The cocktails are fantastic at Drink, the Fort Point bar with a laserlike focus on fine drinks. Manager John Gertsen, formerly the bar brains of No. 9 Park, begins with the ice: Each cocktail comes with a certain kind of ice, either machine made or custom chipped from a giant 50-pound block in front of customers, a sight entertaining enough to ensure that “ice bar” seats are coveted. The cocktails are then made with freshly squeezed fruit juices, house-made syrups, and fresh herbs, a point that will be driven home to the customer if she happens to order a basil gimlet, which hounds adore.
Other picks: the Mint Julep, served in a traditional frosty silver cup; the 1794 cocktail of rye, Campari, and sweet vermouth; and the punch drinks, mixed up in a big bowl for group imbibing. One bummer: a limited bar menu that features just-OK deviled eggs for $4 an egg. “See, the challenge with a place like Drink is that on your arrival it’s the giddiness of anticipation of the superb cocktails that might lower your guard against what you’d otherwise see as questionable snack prices,” says wcantonese, “and after a couple of said cocktails, it’s pretty much the liquor itself taking over that job. Either way, you’re feeling expansive, and before you know it saying things like, ‘Eggs all around!’”
Many hounds also complained about the bar being too crowded to find a seat, particularly on weekend nights and during the after-work rush. Drink tries to manage the crowds by greeting walk-ins and assigning seats at the bar according to when they arrive. This can confuse people who come in and see empty seats at the bar, only to be told they’re saved. Don’t be alarmed, says jgg13: “Two of us went around 7pm on Saturday two weeks ago, walked in, waited under 5 minutes and had seats at the ice block bar where Misty proceeded to take really good care of us.”
Drink [Fort Point]
348 Congress Street, Boston
617-695-1806
Board Link: Drink opening tomorrow?
