Best of Boston

Best Cocktail Bar

A hand holds a pale orange-pink cocktail in elegant glassware at a dark bar.
2023 Best Cocktail Bar

Farmacia

North End
This buzzy bar has just nine seats — so be sure to book your prepaid ticket far in advance. It’s well worth the effort to [...] read more»
2022 Best Cocktail Bar

Hecate

Boston
The rare spirits and ambitious beverages conjured at this chic cocktail den, named for the Greek goddess of sorcery, are like nowhere else in Boston [...] read more»
2019 Best Cocktail Bar

Longfellow Bar at Alden & Harlow

Cambridge
Chef Michael Scelfo’s bi-level bar has a standout list of tipples, including low-proof options like the amaro-mint “Harlow Smash,” plus posh finger foods to share. read more»
2018 Best Cocktail Bar

Blossom Bar

Brookline
Turns out, dan dan noodles and Latin libations are a cross-cultural match made in heaven. After putting Woburn on the map as a cocktail destination [...] read more»
2017 Best Cocktail Bar

Backbar

Somerville
Led by industry vet Sam Treadway, the friendly bartenders here entice imbibers with innovative "drink of the day" options such as a scotch-raspberry sour, ever-changing [...] read more»
2016 Best Cocktail Bar

Ames Street Deli

Cambridge
Editor's Note, July 13, 1 p.m.: Ames Street—which merged with its neighbor Study for a combined concept called "Study at Ames" in late June, after press [...] read more»
2015 Best Cocktail Bar

Straight Law

Brookline
Generally, a top-notch cocktail bar attempts to cover all the angles in the wider spirits world. But there's something to be said for homing in [...] read more»
2014 Best Cocktail Bar

Drink

Boston
After six years spent whipping the city into a craft-cocktail frenzy with its pitch-perfect Manhattan variations and handcarved ice cubes, Barbara Lynch and John Gertsen's [...] read more»
2013 Best Cocktail Bar

Drink

Boston
Drink is a bar of firsts—the first high-profile craft-cocktail joint in South Boston; the first place that some of the city's top bartenders worked; and, [...] read more»