Archive for June, 2006
June 23rd, 2006
Ed. Note: The B-Side Lounge closed in 2008.
Established: 1998
Specialty: Cocktails
Prices: Moderate
Atmosphere: Hip but not painfully so. Retro but not kitschy. Crowded.
See Best Boston bars for address and contact info.
B-Side opened at the tail end of the widespread, short-lived revival of cocktail culture, a la the Rat Pack, that the movie Swingers ushered in. Fortunately, the cocktails themselves stuck around, and so did B-Side. That’s because owner/bartender Patrick Sullivan did something revolutionary: he offered vintage cocktails. And he offered them right, with crushed ice, fresh citrus juice, and long-ignored ingredients like Benedictine liqueur and rye whiskey. The drink menu — probably the most comprehensive in greater Boston — categorizes cocktails by their base liquor, e.g. “Whiskey Base,” “Gin Base,” etc. It includes classy stuff like the Frisco (rye whiskey, Benedictine, lemon juice) and the Champs Elysees (brandy, yellow Chartreuse, lemon juice and Angostura bitters), plus drinks like the Double Wide (Coke syrup and Jack Daniels) and the Mullet (Bud Light and a shot of Sambuca) that clue you in to the fact that B-Side refuses to take itself too seriously. A cocktail can be a sublime thing, but it shouldn’t be a serious thing. This attitude comes through in the drink prices, which start at $8 (downright cheap for the Boston area). If you’re not into mixed drinks, B-Side’s got you covered with wine and a decent selection of (mostly) craft beers on tap, as well as macro and retro brews in bottles and cans.
Several of the Boston area’s best bartenders — including a few profiled on this site — either work or have worked at B-Side. It’s the perfect place to hone one’s knowledge of mixology, not to mention crowd-control skills. The place is frequently packed. The bar staff looks professional (they wear long, white aprons, and the guys wear ties) but far from stodgy (body art seems to be a requirement). B-Side bartenders who move on to other gigs take that “I’m a professional but I’m having a good time” attitude with them.
B-Side occupies the site of the former Windsor Tap (the building is located at the corner of Hampshire and Windsor streets), which was something of an East Cambridge institution. B-Side was initially resented by many WT regulars as one of those trendy, upstart establishments that signal the yuppie takeover of a working-class neighborhood. But its no-nonsense attitude ultimately endeared it to a wide range of drinking types. It helped that Sullivan fixed up some of the space’s best features: a large, U-shaped bar, pressed-tin ceiling, and thick glass tiles on the wall that let in light but mercifully shield customers from a view of the drab intersection outside. Vintage cocktail equipment and a plastic Bud Man (that’s a Budweiser spokes-character from the late 1960s/early 1970s, kids) share a perch above the back bar that houses the citrus juicer and the turntable. Yes, B-Side plays records when things aren’t too busy. Another big, big plus is that the food here is consistently good. I guess you’d call it “American-eclectic.” There are six or eight well executed entrees, most of which are around $20. People actually go to B-Side to have dinner! Don’t worry, if you’re saving all your money to pay the bar tab, look for the wire carousel and help yourself to a free hard-boiled egg.
B-Side’s only real drawbacks are a lack of parking (but you shouldn’t be driving after hanging out there anyway) and the noise level, which can escalate painfully when the place fills up.
Posted in Boston bars, Cocktails | 3 Comments »
June 20th, 2006
It seems like Mimosas and Bloody Marys have been the only drinks available at brunch since about one million years B.C. That’s quite a rut. Even during a recent visit to the cocktail mecca the B-Side Lounge, these libations were all that our server could suggest as boozy accompaniment to our eggs and bacon. After downing a perfectly servicable Bloody, I asked for the cocktail menu. There had to be something different, but still brunch-y, there. Something with, let’s see, fresh-squeezed juice, but less sweet and more bracing than a Mimosa. A new item on the menu caught my eye: the Stork Club – dry gin, lime juice, orange juice, triple sec and Angostura bitters. Now that sounded liked the perfect brunch drink. I ordered one, took a sip. It was the perfect brunch drink! It had sunny citrus juices, plus a little extra orange flavor and sweetness from the triple sec. But the gin and bitters added a pleasant sting, like the flirtatious face-slaps in that old commercial for Skin Bracer aftershave. Unfortunately, most of the bleary-eyed brunch-goers at B-Side aren’t likely to have the acumen to examine a long list of cocktails and select an unknown, unproven one to start their afternoon. They need helpful suggestions from someone they trust, i.e. their bartender. That’s where a menu of new and interesting, but brunch-worthy, cocktails would come in handy. Let’s put the Stork Club at the top of that list.
If you want to see a menu of brunch cocktails that goes way beyond Bloodys and Mimosas, check out Eastern Standard‘s. They can take the credit for popularizing the Hemingway, or La Floridita, Daiquiri as a brunch drink in Boston. The thing that makes it a great brunch drink is that the bartenders serve the mixture of white rum, maraschino liqueur, lime juice and simple syrup over crushed ice, creating a refreshing, adult sno-cone. (If you’ve never had a Hemingway Daiquiri, note that it is hardly sweet at all, which makes sense when you learn that maraschino liqueur is the opposite of the liquid in the jar of cherries: clear and only semi-sweet.) Try this drink — you might find it more pleasant than sucking spiked tomato juice through a straw clogged with horseradish and peppercorns.
Posted in Boston bars, Brunch, Cocktails, Gin, Rum | No Comments »
June 15th, 2006
Bartender Profile
This is what kind of bartender Jackson Cannon is: As we were leaving Eastern Standard after having dinner at the bar last New Year’s Eve, Jackson asked, “Are you going to another bar or to a party?” “Another bar,” we answered. “Would you like me to call ahead and see if there’s room for you?” We chuckled nervously in response, because we didn’t think he was serious. But he was. We felt like Myrna Loy and William Powell. Call ahead to announce our arrival at another bar? That’s the kind of old-school service everybody assumed was extinct, but guys like Jackson are intent on reviving it. (For the record, no phone call was necessary, since we were heading over to Bukowski Tavern’s traditionally uncrowded “Fuck New Year’s” Party.)
And that’s only one of the perks of sitting at Jackson’s bar. If you ask him about the ingredients of a cocktail he’s mixing for you, you’ll get the complete story of that particular libation and its history of usage in drinks — all by the time he has emptied the contents of the shaker into your cocktail glass. He provides these details without being nerdy or overbearing; it’s just another part of his job, like slicing limes or uncorking wine bottles. Perhaps the best thing about Jackson is that he’s not just a one-man show, but the leader of a highly competent team of barmen and women. You can consistently get a great drink and great service from any of the ES bartenders. That’s a wonderful thing.
Hometown
Born in California, grew up outside Washington D.C.
First drink you ever had
We used to get thimbles of beer in our high chair when I was growing up.
Favorite Boston bar other than your own
B-Side Lounge.
The drink you most like to make
Sazerac.
The drink you least like to make
Called-for vodka with soda, splash of Sprite and cran, garnished with a lemon and a lime!
What you drink at the end of your shift
Ice cold beer and a shot of Fernet.
If you weren’t a bartender, you’d be…
A musician.
A bartender’s best friend is…
A strong back.
A bartender’s worst enemy is…
A bad manager.
People drink too much…
Vodka.
People don’t drink enough…
Vermouth.
Drink for a hot summer day
Whiskey Smash.
Drink for a cold winter night
Washington Style Toddy.
The best thing about drinking in Boston is…
The emerging identity of local craft bartending.
The worst thing about drinking in Boston is…
Early closing times.
Posted in Bartenders | 3 Comments »
June 15th, 2006
Bartender Profile
The lounge at this Cuban-French restaurant is small but always packed. Scott Holliday runs the place like one of those weary, jaded proprietors of a village café in France who, when you take an interest in that hand-labeled liqueur behind the counter, perks up and dotes on you like a long-lost uncle. Scott describes himself as the “curmudgeon” of a group of classic cocktail revivalists and fellow bartenders called the Jack Rose Society, explaining that he doesn’t have all day to make a drink — “I have to work for a living!” That said, the man has extensive knowledge of vintage potions like the Seelbach Cocktail, and will mix them enthusiastically for those who ask. Whatever your taste, and no matter how busy the place is, Scott will make you a good drink quickly, and if you decide to pounce on an empty bar table and order a complete dinner (because the food here is really good), he’ll accommodate you without fuss.
Hometown
Newburyport, Massachusetts.
Past bartending jobs
Franklin Cafe, Washington Square Tavern, The Good Life (Boston).
First drink you ever had
The first drink I clearly remember was CC and ginger. Afternoons my grandmother would sit in her rocker in the kitchen listening to WBZ news on the radio while dinner was on the stove. She often had a drink next to her in one of those plastic mugs that was burlap-looking on the outside and pastel pink on the inside. When I was probably 10 or 11 years old I took a quick sip — just once — but the strong, spicy, fizzy drink confused and shocked me so that I never forgot it. It was probably a decade or more before I had another, but that second highball brought the whole episode flooding back and this time having acquired a taste for strong drink I loved it. I’ll still a have whiskey and ginger anytime I feel nostalgic for the tastes and smells of summer evenings in my grandparents’ kitchen.
Favorite Boston bar other than your own
I have too many friends behind too many bars to name just one, and just like I couldn’t possibly name a favorite drink I have favorite bars for different reasons. No. 9 Park for when I want to feel like an old-time Boston Brahmin for a few hours and steal (learn) anything I can from Professor John Gertsen. Eastern Standard to see the well-oiled excellence of a large bar gracefully churning out Jackson Cannon’s ambitious cocktail program — it’s a glimpse at what bars of the gilded age may have looked like in action. Green Street for the all-stars and warm souls Dylan Black has assembled at his excellent new restaurant (including Dylan himself). And lastly, the DeLux Cafe in Boston. I don’t know anyone working there anymore, but this quirky, genuine, band box of a bar always makes me smile. It’s very like the bar I own in my fantasies.
The drink you most like to make
It changes with time of day and season, but I’m particularly proud that I’m known for my Sazeracs from a few regulars and have been complimented by Kentuckians incredulous that a Yankee could mix a proper mint julep.
The drink you least like to make
Long Island Ice Teas. It’s a crappy, confused drink for people just looking to get drunk quickly (and who frequently insist they can’t drink gin, whiskey, tequila or any spirit other than vodka).
What you drink at the end of your shift
It changes with how much energy I have and what mood I’m in. Lately I’ve been sipping Punt e Mes on ice with the juice from a quarter grapefruit squeezed on top. I love the layers of bitterness and sweetness, especially when our good friend and customer Adrian has stopped by with fresh-off-the-tree grapefruits from his house in Naples, Florida.
If you weren’t a bartender, you’d be…
A gentleman farmer or a 19th-century inventor of dangerous, impractical household contraptions and pseudoscientific medical devices.
A bartender’s best friend is…
Open-minded, engaged regulars. They set the tone for the entire bar. At their best they can be catalysts for general conversation, assurance for newcomers and witnesses to the insults we sometimes endure. At their worst they can be boorish but hey, even my charms wear thin after repeated watchings.
A bartender’s worst enemy is…
Needy, indecisive customers. A complete stranger asking a bartender, “What do I want?” is not the way to get what you want, and we can’t help anyone in the room until you can help us at least narrow the options to things you might like. Chain restaurants and people with ulterior motives use suggestive selling for a reason, and it’s not to give you what you want.
People drink too much…
of the same drink all the time. A well timed and well chosen drink can accentuate life. It can kick off a great evening or solace you when cold and tired. In various forms it can help celebrate, stimulate, relax, reflect, console and comfort. If it’s the same drink every time (or too much of any drink), it’s not a deliberate enhancement of life — it’s just drinking.
People don’t drink enough…
Gin, whiskey, rye … Where do I begin? Alright, how about bitter cocktails? Don’t you get a little tired of sweet & sour or sour & sweet? Do yourselves a favor and try a Negroni or an Americano, or if you can find someone who knows how to make one have the beautifully herbal Greenpoint.
Drink for a hot summer day
Salty gin rickey.
Drink for a cold winter night
A Tom & Jerry (if you’re very lucky).
The best thing about drinking in Boston is…
It’s a small town in the sense that you keep running into the same great people when out, yet there are so many excellent places to get a drink. If you go to the “genuine” bars it’s really a warm, welcoming place.
The worst thing about drinking in Boston is…
some places feel they have something to prove. I wish more bars and restaurants would just lay it out like they know they have the goods and trust the customer to get it. If you have to sell the customer on “we’re good-special-different-the only bar doing this outside New York, etc.” it comes across like someone explaining why their joke is funny. Be honest, be good, be yourselves and keep quiet about it so we can enjoy you in our own way.
Posted in Bartenders | 1 Comment »
June 10th, 2006
Recently, after a kindly bartender at Eastern Standard sent me home with a bottle of hard-to-find Peychaud’s bitters, I mixed my first Seelbach, a bourbon-and-Champagne-based cocktail born in 1917 at the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. Oh my god, was it good. I assumed I would never encounter this rare drink outside my own living room. Then one night I met Scott Holliday, bar manager at the Cambridge restaurant Chez Henri. When he took my order, I simply told him that I liked whiskey drinks. A few minutes later, he placed a bubbly, reddish cocktail on my bar napkin — a Seelbach! I wanted to marry the guy. I’m a sucker for drinks that top spirits off with Champagne. Mysteriously, the bubbles both accentuate and mellow the bourbon and bitters, and as a whole the Seelbach conjures up dueling memories of wedding toasts and camping trips. Try this recipe:
The Seelbach (from Gary and Mardee Regan’s New Classic Cocktails)
1 oz bourbon
1/2 oz Cointreau
7 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
7 dashes Angostura bitters
5 oz Champagne
Pour the liquor and bitters into a Champagne flute and stir. Add Champagne and stir again. Garnish with an orange twist.
Note: I prefer to stir the liquor and bitters lightly over ice and then strain them into the Champagne flute before adding the Champagne. It makes a pleasantly chilled drink that is not so cold or watered down that it dulls the spirits’ character.
Posted in Boston bars, Cocktails, Whiskey | 4 Comments »
