Whiskey Smash and Old Cuban at Eastern Standard

Whiskey Smash














1/2 a sliced lemon

pinch of mint

Lightly muddled

1 oz simple syrup

2 oz William Larue Weller 7yr American Mash

Lightly shake to integrate

Double strain to remove pulp

Pour over crushed ice

Garnish with mint

Old Cuban














3/4 oz of lime juice

1 oz simple syrup

1 1/2 oz Barban Court aged rum

Pinch of mint

2 dashes of bitters

Shake and double strain into Martini glass

Float 1 oz sparkling wine

Garnish with mint

For my second update I decided to venture out to Kenmore square, home of The Eastern Standard. This is a bar that needs little introduction, to put it simply if cocktails were a religion in Boston (which it very well may be) Eastern Standard would be the Cardinal of the Archdiocese. That being said I was not greeted in the manner of previous visits. After asking the Amazonian looking bartender for a drink suggestion she flung a drink menu in front and walked to the other end of the bar. Apparently my request for a suggestion made me some kind of strange animal that required a special kind of handler. After exchanging words with the female bartender, Kit walked down bar and arrived in front of me.
Kit was much more helpful and suggested Eastern Standard's most popular cocktail the whiskey smash, (which they have served of 25,000 of to date). This was more than acceptable as I happen to be a huge fan of the cocktail, and as is to be expected from E.S. it was the best smash I've had to date. I will be returning for another soon. The second cocktail Kit suggested was the Old Cuban. I am generally not a fan of rum cocktails but this was certainly the exception to my rule. The Old Cuban is a light refreshing cocktail that I wish I had thought to order earlier in the summer. Overall Easter Standard is juxtaposed to the "Yo sully" and "Ya dude"ery of the Fenway area, and it's a refreshing contrast to the stale sports bar montage found elsewhere in the Fens. Not to mention the cocktails are amazing.

Tiramisu and Bourbon Espresso Martinis at the Charles' Mark

Tiramisu Martini

1 Part Patron Cafe

1 Part Godiva Dark

1/2 Shot of Espresso

Splash Amaretto

Shake until chilled, strain into martini glass Garnish with shaved cinnamon and whipped cream.

Jefferson's Bourbon Espresso Martini

1 Part Jefferson's small batch bourbon

1 Part Godiva Dark

1/2 shot of espresso

Shake until chilled, strain into martini glass

To start my adventure into Boston's bar culture I decided to stop at a truly unique hotel bar, the Charles' Mark. The Charles' Mark Hotel bar and lounge is located at 655 Boylston Street, directly across from the Boston Public Library. I am aware of the PBR chugging, Car bomb dropping, P-funk smoking crowd that frequents this street, but the Charles Mark is a chic, clean, sophisticated bar and a refreshing oasis from the tired aesthetic of the college bar scene.
From the straight-edged, utilitarian black and white decor to the frosted tap to the well thought out drink list, The Charles Mark is a welcomed post-conflict wrap up to the coming of age novel that is Boylston street, which starts at the sweat-stained, acne-ridden Pour House and slowly comes to grips with itself down the strip.
Upon walking in, I was greeted by my favorite Back Bay Bartender, the always perky and friendly Vanessa. Upon explaining my mission for the night she enthusiaistcly mixed and shook two incredible espresso based cocktails. The first was the Tiramisu martini, a clean, attractive and delicious dessert drink with the added benefit of caffeine. I was extremely satisfied with the first of my cocktail duet and was not dissappointed by the second. Jefferson's Bourbon espresso martini is an adult alternative to the Jager bombs exploding in almost every other area bar. This cocktail features a healthy pour of bourbon, Patron cafe topped off with a half ounce of espresso. Shave your chin beard and take out your eyebrow ring, you can still catch a buzz and stay up without having to make (as well as be) a mess.

Boston cocktails is born.

The plan behind the creation of this blog is to visit random bars throughout Boston and interview Bartenders, have them make and share the recipe of their favorite cocktail, photograph it, and share it with the wide open internet. I will also be "tweeting" about said events http://twitter.com/BostonCocktails