Life is what you make it, and the same goes for the cocktails at Drink, a speakeasy-style lounge located a stone’s throw from Boston’s Seaport district. There is no cocktail menu at Drink (only beer and wine). Instead, you just tell the bartenders…ahem, mixologists…what you are in the mood for (sweet, bitter, vodka, gin, fresh, light, nutty, peanut buttery, whatever you fancy) and they whip up a cocktail based on your specifications. If you don’t like it, they pour it out and make you something new, free of charge.
But no take-backs were necessary when a few friends and I visited Drink one night after work. I ordered the following: fruity but not too sweet, maybe a little spice, fresh, lemon-flavored maybe, and preferably clear liquor, but not gin. “Ok, got it. Be right back,” said the cocktail waitress. She returned with a drink called the “Maximilian Affair,” which is part mezcal, St. Germain, sweet vermouth, lemon juice and all parts delicious.
Drink is a cozy, basement bar with a hole-in-the-wall feel, but the soft lighting and modern design keep it chic. The atmosphere is optimal for a date or easing into a night out (the crazier bars like Atlantic Beer Garden and Whiskey Priest are right around the corner if you so desire). Drink also offers a short but delicious menu of big and small bites.
In typical speakeasy fashion, there are no signs outside indicating Drink’s precise location, so you either need a keen sense of direction or a really zoomed-in view on Google Maps to find it. I had neither when I went for the first time (it was in my dark, pre-smart phone days), so it was a bit of a treasure hunt up and down Congress Street, but it was well worth the search (tip: Look for the Sportello sign—it’s the restaurant above Drink).
Drink puts spontaneity and creativity back into cocktails, and has forever changed the way I look at an $11 vodka soda. If you feel like throwing your taste bud caution to the wind and having a fun, intimate experience, definitely check out Drink.
