While running in the Boston Marathon is a formidable challenge for sure, marathon drinking in this city is a grueling, year-round sport. Its distinguished participants barrel their way through boozy brunches and daylong bar crawls with no particular finish line in sight. But just as no athlete should run 26 straight miles on a stomach full of whole milk and hot dogs, dry martinis aren’t the ideal fuel for extended imbibing. Here are five local, low-proof cocktails that you can enjoy—responsibly—all spring long.
The current Tiki craze is reviving a few knockout rum drinks, and some drinkers are getting knocked out in the process. Eastern Standard’s Kevin Morrison provides a more sustainable alternative with Her Majesty, a tall, swizzled Amontillado sherry cocktail with just a splash of rum for body, muddled mint, fresh lime and a float of aromatic bitters over crushed ice. It’s a tart, light-bodied twist on the Queen’s Park Swizzle, a 1920s cane spirit concoction from Trinidad. “I’ve always held that drink close to my heart,” Morrison says. “As a hotel bar, we start serving very early in the morning, so we try to create drinks here that can suit any time of day. I love using sherry in this one.”
$12 at Eastern Standard, 528 Comm. Ave., Boston (617-532-9100) easternstandardboston.com
Pace Yourself
In Boston on the third Monday of April, there are marathon runners, and there are marathon drinkers.
By Jesse Schwartz | Photo Credit: Dave Bradley; Styled: Sheila Jarnes / Ennis Inc. | April 7, 2017
While running in the Boston Marathon is a formidable challenge for sure, marathon drinking in this city is a grueling, year-round sport. Its distinguished participants barrel their way through boozy brunches and daylong bar crawls with no particular finish line in sight. But just as no athlete should run 26 straight miles on a stomach full of whole milk and hot dogs, dry martinis aren’t the ideal fuel for extended imbibing. Here are five local, low-proof cocktails that you can enjoy—responsibly—all spring long.
Her Majesty at Eastern Standard
The current Tiki craze is reviving a few knockout rum drinks, and some drinkers are getting knocked out in the process. Eastern Standard’s Kevin Morrison provides a more sustainable alternative with Her Majesty, a tall, swizzled Amontillado sherry cocktail with just a splash of rum for body, muddled mint, fresh lime and a float of aromatic bitters over crushed ice. It’s a tart, light-bodied twist on the Queen’s Park Swizzle, a 1920s cane spirit concoction from Trinidad. “I’ve always held that drink close to my heart,” Morrison says. “As a hotel bar, we start serving very early in the morning, so we try to create drinks here that can suit any time of day. I love using sherry in this one.”
$12 at Eastern Standard, 528 Comm. Ave., Boston (617-532-9100) easternstandardboston.com
By Jesse Schwartz | Photo Credit: Dave Bradley; Styled: Sheila Jarnes / Ennis Inc.
The Borderline at Little Donkey
Nothing says day-drinking quite like an Aperol spritz. Colin Mason of Little Donkey has made this sunny, bittersweet classic even brighter with the Borderline, a breezy mixture of Aperol, sparkling wine, grapefruit liqueur and a touch of the kitchen’s own pickle brine. “When I visited Italy, they would put an olive on top of the Aperol spritz, and I loved the saltiness of the olive paired with the drink,” Mason says. “I decided to come back and put a little pickle juice in it.” The result is a cocktail that refreshes your very soul, then makes your mouth water for more. We recommend having more.
$12 at Little Donkey, 505 Mass. Ave., Cambridge (617-945-1008) littledonkeybos.com
By Jesse Schwartz | Photo Credit: Dave Bradley; Styled: Sheila Jarnes / Ennis Inc.
Spring for Giuseppe at Backbar
Some folks greet spring with a gin and tonic on the patio—fair enough. Josh Cross of Backbar celebrates the season more subtly with Spring for Giuseppe. It’s a riff on the Little Giuseppe, a low-proof Boston original that balances the Italian amaro Cynar with vermouth, salt and lemon. Cross lightens the formula with clear and herbaceous ingredients: dry vermouth, absinthe, Galliano and gentian liqueurs. He keeps the salt but swaps lemon for lime, casting sunlight on the drink’s earthiness. Like a good G&T, it’s botanical and bracing, only you won’t have to brace yourself before the next round. “Low-proof drinks let you try more than a couple things,” Cross says. “It’s a nice way to start off a night at the bar.”
$12 at Backbar, 7 Sanborn Court, Somerville (617-718-0249) backbarunion.com
By Jesse Schwartz | Photo Credit: Dave Bradley; Styled: Sheila Jarnes / Ennis Inc.
Fantastic Voyage at Waypoint
“If you can make somebody a cocktail and don’t have to worry about them having three or four, it’s nice on this side of the bar,” says Charlie Smedile of Waypoint, chef Michael Scelfo’s imaginative seafood den. His sake cocktail Fantastic Voyage keeps guests on an even keel without sacrificing the complexity of a straight-spirit sipper. He chooses junmai ginjo, an exceptionally clean, unadulterated type of sake, paired with the French gentian root liqueur Suze for some earthy bitterness. Yuzu, an aromatic Japanese citrus fruit, and Plymouth Navy Strength gin keep things bright, while Szechuan peppercorn-infused honey rounds the drink out. One sip of this magic potion, and you’ll be cured of scorpion bowls forever.
$13 at Waypoint, 1030 Mass. Ave., Cambridge (617-864-2300) waypointharvard.com
By Jesse Schwartz | Photo Credit: Dave Bradley; Styled: Sheila Jarnes / Ennis Inc.
Punim Cup at Mamaleh’s
At a Jewish deli, you’re more likely to get loaded on pastrami and knishes than tequila shots. Though Mamaleh’s Delicatessen is equipped with a full bar, co-owner and beverage director Evan Harrison focuses on light, crisp refreshers that go well with a fatty Reuben or a rich brisket sandwich. The Punim Cup is a twist on the forever crushable Pimm’s Cup, featuring Pimm’s No. 1, lemon juice and a housemade celery soda that nods to Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray, a Jewish deli staple. “We really wanted something vegetal and easygoing,” says Harrison. “We’re suited for lunch and day drinking, so you don’t want everything to be strong and stirred.”
$9 at Mamaleh’s, 1 Kendall Square, Building 300, Cambridge (617-958-3354) mamalehs.com
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