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Brains: shaken, stirred
By Christine Liu
del.ico.us
reddit!
Bellying up to the bar might not always be the best way to keep the mind sharp, yet those of open and curious palates can learn quite a bit at several establishments around town. Between the thoughtfulness that goes into crafting a drink menu and a conversant barstaff eager to discuss cocktail history, here are choice places to quench a thirst for both alcohol and knowledge.
Your gullet can gallop briskly through the last century with the Evolution of Aviation ($15) at No. 9 Park [9 Park St., Boston. 617.742.9991. no9park.com]. The drink arrives as three miniature glasses representing the cocktail's historical incarnations from the years 1916, 1948 and 2003. Principle bartender Ryan McGrale runs down the variance: 1916 ("earliest conception of this particular drink") has gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur and crème de violette; as crème de violette became unavailable, the mid-century version omits it, with the lemon juice giving "a more puckery, sour, acidic bite to it;" and the newest (and most commonly practiced) incarnation ups the percentage of maraschino, balancing the tartness. With each sip, you can vicariously sense the American palate evolve in kind.
If you're itching for a Manhattan, scratch that fervently with the choice of eight versions at Deep Ellum [477 Cambridge St., Union Sq., Allston. 617.787.2337. deepellum-boston.com]. Bartender and co-partner Max Toste expounds each with distinction, using various house-made bitters throughout: 1930s ($8), rye-based, from a recipe found in a New Orleans cocktail book, "a bit drier"; 1950s ($8), Bourbon-based, "what's come to be the classic, recognizable Manhattan"; 1970s ($8), using Toste's grandfather's recipe based on Canadian Club whiskey; and five incredible modern variations ($9-$10). It's up to you to pick the bartender's brain to learn what absinthe rinses and Fernet-Branca are doing in there.
Drinks listed under Eastern Standard's [528 Comm. Ave., Hotel Commonwealth, Kenmore Sq., Boston. 617.532.9100. easternstandardboston.com] most recent category, Lineage—Legacy, "are all evocative of what a martini should be," explains bar manager Jackson Cannon. Expect spirited acrobatics on the gin-vermouth template: The Fifty-Fifty ($10), a ruby-hued glassful, pits intense Genevieve Genever-style gin against sweet vermouth and a dash of Regan's Orange Bitters; the Bourbon in the Bronx ($10) includes fresh OJ and both dry and sweet vermouths, while audaciously swapping Old Weller 107 for gin—delightfully making stubborn diehards tremble.
