Well, here we are again. Another year over, and a new one just begun.
If the typical rituals of the season – crossing names of the shopping list, sending cards, readying holiday feasts – have got you feeling stressed, allow me to offer some friendly advice: always make time for a cup(s) of cheer.
And with that, I’m pleased to present the 2019 edition of the Boston BarHopper holiday blog post. If you’re a regular visitor to this space, you probably know the drill – every year when December rolls around, I invite a handful of Boston-area bartenders to come up with an original, festive cocktail, a libation made for the most delicious time of the year.
For me, it’s more than just an excuse to quaff down a decadent drink. It’s an opportunity to reconnect with a few talented people I’ve gotten to know better during the year and to share their work. But yeah, I get to drink a few cocktails, too.
And with that, let’s kick things off with a trip to a Boston institution.
Oscar Simoza
Silvertone
On the night I visited Oscar Simoza at Silvertone, I realized it must have at least a year since I’d last stopped in. I quickly remembered what the atmosphere is like on a busy weeknight. I squeezed into the last remaining seat at the bar at 5 p.m.; a few minutes later, the crowd behind me must have been three people deep.
Mixing drinks, taking orders, and carrying on conversations with Silvertone’s many regulars, Oscar seemed unfazed by the rapidly swelling crowd. And he found time to whip up not one but two seasonal cocktails for me.
The Little Red Prius is a seasonal riff on a raspberry lime rickey. With its bright red hue and mountain of crushed ice, it certainly looks the part of a holiday cocktail. Made with raspberry-infused vodka, lime juice, syrup, and clove, it’s got all the fruity sweetness of a Christmas dessert.
Not Your Grandma’s Apple Juice, on the other hand, is full of hearty flavors that’ll warm you up on a New England December night. Oscar calls this a simple drink, something anyone could make at home to welcome friends and loved ones for a holiday celebration. Made with bourbon, elderflower liqueur, apple cider, and Angostura bitters, it’s easy to imagine sipping this one in front of a crackling fire.
Amanda Freestone
Rochambeau
Sexy, sophisticated, and playful, Rochambeau brings a little French flair to the Back Bay. Just taking a seat at the gleaming marble bar gives the impression that a special night is in store, but there’s a palpable, upbeat vibe that keeps this recently opened café and brasserie from feeling stuffy or pretentious.
Bar manager Amanda Freestone offers up a holiday cocktail befitting of the restaurant’s elegance. Made with Grey Goose vodka, a 25-year Calvados, rhubarb liqueur, cranberry juice, and lemon juice, the French Laundry is a silky drink that strikes the right balance of sweet and tart.
A garnish of cranberries coated in crushed peppermint candy serves as an unexpected prelude to the seasonal flavors, with the aroma of peppermint present in every sip.
Alex Larochelle
Six West Broadway
What’s better than a hot chocolate on a snowy night? A hot chocolate with booze, obviously. At Six West Broadway in South Boston’s Cambria Hotel, lead bartender Alex Larochelle serves up a Spiked Hot Chocolate made with Green Chartreuse, crème de cacao, and hot chocolate, topped with a luscious Fernet Branca Menta cream.
It’s creamy but not too rich, with the bitter herbal notes of the Chartreuse complementing the chocolate and the minty Fernet. The cream is a delight unto itself, especially when it collects at the bottom of the glass, serving as a minty conclusion to drink that’s a genuine treat.
From a presentation standpoint, even Santa’s elves would be hard-pressed to match the yuletide splendor of Alex’s second drink. I didn’t even realize it was a drink, at first. Alex walked over with what appeared to be beautifully wrapped gift box. She removed the lid to reveal a green glass ornament, resting on gold tinsel, with a festive straw and a personalized gift tag.
Inside the ornament was a cocktail called the Miracle on West Broadway, made with Hendrick’s gin, lingonberry syrup, lemon juice, Becherovka, cinnamon bitters, and sparkling wine. It’s a crisp sipper, with the spices and fruits of the season, but I’d drink this any time of year (even out of a regular glass).
Alycia Rovner
Short Path Distillery
For almost as long as I’ve been running this blog, one of my great joys has been collaborating with Boston-area distilleries. There’s just something special about making a cocktail with local spirits and supporting a small business in the process.
This year I had the pleasure of getting better acquainted with Short Path Distillery. Their Everett-based distillery and tasting room is well worth a visit, whether it’s to attend one of their many fun events or just to work your way through their excellent cocktail menu.
Alycia Rovner is Short Path’s marketing manager, but she started as a bartender and still finds herself behind the bar on occasion. Alycia’s cocktail, the Chimney Crasher, combines Short Path’s peated whiskey, apple brandy, a rosemary-sage-thyme syrup (made with leftover herbs from her Thanksgiving dinner), and Crude Smoke & Salt bitters, all in a smoked glass.
This twist on an Old Fashioned captures so many of the flavors and aromas of the holiday season. Crisp and boozy, sweet and savory, it’s a smooth drink with notes of dried fruit and a warm, peaty bite.
But it’s the smoked glass that puts this one over the top. As Alycia prepared the glass, aromatic smoke filling the bar area, all I could think about was being cozy by a fireplace on Christmas, spending the holiday with people I cherish. The smoky essence lingered throughout the drink, but the image stayed with me for the rest of the day.
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Many thanks to Oscar, Amanda, Alex, and Alycia for taking time out of their busy schedules to contribute such wonderful cocktails to this year’s holiday post. They approached this project with thoughtfulness, ingenuity, and enthusiasm, and every drink they made was one I’d gladly order again. My respect for them as bartenders is equaled only by my fondness for them as individuals, and I look forward to sitting at their bars in the new year. I encourage you to do the same.
This will be my final missive of 2019, so I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a warm, safe, happy holiday season. And as always, thank you so much for reading.
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