Best bars in Boston to get your drink on

This hidden sister bar to popular restaurant Journeyman is best found by looking for the disoriented would-be patrons wandering the parking lot between neighbors Bronwyn and the Independent. Once you find yourself inside, you'll be treated to outstanding service and meticulously crafted cocktails while seated at low-key wooden block tables. Show up early or make reservations—staff will make people wait rather than letting them crowd the space.

This underground bar has been firmly planted at the top of local and national cocktail enthusiasts' must-see lists for its personal approach to mixology. Master bartenders present patrons not with a menu but with an ear to listen to each imbiber's preferences, crafting artisinal tipples from their stock of premium spirits and mixers.

One of the city’s most exciting mixologists… is in Woburn? Ran Duan took over the drink menu at his parents' suburban Chinese restaurant—a revelation in its own right—and turned it into an outré bar program that draws cocktail connoisseurs from all over. Classic drinks like pisco punches get bracing updates (pineapple vinegar?); Duan even won an award at the Bacardi Legacy Global Cocktail Competition for his Father's Advice (rum, amaro, vermouth, sherry, creme de banana). In Baldwin & Sons Trading Company, the bar within the bar within the restaurant, things get downright kitschy, with tiki glassware and dry ice effects. Keep an eye on Duan’s just-opened Blossom Bar in Brookline, a complete redo of his parent’s first restaurant, which combines Szechuan classics with a similarly outré cocktail program.

Photograph: Courtesy Yelp/Ran D.

The Hawthorne is a swanky lounge spread over several subterranean rooms in the Hotel Commonwealth. It can be difficult to find a free space on one of the spot's many couches, but the classic cocktails and variety of small plates are worth the wait. The soft pretzel with bourbon mustard pairs well with nearly everything.

This downtown bar was the victim of a brutal flooding in early 2016 and took months to reopen (damn those wintertime burst pipes), which means it’s your drinking duty to patronize it frequently. You’ll hardly suffer: JM Curley is cocktail nirvana. Concoctions both new-fangled (the Cinnablunt, made up of cinnamon-infused mezcal, cynar and coffee liqueur) and classic (the whiskey smash is to die for) get blended in front of you by hipster-mustachioed mixologists. For lower-key types, there’s a potent beer list, but when cocktails this great start at nine bucks, why play it safe?

Photograph: Courtesy Yelp/Rosanna M.

The tiny, beloved bar area at restaurant Hungry Mother (RIP) eventually led to the opening of sibling State Park, a full-scale bar nearby. You can split a pitcher of Pimm’s Cup or Tom Collins with friends at the indoor shuffleboard table or jukebox, or grab a seat at the bar and focus on your own drink. The signature cocktail is in keeping with the bar’s cheeky vibe: Miller High Life, Rittenhouse rye, Amaro Braulio and a lemon twist, served in the beer bottle. The cocktail list is creative without being fussy; if you don’t see what you want, worry not! The knowledgeable bartenders will make anything you ask for. End the night with a beer and a shot, and make a date to return for a proper dinner.

Jackson Cannon really was the man who started it all. When the Balthazar-like Eastern Standard opened in 2005, Cannon helmed a bar program committed to a higher level of mixology, from top-shelf spirits to freshly squeezed mixing juices. Suddenly, Red Sox fans started drinking Sazeracs instead of Bud Lights, and other area bartenders took notice. While Cannon has since left the day-to-day operations to head up The Hawthorne, subsequent managers have only deepened the bar’s commitment to quality and creativity.

The long narrow bar area becomes a pile of people and high tops at peak hours—show up for last call or on school nights for optimal results. The menu's cocktail list has plenty to choose from but, if you’re not overwhelmed by options, ask the bartender for the “special” cocktail binder for hundreds of more options.

This is one of the jewels of Boston's popular Irish pub scene. Named after the Irish playwright, it once hosted standing-room-only seisiúns, attended by the likes of Patrick McCabe and JP Donleavy. Behan's is not a fancy place—it's small and dimly lit, with no food on offer—but that's part of its charm. Locals love it because they are encouraged to bring their own food—usually from the various take-out joints that dot Centre Street—to nibble on in-between pints from their incredible beer selection.

Brick & Mortar is still just as hard to find as its predecessor, the Enormous Room, but once you head through the nondescript door and up the stairs, the similarities end. A giant horseshoe-shaped bar and ample bar stool seating have replaced the low, rug-clad seating platforms and hybrid drink/bathroom line. The cocktails shine and the bar snacks (which include bacon-wrapped dates and deep fried house-made pickles) are done just right.