Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1787
F or the most part, Boston has not been a contender in the world-class cocktail league. The city's bars were purpose- fully kept parochial, their drink lists dusty tributes to the glories of cocktails past. Late- ly, though, Boston's attitude toward spirits has undergone a sea change. An elite coterie of mixologists has been upscaling the craft of drink-mixing, and they're rapidly gaining celebrity status among the cocktail cogno- scenti, as THE TASTING PANEL discovered on a recent Saturday night in the city's Fort Point Channel neighborhood. Fort Point Channel is not one of the city's hotspots—yet. Once the shabby outskirts of Boston's Financial District, it was revivifi ed in the 1970s by the Fort Point Arts Commu- nity, which developed a cooperative of live- in studios for artists. A modern commercial district grew up around it over the years, as numerous galleries, boutiques and restau- rants set up shops. Today, one of the Point's most progres- sive forces is seasoned restaurateur Barbara Lynch, who recently opened an eatery there. Sportello is her slick upscale take on the funky lunch counters that once were a main- stay in these streets. Below stairs—literally in the restaurant's cellar—is Drink, Lynch's elegant new watering hole. The space is minimalist, but feels capa- cious. The usual tools of the trade are spir- ited away: no bottles, no labels, no taps. On the business side of the long zig-zagging bar are large prep islands sporting luxuri- ant pots of fresh herbs destined to become drink ingredients. Blocks of Kold-Draft ice are bolted to the islands, where the staff hand-carves them according to the cold- ness specs of each cocktail. The bar staff Boston Underground Retro-mod watering hole Drink celebrates the alchemy of alcohol 52 / the tasting panel / august 2009 by Clare Demarest Drink is Boston's elegant new below-ground watering hole. John Gertsen mixes a classic punch for an ap- preciative audience. PHOTO: CLARE DEMAREST New England