Drink

Marvelous cocktails! We stumbled in by pure dumb luck and enjoyed it very much. The bartenders are talented, and can make anything you order. I tested them by ordering a Pegu, and it was *perfect*.
One con: they didn’t have a cocktail list, so you have to know what you like and be coherent enough to remember it.
The bar and lighting were beautiful, and our group of scientists loved the entomology collection under the glass on the side bars.

When asked by fellow Manhattanites where they should go when visiting Boston, I steer them directly to Drink. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars — go directly to Drink and fingers crossed you sit down across from Ezra (a bartender at Drink).
Down the stairs of a conspicuous hallway, around the corner and you’ve arrived at Drink, a speakeasy-​style bar located in the up and coming Seaport District. Congratulations, you’re in for a good night. There is not a menu, per se. Come in with your preferred liquor, and ask for some originality or a spin on something you like. Place the bartender in the drivers seat, and allow them to show you their craft.
I’ve seen fire [cocktails] and I’ve seen rain [cocktails] at this bar (James Taylor) — and every concoction in-​between.
You’ll never have a bad experience here, but your best bet is to go on a snowy Sunday in a holiday where Bostonians leave Boston. My best experience in this bar was when the bar was pretty much empty (which virtually never happens) on a snowy Thanksgiving weekend. It was me and a friend, and a couple other couples. The bartenders were fully engaged and partaking in the fun — After about 4 – 5 cocktails, I had a large whisky tasting, and felt like Oprah as I handed out the tastings to the other couples we made friends with (You get a whisky, You get a whisky, Everybody gets a whisky!). They returned the favor by sharing their charcuterie board which was equally delicious.
At $ 10 a cocktail, this is one of the best values in Boston with unparalleled quality.
FINAL TIP: I was on a mission to find the best burger in Boston, and tried most every notable burger. This burger is the best in Boston — hands down. But it is limited to only 20 night, so go early as it typically sells out before 6:00pm. If you miss the burger, go with the fries and aioli.

Unique bar that conjures up drinks based on your likes. I heard so many great things that I was a little surprised when every flavor I suggested was unavailable (watermelon, passion fruit, pear, peach, and a couple others). I thought at least one of those would be reasonable to expect. Nevertheless, the drinks that were made for us were good. The chips and sour cream & onion dip were addictive. Long wait and a bit crammed inside.

Stopped here for one drink on a hot afternoon. The atmosphere was hipster trendy but comfortable, and service was good. I had a beer off of their decent (non-​tap) beer list, but I suspect a cocktail would have been a better choice.
The entrance wasn’t immediately obvious — we almost circled the block looking for it, and encountered another couple of would-​be patrons doing the same thing. Maybe that adds to the hipster cred?

Underwhelming, overhyped. Decent cocktails, LOUD, long wait. Wanted to love Drink, as I (really) enjoy cocktails, but alas not to be.
On a Sunday, ambiance felt more like sports bar crowd + cocktails… not at all what one might expect from a speakeasy. Enjoyed a tasty Last Word but actually expected something more original from the mixologists, so ordered a Toronto to avoid disappointment on the second round. Part of enjoying a well-​made concoction is the maker, and while pleasant, bartenders were definitely too slammed to chat with. Look forward to keeping the Hawthorne as my go-​to for now.
Protip: The wait is notorious, so avoid peak if you’re rolling deep. Located at the base of Sportello, walk downstairs.

This place is very fun. As it’s been said, the main appeal is that it’s a true mixology/​cocktail bar which means there are no menus. You simply tell them what you’re in the mood for and a drink will come to you. Not to mention they have amazing thick cut french fries, which are so un greasy and thick cut (steak frite style). That’s the only app from the light bar menu worth it unless you want to settle for chips, dip, deviled eggs, etc.
Luckily, my friend and I came for happy hour time on Saturday around 6ish and there was only about a 15 – 20 minute wait. We just stood and ordered and drank on the side, then was seated to the bar. By this time, I had already drank my cocktail but oh well. They do try to seat you quickly, and service is good.
I told them I was in the mood for a green juice/​refreshing (it was about 90 degrees out!), not too sweet cocktail and got a cucumber gimlet. Very refreshing, light and boozy. My friend got something that was rum based and tropical but not overdone. It seemed like one group in particular did some kind of scorpion bowl 2.0 thing with fire and whatnot. Def inquire about that.
They don’t tell you the drink prices but I think everything was in the $ 10 – 15 range; what’d you expect in NYC. Def. come earlier because at night apparently there’s a 30+ min wait.

With a name like DRINK it better be good! Definitely my favorite bar in Boston for so many reasons. Let’s just start with the name, there’s no confusion as to what you came here to do. Secondly, the layout is really unique. No tables just 3 bars inside and you basically get a bartender to take care of you and just a few other ppl next to you, so even if the bar is full you get personal attention. Lastly, there is a wine and beer menu but for cocktails you’re gonna have to you know like actually converse with the human serving you Drinks.
PRO TIP: Drink might have one of the best burgers in the world

It can be a little hard to find, but it’s without a doubt the place to be for specialty cocktails.
Arriving around 7pm on a weeknight the place was already packed out. Standing room it is… Greeted and served promptly by the bar tender, I was asked what I like in a drink. I listed a few options (vodka, gin, bourbon, ginger, mint, etc…) of liquor and flavorings that I like in a cocktail and he said «OK» and went about making me something totally unique based on my answer.
To compliment, I tried an order of their thick cut fries with aioli. These came out shortly after my cocktail. Both were incredibly good!
After a few minutes patiently waiting, a seat at the bar opened up and I grabbed it. Watching the bar tenders craft all kinds of interesting drinks was a highlight of my visit.
Great tasting small plates, hand crafted speciality cocktails and a show of making them. Yes, this is a lounge you’ll want to try.

I enjoyed this little speakeasy. I have a thing about finding nice unique bars wherever I travel and they did well. This is a place, not for drinking to drink, but drinking to enjoy. It’s not exactly affordable if you’re looking to get drunk, but it’s worth your money if you’re looking for an enjoyable night with great drinks.
They make a point to tell you they do not have a cocktail menu. Which I expect in a place like this. I gave them some challenges. I’m not one to order a standard like whiskey sour when I have a quality cocktail crafter at my disposal. We had several drinks, each very unique, each very delicious. If I put this place on a hipster scale it would only be slightly hipster, a little more trendy. They get a mixed crowd and all of the bartenders have a distinct personality.

I want to move to the Boston waterfront just so that I can come here every week. Fantastic neighborhood bar in the basement of Sportello. Great beers, great wines but even greater bartenders. They can pretty much make any drink that you want. On one night, they made a Singapore sling, Mai tai, mojito and French 75. All fantastic drinks. On the food side, it’s goooood. I understood from them that they recently changed the menu so there are some new items compared to a month ago. We had the steak tartare, fries and cheeseburgers. The cheeseburgers aren’t on the menu but you can get it anyway. Be hungry though as its two patties with cheese and thick tasty bread. The venue is cool with 3 bar areas and some standing tables. We came on a Sunday night and didn’t have trouble finding 2 spots at the bar. For a larger group, you may need to hover to get a spot but it’s so worth it

Had high hopes that were dashed. We didn’t have food so this is a review for the drinks and they were fine. Nothing exciting or original. I didn’t like either of my drinks that much. Maybe my hopes were too high but I had been trying to come for months and it was just fine. I’d give it another try but would not wait more than a few minutes to get in.

[Service]: We came right when it opened, so there was not too many people here already. We were able to get seats at the bar.
[Food]: I do not drink alcohol. I unfortunately cannot comment on the skills of the mixologists. I came here because I heard about their burger that they serve in limited quantities, so I just had to try it. It was a solid burger, but it lacked a juiciness that I was expecting (Max Burger achieves this to great effect). I will give it another try and see if the result is different. An order of fries is enough for two people.
[Décor]: The bar runs like a game of snake. It is not straight through, but I think you really maximize the amount of people you can get near the bar this way.
[Atmosphere]: It is a bar. What do you expect?

Drink is a great spot to escape the typical bar scene. Forget fighting for service and holding out a $ 20 so you can get a drink ordered. Drink strictly limits the number of patrons so that everyone has either a seat at the bar or standing room at the counters. The bartenders (mixologists) are very attentive and knowledgeable. Tell them what you like to drink and they’ll concoct something similar that is usually very good. Yes, there is usually a line out the door to get in but this plays into their appealing atmosphere once inside.
I’ve brought friends, family and coworkers here and have always had a great time. They serve up unique cocktails and like to interact with the customers. Free shots in various forms have also been given on several occasions and what’s better than free booze?!

Passed by this place 3x before and never agreed to the standard 30 minute wait they always quoted. This time, I finally gave in since the alternative was to go back out to frigid below zero temps.
True to their motto, these guys don’t serve up a cocktail menu. Their selling point is that you describe what sorts of drinks and flavors you prefer and leave it in their hands to concoct something fancy and unique for you. Great in theory but in practice, it was only executed half the time during my visit.
Our server asked us what cocktails we usually like to drink and mine is a Sapphire Gimlet. When she came back to place my drink down, I asked her what I ended up getting and was told «A Sapphire Gimlet». [Insert confused look here]. Yeah, that wasn’t the super duper original drink I was expecting :/​
Round 2 was better and I suppose it’s because it was replenished by the bartender. He asked if I liked herbs and I ended up with a version of the Gimlet with some mint muddled in. More refreshing than the first but both were made very well.
Overall verdict? Drinks were very good but «nothing special» comes to mind when describing the experience if you factor in the aforementioned wait time. You do get a mini mixologist show here and there when they’re mixing the drinks with the flames. Hmm. actually now I’m wondering what they were mixing in those?

Disappointing. I had high expectations since this place had a lot of good reviews. I love a well-​made cocktail and bartenders that can craft drinks to your liking.
The experience was pretty nice because the bartenders make drinks according to what flavors you like. They don’t have a menu for you to order drinks off of, so I thought they would be making unique drinks not found elsewhere.
I ordered 2 drinks with the following flavor profiles:
1. citrus, clear liquor, not too sweet, sour or bitter
Elderflower sour — balanced but had this herbal taste, which I didn’t enjoy
2. champagne based drink, fruity, not too sweet
Old Cuban — maybe raspberry flavor but a bit too sweet for my liking
Since the drinks do seem to have names, I guess they do have a list of drinks they know how to make, so the concept is not that unique.
I really wanted to like this place, but the drinks weren’t made well to my liking :/

Best burger I have had in boston must try
Atmosphere was cool I liked how it was different
Service was great

Came in last night was quoted a 30 minute wait time by the host and it was pretty accurate
The bar tender Jan was amazing. I just told him things I like (vodka, Rosemary, fig and mint) and he made me the most amazing drink ever
He was very nice and talkative but not annoyingly talkative
My boyfriend religiously drinks captain Morgan on the rocks with a splash of Coke and NOTHING ELSE for the last 10 years and he let Jan make him a surprise drink based on that and thankfully he ended up really enjoying the custom concoction
Our bar tender also recommended to us and off menu item– I am going on the record and saying this is officially THE BEST BURGER IVE EVER ATE IN MY LIFE
I can’t give this place 5 stars because it’s the first time in a really long time where I had to wait in line. I patiently waited 30 minutes and it was worth it but just annoying to wait

Incredible experience at Drink! There was an hour wait which we happily tackled (thank goodness it was indoors!). Folks did come in an sneak past the line to join their party in line, which is a discouraged practice by the establishment but honestly we didn’t mind! You give your name to the host and he gives you an approximate wait time which is nice. Love the sign out there too! We lived that we could describe what we loved and the bartenders would take the reigns from there.
What we got:
–cheese gougeres (⁵⁄₅)
Yummy puffy cheese bites
–Lions Tail (⁵⁄₅)
Pretty damn hefty on the liquor but amazing!
–Gin Ramos Fizz (⁵⁄₅)
–Pink Lady (⁴⁄₅)
Great mastery drink just wasn’t for me
–Manhattan (⁵⁄₅)
–Old Fashioned (⁵⁄₅)
–Blood & Sand (⁵⁄₅)
We were here for just the weekend and it’s a must visit! GO people I promise you won’t be disappointed

Drink is my favorite place to grab a couple cocktails and some amazing bar bites. I always order the Old Fashioned to sip on while I snack on my two favorites off their menu, the Steak Tartare and the French Fries. The Steak Tartare is the best I’ve ever had, served with perfectly toasted brioche and a dollop of truffle aioli. The French Fries are also not your normal fries. These thick cut fries have the perfect amount of crunch and the malt vinegar aioli dipping sauce is so good you’ll have to ask for more.
This place can get very busy, so we like to get there early to get a nice seat at the bar. There’s no drink menu so you just tell your mixologist what spirit you want and maybe a couple flavor preferences (ie. sweet, spicy, smokey, spirit forward, fruity, you get the idea) and they’ll never disappoint with their creations. Most cocktails are around $ 15 each, but is worth it in my opinion.
The bartenders (mixologists) are always extremely pleasant and fun to talk to. Never had anything but exceptional service here. I always bring our friends here when they’re visiting Boston.

This place is awesome! We were told the wait was 30 – 40 minutes for a Saturday night around 10pm but it seemed way shorter. The queue to get in was well organized — you sign in, then when you get in you’re standing until a seat opens up, then the staff will come find you and seat you. The staff was really friendly and helpful! The bartenders were really down to earth and great at what they do! You can just tell them what kind of drinks you like (fruity, types of citrus, type of alcohol, etc) and they’ll make the drink you never knew you were missing out on in life.
Also, I love potatoes so getting fries was a given. It was a nice surprise when the fries were all standing in a «pot» when served. A small but nice detail.

In a word… Meh. If I added a second word to say how I felt, it was underwhelmed.
I absolutely loved the burger and their fries are indeed to die for, but despite that, I’m not anxious to come back. Despite it being around 4:30 (just after they opened), it was already getting quite busy. Luckily, we snagged seats at the bar. We were greeted by an «apprentice» who explained that there’s no drink menu, blah blah blah. We ordered the punch which was an egg nog one for the holiday season and a gin based cocktail that wasn’t too sweet. Given that I never got an opportunity to ask what my drink was made of, I’m pretty certain the odds of replicating it are slim to none.
Service was awful when we were there, but we were also told that due to the holiday season, they were short staffed. I don’t believe that’s a good excuse but I also find that I have become the service police given the type of job that I have. Others would likely be more laid back about this than me.
I love numerous other Barbara Lynch Group places, but I can’t say I’m itching to come back to this one and it’s essentially across the street from me. If I want a cocktail, there are simply other places to go with better service and a less uptight experience.

There was about a 40 minute wait in a stairwell to get inside. Once we got inside the service was not really good and other people got seated before us even though they said to wait. Definitely get the fries here as a snack as they custom make you a drink after listening to what your tastes are. I got something similar to a Moscow Mule and a lemon drop.

This was top 5 bars I’ve ever been to. I’ve never been to a place where I just gave random ingredients and what I was in the mood to drink and they not only delivered, but exceeded all my expectations. For my first drink I asked for «bourbon, ginger, and honey» and the second «bourbon and berries». They brought out two elegant cocktails that were beyond delicious!
There is a waiting line to go inside but it goes by pretty quick. They have standing areas blocked off so it’s not crowded and everyone has a designated spot. If you tell your waiter you would like to sit at the bar, they can try and accommodate you once guests leave. Sitting at the bar was the real treat. These mixologists were masers of their craft and it was apparent in the way they moved around the bar mixing unique drinks all night.
A little on the pricey side but totally worth it!

I was definitely lured by the hype and stood in a long-​ass line in the Boston cold to get in. When we did, we were first at a standing «table» where we put in our drink orders, which yes, were delicious, but I don’t even remember what they were because the service was so pretentious and snooty. I felt extremely unwelcome. Were we not cool enough for the bartender or something?
We did manage to move to a seated spot, but at that point I was already upset and annoyed by the service. There are many other places to drink in Boston, ones where you can actually get a seat and feel like they want you to be there.

Love this mixology place! The food is awesome. Drinks can sometimes be a miss, but they’re happy to remake it for you if you didn’t like it. A lot of their drinks use grapefruit juice or essence. If you’re not a fan of the grapefruit flavor, make sure you tell them. Otherwise, tell them your favorite drink or spirit, and they’ll create something cool for you!

An amazing and classy concept for enjoying the art of true Mixology!
Expect there to be room to walk around and mingle as controlled crowds are brought in and a line outside the door.
A friendly face at the door takes your name down and lets you know how long of a wait there will be.
Once you’re in you are designated at a stand up area where hangers are available for purses and Coats. A friendly explanation by a server will be with you to either take your order or write down your preference of drinks for them to create an amazing concoction especially for you — solely based on you giving them a detail of how you would like your drink to be (I.e. Vodka, smooth, fruity, strong, bitter, etc).
Bites are also available to have with your drinks.
Once a spot becomes available to sit at the bar, your server will come to get you and show you to your seating and enjoy the view of Mixology at work.
Very friendly and perhaps just a little bit on the slow side, but that comes with customization.

Super cute, literal underground bar! They don’t have a drink menu so you just tell the bartender flavors that you like and they’ll whip something up thats delicious. I ordered something fruity with gin, something chocolatey, and something with coffee or espresso. All great!
If you go you HAVE to get the burger. It was mouth-​watering. They even cut it in half for you if you want to share it, just ask. However these are so good you might want one all to yourself.
There almost always a line so factor that in. Good news is that you can wait in line inside the building to escape the cold.

I was impressed however, I am not a big fan of trendy or hipster concepts. I do not like to wait for food or alcohol. I do not like to be packed into a tiny area with no room to shift my weight or place my jacket. So in pleasing my wife and her sister in law, I tagged along.
No sign of course, too hip for that. We waited about 20 minutes for a tiny piece of square footage, standing room of course, facing the wall. And the hipster bearded man bun bartenders. No cocktails on the menu with prices. I knew I would be counting the seconds to leave this pretentious place.
Luckily, 3 seats at the bar opened up and our host put us at the bar where we could sit and relax.
Now despite how I feel about these places, the service was great and my drinks were perfect. I like how they don’t rush you to order. It’s very slow paced. Even the prices, about 12 – 15 bucks per craft cocktail are decent for specialty drinks.
Like other reviewers said, you tell the server or bartenders what you like and they come up with your drink. I had a version of a Moscow mule and then a pisco sour. Both delicious and super palatable. We split the homemade chips and the heavily overpriced for what you get cheese plate.
A neat place if you’re into this scene.

Went here with the boyfriend and my mom and aunt who were visiting. I have heard so many great things about this place so we decided to check it out.
We arrived around 5:30pm on a Saturday and were met with a 15 person line at the door. It was a little bit confusing to understand how the entrance into the bar worked, but we were let in about 20 minutes later.
Once inside, we were given a standing room spot at the bar. After about 5 minutes, we were approached by one of the bartenders who asked what kind of drink we were looking for. I felt like a spicy tequila drink, so he whipped me up one that came with a sort of granita in it.
Overall, the drinks were very good and the atmosphere was pretty cool. There were a few bartenders that made drinks using fire and other items that were awesome to watch – so it was definitely a bit of entertainment. Nevertheless, they weren’t the best drinks I’ve ever had and the whole space felt a bit cramped. I am glad it was the first stop on our bar crawl, as it is not a place I would spend more than 45 – 60 minutes at.

Ok I’ll admit it, I love a good secret dining opportunity. When a friend told us in hushed tones about the excitement waiting for us at Drink, I hounded my husband to get back to Boston to seek out this illusive and exclusive dining experience.
As everyone knows, if you’ve done your homework, Drink is underground, with no signage, reservations, or drink menus. We got there a half hour after they opened and all the seats were already taken, with spillage into the standing room only dining. We were encouraged that if we just ordered and waited, we would be shown to available seating as they opened up, but in the two hours we were there, this never happened.
We knew about the drink protocol, tell the person what items you like and they make something special just for you. We ordered our first set of drinks, and a starter of the truffle fries, and waited. We noticed as seats did come available, the staff had no idea and people would just take them regardless of how long others had been waiting. This irritated me because I wanted to see the bartenders work their magic and missed out on that part of the experience.
Our first set of drinks were ok, and the fries were amazing. We did know about the secret burgers off-​menu, and placed an order for one as well. We placed a second order of drinks, with explicit instructions for no citrus and were excited to see what came out next. The burger was hands down the best thing we had the entire time we were there, perfectly cooked, impeccably seasoned, and literally the burger other burgers dream about being when they grow up.
Our second set of drinks came, and despite the request for no citrus, they were both orange juice based. I sent mine back, and it was replaced with yet ANOTHER citrus based drink!!! I was way past annoyed at this point, and threw in the towel. Each drink was around $ 15, and they were honestly pretty good if you get what you actually ask for. The rest of them were meh and the service was horrible.
We witnessed multiple incidents of newcomers just stealing seats others had waited for, some like us for over two hours. The staff didn’t care, and didn’t do anything to remedy the situation for us or any others. I’m all for some amazing food and exceptionally unique drinking experiences, but not at the cost of orders wrong, no seating, and a sea of irritated fellow diners. Drink has to fix these issues!

4.5 stars — they get ½ of a star knocked off because we tried to go there three different times while in Boston (succeeded at 4pm… yup, I’m THAT person). Can’t really fault them, though — can see why they are so popular.
Cool basement space — very speakeasy like with three large wooden bars. We arrived and while a delicious small-​bites menu was placed in front of us, I was only focused on drinks. No drink menus — the bartender asked what kind of spirits we liked and also some flavor profiles. I chose vodka with sweet and sour and my husband said gin and that he normally likes gin and tonics, which translated to the bartender as liking something refreshing. I ended up with a vodka-​based drink with grapefruit and elderflower and he made my husband a Tom Collins. Both drinks were spot on, and you can see the preparation and care that goes into each drink. All fresh fruits and ingredients.
We could only stay for one drink, but I’d figure out how to be there all the time if I lived in the area. Note: the bartender did say if you are dining at Menton or Sportello and mentioned you want to come to Drink they will get you in even if they are crowded.

I AM IN LOVE. If it’s possible to fall in love with a bar. This place is like a gallery where artist bartenders display their talent. It’s SO COOL. It has a vibe that screams modern combined with prohibition era (which sounds weird but trust me on this one). I had a friend tell me Drink was a must visit if I was in the Seaport area in Boston as they make «mood drinks.»
So here’s the deal. Get here early. They only let a specific number of people in at a time and my friend and I must have just made the cut. Supposedly you have to get invited to sit at the bar, but we saw two seats open up, not knowing that rule and just popped a squat anyway. Our server greeted us and right off the bat told us they don’t have a cocktail menu. Weird because that’s why we came but okay. We asked her if it was true they made «mood drinks» (aka drinks to suite your mood) and she said that rumor may or may not be true. She proceeded to ask us how we were feeling, we said tired, what we like and don’t like and if we trusted her /​felt like an adventure. Obvious yes to all of the above. She brought us Bee’s Knees cocktails which included gin, honey and lemon and wow were they refreshing!
When we were sitting at the bar, it was like watching artists at work. They had a flow as each drink was made and it was kind of mesmerizing. All the mixers were made from scratch and the bitters too if I’m not mistaken. Definitely check this place out for fresh, modern and an inspired experience. I wish I could go back but Ohio is a long ways away.