Don’t call it a comeback. Classic cocktails have never gone the way of tan M&Ms and yet, after years of sugary, neon-hued drinks running rampant in bars across America, we’re ready to dial it back to basics.
The Cocktail: Negroni
Gin, Campari, and vermouth make up a traditional Negroni and when balanced correctly hits every note on the tongue. For its Pu’er Tea-Soaked Negroni, Tavern Road beverage manager and stellar bartender Tenzin Samdo steeps a blend of red tea in the above mentioned liquids to give this Negroni a unique, but classic twist. Shout out to the giant cube of ice that the drink is served over.
Erase the image of a half-melted, overly sweet, electric-colored cocktail that comes to mind when daiquiri is mentioned and instead try the Hong Kong Daiquiri on tap (yes, on tap) at Banyan Bar & Refuge in the South End. A blend of white and dark rum with lime, simple syrup, and a splash of baijiu (a Chinese grain alcohol) make for a full bodied, yet enjoyable cocktail. Daiquiris are no more just a spring break beverage.
What could be be better than crisp gin, a swirl of vermouth and a blue cheese-stuffed olive? Grill 23 takes a simple and satisfying approach to the Martini: Don’t mess with a classic that’s been "the" drink for nearly 100 years. Note that these martinis are lightly shaken and really cold. Just as it should be.
Reserve all judgment based on this drink’s name. Bar Boulud’s Popcorn Old Fashioned at the Mandarin Oriental is fantastic. Bourbon infused with popcorn gives it that signature nutty—and slightly burned—flavor profile we love about popcorn. For Old Fashioned newbies, this is a great introduction to a classic beverage. Plus, the presentation is very Insta-worthy.
Bar Boulud's popcorn old-fashioned (Courtesy Bar Boulud)
The Cocktail: Manhattan
Behind the bar at Townsman you’ll find Silas Axtell, one of the best bartenders in Boston, for classic beverages with a twist. Simply order ‘The Manhattan’ and Silas will mix up one with precise balance. Served straight up with a Luxardo cherry for garnish, it is perfection.
The general consensus among locals is that Yvonne’s serves some of the best drinks in Boston—coincidence that it’s serving drinks in Boston’s iconic former Locke-Ober, birthplace to such now-legendary cocktails as the Ward 8? Yvonne’s bar manager Nicole Lebedevitch creates a killer Gypsy Queen, her Bénédictine-laced, lemon-twisted take on the classic Gypsy, one of the first vodka cocktails created after Prohibition.
Mixologist Jackson Cannon of Eastern Standard and The Hawthorne is noted among local cocktail connoisseurs for his Jack Rose, one of his own favorite classic drinks. Hemingway famously featured it in “The Sun Also Rises.” Cannon serves it with Laird’s Bonded Applejack, grenadine, lemon and Peychaud’s Bitters.
