401747 Tue May 15 11:30:48 -0700 2007 16 12 Boston Area 0 2571465 There's a fair bit of discussion on this board about which places (and which bartenders) make a good cocktail, and occassionally a discussion of particular cocktails. I thought it would be worthwhile to compile in one thread a discussion of what cocktails you like and where you get them. For my sapphire rocks with lime, it really doesn't matter where I go (it's hard to screw that one up, although I've encountered many bartenders who have tried!), but if I were to be more adventurous, what would you recommend I try and where? Tue May 15 11:30:48 -0700 2007 10820 Blumie 1 2571483 My favorites are: Chocolate Martini at CF Donovans in Savin Hill, when Brian is working, Tuesday, Thursday or Sat. night Lemon Drop Martini at CF Donovans when Joanie is working, Mon-Fri days Expresso Martini at Paradiso in the North End, or for something more unusual, the Moscow Mule at the Oak Bar Tue May 15 11:35:51 -0700 2007 2571465 26213 Pegmeister 2 2571584 BTW, is that Chowhound "Joanie" at CF Donovans? Tue May 15 12:00:15 -0700 2007 2571483 11172 Bob Dobalina 3 2571618 No, although we do discuss food a lot! She also makes a delicious Rasberry Lime Rickey! Tue May 15 12:06:03 -0700 2007 2571584 26213 Pegmeister 3 2571861 I *was* just saying I think it would be fun to be a bartender. Except when the idiots show up. Tue May 15 13:11:39 -0700 2007 2571584 14253 Joanie 1 2571499 I've been impressed with every visit to Eastern Standard, but haven't been for a couple months -- their specialty cocktails have been uniformly delicious and interesting. My first visit to the bar at Green St Grill last weekend merits a repeat -- a perfect martini and very professional, friendly bartenders in a nice space. A recent Sunday evening visit to Toro yielded some excellent libations served by a real professional. Radius is also good 4 out of 5 times and average on the 5th in the bar. Even though I realize it is completely passe now, their green apple martini is unique/delicious, and I enjoy it every time I go there. The presentations in the individual carafes at The Oak Bar are excellent, but the drinks themselves are really basic (but good!). Tue May 15 11:40:23 -0700 2007 2571465 10399 rlh 1 2571515 A favorite topic of mine! Places like Eastern Standard and No 9 Park, I just let them choose the cocktails. Maybe I'll just add to this list as the summer goes on. ; ) Negroni ESK, No. 9 Park, and this weekend an excellent one by E.K. at Dante Sazerac, Half-Sinner/Half-Saint, Rye Manhattans: ESK and No 9 Park (BTW, if anyone wants to stray into the world of bitters - sit down in front of John at No 9 and he'll start you on the road of education). Mint Julep: No 9 Park Aviation: No 9 Park and ESK Speaking of ESK, we're heading there this week. A recent favorite is the Jaguar, which I first had in Feb - on the "Top 5 Cocktail" thread linked below (Milagro blanco, Green Chartreuse, Amer Picon, and orange bitters, flamed with an orange rind). Others I would recommend are: Au Provence Whiskey Smash Red Hook Margarita Pimm's Cup Periodista Jack Rose http://www.easternstandardboston.com/menus/ESmenuCocktail.html At City Bar in the Lenox I always get one of the cocktails with the infusions: In the winter, the Makers Mark bourbon infused with caramelized Turkish figs, Chinese cinnamon and vanilla bean. Or the Noche Loca - a cocktail made with tequila infused with pineapple, mango, white peppercorn mint and lime. They also have a great rum Diabolique infusion with lemon, orange, and ginger. Some of the places around town make cocktails with these infusions too (they can be bought at Brix), like another rec for ESK - their Old-Fashioned made with the infused bourbon. http://infusionique.com/ver06/diabolique_bourbon/index.php Earlier thread on Boston cocktails: Top 5 for cocktails http://www.chowhound.com/topics/372476 Tue May 15 11:44:40 -0700 2007 2571465 10271 Rubee 2 2571578 Green Street in Cambridge has an A to Z cocktail list, fresh made juices (pineapple!!), real pros behind the bar, and the prices rock. Tue May 15 11:59:28 -0700 2007 2571515 98707 lennyb 1 2571600 I can't think of the actual drink, but the B-Side cocktails are always top notch - there's the one I think called a honeybee? with Jameson's and lemon and honey - sounds like it could be cough syrup but I find it to be sublime. I had an orange mojito courtesy of Frank at Anise that was outstanding. Tue May 15 12:02:34 -0700 2007 2571465 11172 Bob Dobalina 2 2571810 I think you mean the Beehive at the B-Side. Jamesons, honey liquor and lemon juice. They go down like lemonade... Tue May 15 12:55:31 -0700 2007 2571600 23343 LeoLioness 3 2571975 Bingo! Tue May 15 13:40:44 -0700 2007 2571810 11172 Bob Dobalina 1 2571698 Palmyra! Palmyra! Palmyra! (No.9 Park) Tue May 15 12:26:02 -0700 2007 2571465 17855 Kbee 1 2572066 Like Rubee, I could probably spend a hour typing everything I could recommend. I'll narrow the focus somewhat. I would recommend a couple of rum cocktails available at B-Side (and probably available at most of the other places mentioned in this thread): Periodista -- silky Presidente -- spritely (I like to think I introduced the Presidente to the B-Side, but that is a long story, completely lacking in evidence.) Also, since you mentioned gin, try the "El Splendido" at B-Side as well: gin, chambord, and little lemon, I think. Tue May 15 14:01:46 -0700 2007 2571465 11148 Alcachofa 1 2572482 Like Rubee and Alcachofa, I'm a pretty big fan of B-Side. No. 9 Park and ESK. These are places that will make my gin (I said GIN in my martini, lobotomized bartenders!) martini perfectly and without question. Though unlike Rubee, I can't love that rye manhattan. I do love ESK's aviations though - more so than B-Side's; while I favor B-Side's periodista to ESK's. When Frank was still at Anise, I loved his Dark & Stormy to everyone else's in Boston (his negroni was also awesome). Chez Henri also makes a great periodista and at a steal of a price. Other options - the sangria and the spiced bourbon (though not together) at Gargoyle's are both excellent. Mango mojitos at Orleans if you are in need of a cocktail and any number of games. Silvertone has competent bartending too - I think it's their sidecar that stands up pretty well to B-Side's. Haven't been to the new KO yet, but I remember some good, if not superb, bartending at Spire. Though it's pretty sceney, the muddled drinks at Cuchi Cuchi are great - I love the strawberry/basil concoction especially. If you are a cigar smoker, downstairs at Cafe Vittoria has a surprisingly good bar. Tue May 15 16:11:35 -0700 2007 2571465 15217 gini 1 2572632 Due to the many raves on this board I finally made it to No. 9 Park. Decided on the bubbles flight last week. The Seelbach (basically a manhattan topped w/ champagne) was great. Also got to watch one bartender training another, so was entertained as they fashioned the Palmyra garnish. The periodista at Chez Henri has been a favorite of mine for years, and the B-Side makes all sorts of wonderful vintage cocktails. I've only been to Deep Ellum once, but loved the Green Opal gin & absinthe drink they make. The Alchemist in JP is another newish addition to the well-crafted cocktail scene. I had a terrific gin-ginger gimlet there. Not far from Chez Henri is the West Side Lounge, which has some creative cocktails, as well as some classics. The Jack Rose at ESK is definitely a must-try, and seems to have become a signature drink of theirs. I'm not much for the vodkatinis, but had a lovely lavender-infused cocktail last summer at Sel de la Terre. Tue May 15 17:07:37 -0700 2007 2571465 23840 Bluebell 1 2572880 I find it hard to pick a bar/cocktail combo: part of what I seek in a great bar is education and surprise. I have certain favorite cocktails, but there's far more to great bartending than technical competence: for me, it's at least half about the hospitality. That said, a few thoughts, with the caveat that I'm probably forgetting some places I regard highly: There's an elite level of bartending that I've often cited, bartenders who are scholarly, serious, intensely curious and experimental, grounded in great fundamentals, and tremendous servers. Those places include the B-Side (arguably the progenitor of this whole school of bartending locally), Green Street, No. 9 Park, and Eastern Standard. There's a sort of triple-A of bars that aspire to this and may yet attain it: Alchemist Lounge, Deep Ellum, Noir (if I can ever find their savant bartender actually on duty when I visit). There are a number of very technically sound bartenders whose venues just aren't reaching for that level of cocktail excellence, but either have extraordinary regional specialties or outstanding execution at a slightly less rarified level: Chez Henri, Audubon Circle, Cuchi Cuchi, Union Bar & Grill, Tremont 647, Brasserie Jo, Blue Room, The Biltmore, Les Zygomates, Toro, City-Bar, the Franklin Cafe, East Coast Grill, Lucca, Mistral, Silvertone, Sorellina, Prezza, Grill 23, Bar 10, the Middlesex Lounge, Gargoyles. I have to tip my hat to certain luxury hotel bars that are doing a fairly specific thing well: fancy, formal, traditional, high-service, but conservative, with little room for creativity. These include the Bar at the Taj, the Rowes Wharf Bar, the Bristol, and the Oak Bar. There are a bunch of bars that I really appreciate but probably don't belong in this discussion: beer-and-highball joints with great personalities if not much grasp of how a Sazerac should be built: Doyle's, Anchovies, River Gods, the South End J.J. Foley's, the Plough, Zon's, the original Bukowski, Charley's Kitchen, The Delux, the bar side of The Linwood, O'Brien's, Wally's. Good wine bars also deserve their own thread. Tue May 15 18:35:16 -0700 2007 2571465 10143 MC Slim JB 2 2573011 I'm b=not nuch os a cocktail drinker but I'll concur with MC re JJ Foley's. I was out of town for years and popped in there and Jerry greeted me like an old friend. something to be said for the old school Irish guys in white dress shirts who know how to give great bar service. Have to put the Eire Pub on that list as well. Tue May 15 19:24:09 -0700 2007 2572880 83928 highnoon