Great cocktail places

[mansikka]

Hi all -- I see this comm is kinda quiet, hoping it won't stay that way (life's too short to be sober) :]

Wondering about everyone's favorite cocktail places, mostly speakeasy types. My first introduction to REAL mixology was at The Violet Hour in Chicago. I've since been a number of other places, such as Death & Company and Apothèke in NYC, and Bourbon & Branch, Rickhouse, Beretta, and Absinthe in SF. But most of those were disappointments; Apothèke was the closest to TVH in terms of how adventurous the bartenders were, the quality and variety of ingredients, and the value for the drinks and the service. (Twelve bucks a drink is nothing if it's good and the bartender will talk cocktails and ingredients with me and mix up tiny bits of his latest creations.)

I think part of the reason why I like TVH and Apothèke is that I avoid sweet drinks like the plague. A splash of this or that, fine, but when something sweet is listed as one of the ingredients, I know it'll be too cloying for me to enjoy it. TVH and Apothèke have mixologists who tap into the potential of amari. And bitters. Oh, the bitters. Love. That's not to say they don't have sweet drinks -- they do -- but those places are definitely not catering only to the cosmo crowd.

Curious to hear everyone else's favorites, no matter which corner of the world they hail from!

Comments

[twtd]

I am utterly in love with Drink in Boston. So much so that my f-list is probably getting sick of hearing about it every couple of weeks. All of my posts about it are tagged Drink, and I love it because it's totally a place where you have a better time if you just tell the bartenders what sort of base spirit you like and what sort of flavors you're feeling that night and they come up with drinks for you. I've never had a bad drink there, ever.

There's a little gastropub in Atlanta called Publik that's pretty awesome too, though it isn't as intense as Drink. It's right by the Fox theater and I would go back if I get down to Atlanta anytime soon.

[cleo]

Seconded on these; anything I'd add about them...well, it wouldn't be worth it since we go together and all.

But I'd also add Gaslight in Boston too. it's definitely got the atmosphere, and the drinks are good-not as good as Drink but worth it.

[mansikka]

Thanks for the tips, you two! I love Boston, and these places are on the list for must-visits for next time. Glad to hear there's a cocktail scene there.

What're your favorites for drinks that you've had there?

[twtd]

The most eye opening thing I've had there was something call "the agony and the ecstasy" which involved tequila and a thick piece of lemon peel balanced on the edge of the glass that was covered in chipotle hot sauce. I don't remember what else was in it, but once you mixed in the hot sauce, it completely changed the flavor of the drink. It was amazing.

You don't like sweet things, but they seriously make the best ramos gin fizz I've ever had, ditto to a sloe gin fizz. The egg whites just get so... foamy. Basically, anything that you want to order, they're going to make it perfectly, or they'll remake it. They have a board up with the 10 most popular drinks for the week (and beyond that, they don't have a cocktail menu. You order it, they'll make it. If you don't know what you want, they'll figure out something that you like) and they're kinda known for their Old Fashioneds. If you tell them that you don't want anything sweet, then they won't make you anything sweet.

[diabhol]

I love sweet drinks, which is one of the reasons I love the Liquid Kitty in West L.A. They make a killer Mai Tai and their Evel Knievel is a peach snapps+151+Matador as a faux-Boilermaker. Now, they do plenty of other cocktails (best Martini bar in the L.A. area!), but it's one of my favorites.

If you're ever in (downtown) Los Angeles, Seven Grand may be your kinda place. It's a whiskey bar primarily, but they know their mixology and so are well-versed in the proper use of bitters.

[mansikka]

Interesting. Yeah, seems we're complete opposites; I'm one of those purist-snobs, you know, who thinks there's just one type of martini :) (okay, I'll allow for playing with sweet vs. dry vermouth, but. . .)

Thanks for the tip! Do you know if they make their own bitters at Seven Grand? That's one of the things that I loved about TVH.

[diabhol]

At least your martinis have vermouth. :) But yeah, ultimately, my only use for gin involves a lot of tonic and copious amounts of lime. ;)

My recollection is that they dash Angostura like most places. Don't think I've encountered a place that makes their own.