Hello, all. It’s been a while! And life has gotten quite strange in the meantime, hasn’t it? We’re all adjusting to a new normal, and no one is really sure how long it will last. I hope you’re all healthy and as happy as you can be under the circumstances.
My husband and I have been extraordinarily fortunate during all of this. We moved right before the quarantine started, and so have had the pleasure of spending our lockdown unpacking and organizing our new home. Our income is secure for the time being. We are healthy. Our families are healthy. Daycare is closed, so my daily activities pretty much exclusively consist of listening to Wheels on the Bus and playing with toy cars, but that’s far from the worst way to spend your time. I am lucky. But so many people aren’t right now. And a lot of them are in the hospitality industry – the very people who give me so much joy and happiness when things are normal. I really want to try and use the platform that I have do something to help, even if it’s just a little.
So I came up with a initiative on Instagram that I’m calling #goinforadrink. A lot of bars and restaurants have set up funds to help their furloughed employees during this shutdown. I’ve been making cocktail recipes from my favorite Boston bars at home and posting the recipes to Instagram. For each one, I’m donating the money I would have spent on the cocktail to the appropriate employee relief fund. And I would love for you to do the same. Below are ten recipes for absolutely delicious cocktails that were created at my favorite Boston bars. If any of them sound good to you, please follow the instructions to send the bar staff that created it a tip. Every little bit helps.
And if you give even a dollar to one of these funds or to ANY industry relief fund, send me an email and let me know. I’ll send you one of these awesome custom Boston cocktail pins that Four J’s Ltd. has generously created for this initiative. I hope that when this is all over we can wear them out with pride!
Also, I need to give a huge shoutout to Tapster, a Boston-based alcohol delivery company. They have volunteered to match all of my donations during this time. If you’re in the Boston area, check them out for fast, safe alcohol delivery right to your door.
Here are the cocktails!
Model T: Backbar
This drink comes from my favorite bar in town (which I now live only a block away from, but can’t go to). Sam Treadway named it the Model T because the building used to be a Ford dealership. If you like a Manhattan, you’ll enjoy this drink!
1.5 oz. bourbon (Jim Beam Black recommended)
3/4 oz. sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica recommended)
1/2 oz. Yellow Chartreuse
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Clove tincture*
Rinse a coupe glass with clove tincture. Stir remaining ingredients with ice and strain into the prepared glass.
*Backbar uses a Clove and Oak Mist made by Alice and the Magician that you can normally buy on their website, but right now their store is down. I think a homemade clove tincture makes a nice and easy substitute. Combine about 1 tbsp. whole cloves with 1 cup of high-proof alcohol like Everclear in a jar. Let it sit overnight, shaking occasionally. Strain before using.
Backbar is accepting donation via Venmo (@backbarunion). And if this drink isn’t your style, check out owner Sam Treadway’s YouTube channel, where he has been posting daily cocktail tutorials.
Chamomile: Variety Bar
This mocktail by the amazing Naomi Levy is so bright and fresh, you won’t miss the alcohol. But you can also throw in some gin for a spectacular cocktail. Either way, the apple syrup is totally worth the extra effort!
2 oz. strong, chilled chamomile tea (OR 1 oz. tea and 1.5 oz. gin)
3/4 oz. lime juice
3/4 oz. apple syrup*
Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.
*For apple syrup, combine 1 cup peeled and chopped apple, 1 oz. lemon juice, and 2 oz. water in a blender. Blend until liquefied and slowly add 1 cup sugar with the blender running. Blend until it’s dissolved. Strain through a fine mesh strainer.
Naomi has organized a GoFundMe to benefit hospitality workers in the Cambridge and Somerville area (where I now live). She’s also posting fantastic cocktail tutorials on her Instagram.
Tuxedo No. 2: Orfano
There was a lot of buzz about Orfano when it opened in the Fenway area last year, and 95% of it revolved around the Martini cart. If you spring for the service, a white-clad bartender will wheel it to your table and mix you up an impeccable drink. But now you can feel just as fancy in your pajamas with Brian Callahan’s recipe for the classic Tuxedo No. 2, which he recommends pre-mixing and then freezing for a ready-to-drink cocktail.
2 1/4 oz. gin (Plymouth recommended)
3/4 oz. dry vermouth
1/4 oz. Luxardo maraschino liqueur
1 oz. water
2 dashes orange bitters
Absinthe rinse
Combine gin, vermouth, maraschino liqueur, water, and bitters and place in the freezer. When ready to enjoy, rinse a cocktail glass with absinthe and pour the chilled cocktail in. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Orfano is part of chef Tiffani Faison’s Big Heart Hospitality, which also includes Fenway favorites Tiger Mama, Sweet Cheeks BBQ, and Fool’s Errand. They have a GoFundMe that will go directly to their furloughed hourly workers.
New American Gold Rush: Citizen Public House
Right down the road from Orfano is Citizen Public House, a standby for shift drinks and good whiskey. Their bar team shared the recipe for this riff on the classic Gold Rush. If you’ve never made a drink with egg whites before, it’s a great place to start.
1.5 oz. bourbon (Knob Creek recommended)
1/2 oz. gin
1/2 oz. honey syrup*
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1 egg white
2 dashes orange bitters
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Combine all ingredients except the Angostura bitters in a shaker. Dry shake for 30 seconds with no ice. Then add ice and shake for another 30 seconds. Fine strain into a rocks glass over a sphere of ice. Garnish with the Angostura and some edible flowers.
*For honey syrup, combine equal parts honey and water in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until honey is dissolved. Let cool before using. Store in the refrigerator.
Citizen is part of Franklin Restaurant Group, which also includes Our Fathers and Franklin Cafe. They have a GoFundMe set up for their hourly workers.
All Heart 50/50: Trina’s Starlite Lounge
This wet Martini by Joshua Childs subscribes to a “more is more” sort of philosophy: it’s made with both olive brine and orange bitters, and garnished with both olives and a twist. They recommend Monkey 47 Gin, which is a pricey but outstanding addition to your bar. And be sure you’re keeping your dry vermouth in the fridge! You’re going to want it to be fresh, especially when you’re making a 50/50 martini.
1.5 oz. gin (Monkey 47 recommended)
1.5 oz. dry vermouth
Barspoon of olive brine
4 dashes orange bitters
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir for 20 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon peel and three olives.
Trina’s has a Venmo account for their staff (@TrinaStarlite-ParlorSports).
The Professor: Waypoint
Some of the best cocktails on Waypoint’s menu are absinthe-based, so don’t let the 1/2 oz. scare you off of this one – it’s delicious. And surprisingly not too sweet, despite the orgeat and honey syrup.
1 oz. almond orgeat
3/4 oz. Cognac
3/4 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. absinthe
1/4 oz. honey syrup
Shake with ice and double strain into a coupe. No garnish.
Waypoint and its sister restaurants Alden & Harlow and Longfellow Bar have a Venmo set up for their staff (@lf-ah-wpstaff).
Ward Eight: Deep Ellum
Deep Ellum is one of the few bars in Boston to start offering cocktail mixers to go (sans alcohol, of course – damn Massachusetts Puritans). One of their most popular is the Ward Eight, a classic that was invented in Boston around the turn of the century. They also provided the recipe for you to make it at home.
2 oz. bourbon (Four Roses recommended)
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. grenadine*
1 dash aromatic bitters
1 dash orange bitters
Shake with ice and double strain into a rocks glass with no ice. Garnish with an orange slice (I used a brandied cherry).
*I beg of you, do not use artificial, neon-pink grenadine in this drink. Or any drink. Making your own is as easy as making simple syrup: just use pomegranate juice instead of water.
Deep Ellum and its neighbor Lone Star Taco Bar have a Venmo set up for their employees (@Lone-Star-Deep-Ellum). Or, if you’re in the Boston area, order some food and cocktail mixers to go!
Mai Tai in Madrid: Estragon
If you make it over to Estragon, be sure to have a chat with bartender Sahil Mehta, whose original cocktail creations are always unique and delicious. This Spanish-inspired Mai Tai works some sherry (a favorite ingredient of mine!) into the Tiki classic. And it’s another reason to buy or make some orgeat!
1 oz. Demerara rum (Hamilton 86 recommended)
1 oz. Amontillado sherry
1/2 oz. apricot liqueur (Luxardo recommended)
3/4 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. orgeat
1 dash Angostura bitters
Combine all ingredients except the bitters in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Dash Angostura bitters on top (which I forgot to do for this photo). Garnish with anything tropical.
Estragon has a GoFundMe for their unemployed staff.
Distract and Confuse: Russell House Tavern
Russell House Tavern was one of the bars that made me fall in love with cocktails. If you make this recipe you’ll see why!
1.5 oz. gin
3/4 oz. Pedro Ximenez sherry
1/2 oz. mezcal
1/2 oz. Campari
1 dash orange bitters
Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an expressed orange peel.
Amaro di Cocco: Shore Leave
This Negroni/Piña Colada mashup is a favorite on Shore Leave’s menu.
1 oz. aged rum (Appleton Estate recommended)
1 oz. sweet vermouth (Dolin Rouge recommended)
1 oz. Campari
1/2 oz. blackstrap rum
1.5 oz. pineapple juice
1.5 oz. coconut cream
Combine all ingredients in a shaker filled with crushed ice and shake until chilled. Open pour into a Tiki glass. Garnish flamboyantly.