
Tigers Love Pepper, They Hate Cinnamon
Artisan Approach
Building Something New in Allston...
Comfort, Enjoy
A stalwart expands to a neighborhood in transition...