The Cocktail Crossover
Just as bar eats have gotten a big upgrade at restaurants, so too have craft cocktails—and consuming great ones no longer requires a visit to a dedicated watering hole. Marked by house-made bitters and syrups, inventive nods to classic recipes, and fun uses for liqueurs once regarded as fusty (sherry, we’re looking at you), some of the finest drinks in the city no longer require a barstool. Here, a taxonomic breakdown of our new age in quaffing.
THE 2.0 MANHATTAN
(Spinoffs likely reference a city, town, or neighborhood.)
Clio
The Somerville
Clio’s Todd Maul gives the standard Manhattan a twist with a few drops of port “essence”—derived from his in-house rotary evaporator—in lieu of bitters. It’s a tiny tweak that gives the classic drink a refreshingly mellow finish.
Bergamot
Le Québécois
Rye, Dolin dry vermouth, Punt e Mes, Luxardo Maraschino.
Spoke
The Red Hook
Rye, Punt e Mes, Luxardo Maraschino, Luxardo cherry.
THE SHERRY COCKTAIL
(An underused elixir gets new life.)
Hungry Mother
The Geneva Convention
Manzanilla sherry, Old Fitzgerald bonded bourbon, green Chartreuse, Gran Classico.
Craigie on Main
The Grand Tour
Amontillado sherry, Herradura Reposado tequila, pineapple, lime.
West Bridge
Queen’s Holiday
Oloroso sherry, Pimms, Licor 43, lemon.
Central Kitchen
Come Dancing!
Amontillado sherry, Ford’s gin, Dolin Blanc vermouth, grapefruit, bitters.
INFUSED SPIRITS
(Pineapple-addled vodka evolves.)
Shojo
Tang Yin’s Plum
Salty-plum-infused rice wine, Cabeza tequila, almond syrup, lime.
The Gallows
Brazen Bull
Jalapeño-and-Scotch-bonnet-pepper-infused vodka, lime.
Erbaluce
Pierrot
Sunflower-infused “gin,” lemon, honey, house vermouth.
Ten Tables J.P.
Champs-Elysées
Oolong-steeped cognac, green Chartreuse, bitters, lemon.