Our first online tasting event took place Wednesday June 23rd, 2021! View the recording of the event here : … or download the slide deck here: ORIGINAL SESSION DESCRIPTION: • We’ve all had whiskey and rums finished in other barrels … but how often have you tasted the ORIGINAL “mother” spirit next to the “daughter” spiritsContinue reading “The Art of Barrel Picking & Blending: A Whiskey & Rum Tasting”
Category Archives: Boston
Bootleg Special: The Curiousness of Cordials
Earlier this spring (May 30, 2018), Lorri & I eagerly headed a couple blocks south of our office to check out Bootleg Special, the new seafood boil joint at edge of the South End on Tremont Street. The look of the place as we stepped down into the dining area was charming: very reminiscent ofContinue reading “Bootleg Special: The Curiousness of Cordials”
Deacon Giles: A Demon and a Distillery Walk into a Bar
Lynn, Lynn, City of Sin, You’ll Never Come Out The Way You Came In – Not the favorite poem of people of Lynn Lorri and I had to do a kid drop off and pickup in Lynn MA, so I Yelp’ed for cocktail bars in the area and I came across Deacon Giles Distillery inContinue reading “Deacon Giles: A Demon and a Distillery Walk into a Bar”
Ritcey East: A Bold Cocktail Gem in Watertown
We were driving home from work on a Wednesday & Waze started sending us in a completely bizarre direction we’d never taken before. I actually asked “Did a BOMB go off somewhere?” at one point. Traffic was a mess and I missed a few turns so I semi-jokingly told Lorri “Hey, find us a coolContinue reading “Ritcey East: A Bold Cocktail Gem in Watertown”
Coppa: How to Get Away with Cocktail Murder Deliciously
As fans of Ken Oringer & Jamie Bissonette’s Clio (RIP), Uni and Little Donkey, we’ve always had Coppa on our MUST DO list and on a gorgeous Halloween afternoon we finally made it down there for lunch. We were surprised by Coppa’s cozy, neighborhood vibe – very few restaurants of its acclaim have this quality,Continue reading “Coppa: How to Get Away with Cocktail Murder Deliciously”
Better Sorts Social Club: Naomi Levy Hits The Peak
It was with some sadness that we heard earlier this year that the Highball Lounge had closed. It was fun space in a schizo way with its Viewmaster menus, high end highballs (never our favorite cocktail but give them credit for stretching the category), strong whiskey selection and array of table games to go alongContinue reading “Better Sorts Social Club: Naomi Levy Hits The Peak”
Nahita: If Inception Were a Cocktail Bar …
Is it Fate, Serendipity or Something More Sinister when a new place opens and seems to fulfill all of your subconscious cocktail desires? A sublimely charming host introduces you to this seductive new world, a familiar face floats in and out of view singing the siren’s call of future epiphanies, and ghostly apparitions of cocktails thatContinue reading “Nahita: If Inception Were a Cocktail Bar …”
Lolita Cocina: Boston Fort Point & DTX Tour (4 of 5)
After the unplanned stop at Oak + Rowan, we made our way to our first visit ever to Lolita Cocina. Being VERY familiar with other stunningly designed COJE restaurants (Yvonne’s and Ruka), we were prepared for a dazzling interior but Lolita Cocina’s Fort Point location was INSANE. It’s like Trader Vic completely took overContinue reading “Lolita Cocina: Boston Fort Point & DTX Tour (4 of 5)”
jm Curley: Boston Fort Point & DTX Tour (5 of 5) [The Regulars]
Upon exiting Lolita Cocina, we piled into a Lyft to our fifth stop, Downtown Crossing’s jm Curley. When we exited the car, Tom pointed out the wacky-yet-eerie display in the wig store we were passing (Downtown Crossing is a bizarre mix of trendy bars, high end restaurants and kooky super niche-y stores that seem toContinue reading “jm Curley: Boston Fort Point & DTX Tour (5 of 5) [The Regulars]”
Gold Bar: Boston Fort Point & DTX Tour (2 of 5) [The Regulars]
“The Regulars” is a series of posts on bars that Lorri & I have been to often enough to trust with our lives … errrr … make that OUR LIVERS. Our second destination was only a few stairs up from our first stop at Drink. The Gold Bar is the tiny 6 seat bar atContinue reading “Gold Bar: Boston Fort Point & DTX Tour (2 of 5) [The Regulars]”
Oak + Rowan: Boston Fort Point & DTX Tour (3 of 5)
On the way from the Gold Bar to Lolita Cocina, the sign for Oak + Rowan jumped out to Danna and me and we simultaneously thought “Hey, Oak + Rowan is right here?? We should stop for a whiskey! We should also ask if Oak + Rowan = Okran !” (Note: It’s theoretically possible thatContinue reading “Oak + Rowan: Boston Fort Point & DTX Tour (3 of 5)”
DRINK: Boston Fort Point & DTX Tour (1 of 5) [The Regulars]
After our outrageously fun tour of Lowell with Danna & Tom (industry pros from ICOB Burlington), Lorri & I felt like we had to pull out the big guns for a tour on our turf: The Fort Point and DTX (Downtown Crossing) areas of Boston. “Tours” are posts about a night (or nights) of many bars, manyContinue reading “DRINK: Boston Fort Point & DTX Tour (1 of 5) [The Regulars]”
The Vodka Strikes Back (with Jackson Cannon!!!) at Island Creek Oyster Bar Burlington [The Regulars]
THE REGULARS features bars that we’ve been to often enough to recommend without hesitation … well, if you have any damn taste. Sometimes the best experiences start off sounding like the beginning of a horror movie. “There’s a Ketel One event happening Tuesday at 5”, Danna from Burlington’s ICOB texted Lorri and me. She mightContinue reading “The Vodka Strikes Back (with Jackson Cannon!!!) at Island Creek Oyster Bar Burlington [The Regulars]”
The Hawthorne : Still the Finest Bar in Boston Proper? [The Regulars]
Being the greatest wife ever, Lorri circled the last of the Hawthorne’s Swizzle Sundays as a MUST-GO for us, even though crushed/pebble ice drinks and tiki drinks are solidly in MY half of our drinking Venn diagram and solidly NOT in any of the overlapping area between us. It didn’t hurt that Sean Frederick (familiarContinue reading “The Hawthorne : Still the Finest Bar in Boston Proper? [The Regulars]”
Southern Proper (The New King of the South – in Boston)
Lorri spent several years in North Carolina (and at least 22 years in the South), so my ears perked up when I heard about Southern Proper, a new restaurant in Boston’s South End / SoWa district that’s SO North Carolinian that the interior is decked out with North Carolina pine. The southern food / bourbonContinue reading “Southern Proper (The New King of the South – in Boston)”
Chickadee : Innovation Served Four Ways (featuring Kate)
Most Fridays I bartend a cocktail hour (more like 2 hrs!) for my company, but recently work’s gotten heavy and I thought it a poor example to have the boss devoting so many Thursday nights / Friday afternoons coming up with a quartet of new craft cocktails, so I dropped one of the Fridays aContinue reading “Chickadee : Innovation Served Four Ways (featuring Kate)”
Yvonne’s [The Regulars]
THE REGULARS is a series of posts covering the bars we frequent most often, featuring background information, tips and drink recommendations. To us, Yvonne’s is that uber-successful, fashionable and a maybe-too-glamorous longtime friend who instantly drops all the corporate d-bags and society wanna-be’s when you come through the door and makes one-on-one time to catchContinue reading “Yvonne’s [The Regulars]”
Warp and Weft (Lowell Tour 2 of 3)
After leaving the 1981 Ramen Bar, our intrepid quartet debated going straight to the Keep (our featured attraction of the night), or making a quick stop at Warp and Weft, a recent addition to Lowell. After determining that we were in fact NOT complete puss- …errr …. wimps, we made the quick stroll over and man,Continue reading “Warp and Weft (Lowell Tour 2 of 3)”
1981 Ramen Bar (Lowell Tour 1 of 3)
Two of our favorite things: Discovering a new cocktail neighborhood with a pile of great places clustered near each other. Drinking with fun, knowledgeable and umm …. “high-stamina” company! No, that doesn’t mean folks who like to drink a ton and get wasted. In fact, kind of the opposite – the kind of people whoContinue reading “1981 Ramen Bar (Lowell Tour 1 of 3)”
The Keep (Lowell Tour 3 of 3)
After the 1981 Ramen Bar and Warp and Weft, I should have known that The Keep (our final stop on the Lowell tour) was also going to be packed – dang, how many hipster drinkers are there in this town that can keep so many bars full on a Thursday night in the summer when mostContinue reading “The Keep (Lowell Tour 3 of 3)”
Rincon Limeño: Peruvian Pisco Sours Redeemed
For one glorious year, the Peruvian-Japanese restaurant RUKA (part of the Coje Management Group, which includes the stellar Yvonne’s and Lolita Cocina) was our perfect restaurant/bar. The bar team was headed by Will Thompson and had a Murderer’s Row of bartenders: Joaquin Meza (the Tequila and Mezcal guru), Alex, Rob, Shelton, Kim and Sebastian. TheyContinue reading “Rincon Limeño: Peruvian Pisco Sours Redeemed”
MAST’ : The Perils of Free Pour and Farewell, Ridiculous Whiskey Buckets
MAST’ (in the Financial District of Boston) is one of the very best Neapolitan pizzerias in Boston, featuring a totally legit Neapolitan brick pizza oven, one those rounded dome jobs that looks like this: Photo from Grubstreet Lorri and I spent one night in Naples, Italy (the birthplace of pizza) and it was enough toContinue reading “MAST’ : The Perils of Free Pour and Farewell, Ridiculous Whiskey Buckets”
LX (Legal Crossing) : Escape From Aladdin [The Regulars]
Being total Musical Nerds, Lorri and I have a subscription to Broadway in Boston, a form of ticketing blackmail a.k.a. “Buy tickets to 4 musicals you don’t really care about so you can see the ONE musical you’ll never get tickets to, otherwise known as HAMILTON”. That’s how we ended up seeing “Get On YourContinue reading “LX (Legal Crossing) : Escape From Aladdin [The Regulars]”
Democracy Brewing: Promising New Brewery in Downtown Boston
Lorri and I were back in our old stomping grounds at Boston’s Downtown Crossing, checking out Democracy Brewing, a new brewery/beer hall on Temple Street (a block from our previous office). Democracy took over the venerable Windsor Button store and invested a hefty amount of time and money into a complete overhaul. The spaceContinue reading “Democracy Brewing: Promising New Brewery in Downtown Boston”
The Baldwin Bar [The Regulars]
Our favorite Boston area bar for the total food/drink combination is the remarkable Baldwin Bar in thoroughly unremarkable Woburn MA. It’s housed in the Baldwin Mansion (from freaking 1661, making it older than our COUNTRY) and is part of the Sichuan Garden Chinese restaurant. The Baldwin is consistently ranked among the best bars in theContinue reading “The Baldwin Bar [The Regulars]”
The Gallows: Happy “Hang”-out in the South End (with Emily & Laura)
When you can’t come up with an actually GOOD blog post title, resort to horrible puns. When you need a solid cocktail in a no-nonsense bar with seriously good pub fare, go to J.M. Curleys …. or the Gallows! After moving our offices from Downtown Crossing to the South End, Lorri & I have beenContinue reading “The Gallows: Happy “Hang”-out in the South End (with Emily & Laura)”
Pagu: Japanese for Pug (and Sublime Drinking)
A farewell dinner to one of our favorite employees (leaving for business school) warranted a special venue, and when Chelsea suggested Pagu in Cambridge, it was a perfect choice for me for four reasons: None of us had been there before Creative Asian food Great rep for cocktails Pugs! Pagu is Japanese for pug andContinue reading “Pagu: Japanese for Pug (and Sublime Drinking)”
Island Creek Oyster Bar (Burlington, MA) [The Regulars]
I Island Creek Oyster Bar in Burlington is our standard weekly lunch – SO standard that it’s practically “Cheers” to me & Lorri. Sometimes you really DO want to go where everybody knows your name … and your story, and especially your drinks (and vice versa). ICOB (with Burlington and Fenway locations) is one ofContinue reading “Island Creek Oyster Bar (Burlington, MA) [The Regulars]”
The Ghost Walks: Exploding the Envelope
Lorri and I were thrilled to see The Ghost Walks open just a few blocks from our new Bay Village office and even more thrilled to see alums of three of our favorite places in charge: General Manager Peter Szigeti (Committee), Beverage Director Moe Isaza (Baldwin Bar) and Chef Aaron Lhamon (Wink and Nod). Located in theContinue reading “The Ghost Walks: Exploding the Envelope”
Sumaio Hunan Kitchen: A New Cocktail + Spicy Food Contender (w/Johnny)
Lorri and I had our eyes on this fairly new restaurant/bar for a while now, for several reasons: There’s a superb feedback loop of decadence between top notch cocktails and spicy authentic Asian food, where the cold sweet alcohol fuels the desire for rich fiery food. No one nails this better than the BaldwinContinue reading “Sumaio Hunan Kitchen: A New Cocktail + Spicy Food Contender (w/Johnny)”