Behind bars

You don’t have to commit a felony to visit Alibi and Clink in The Liberty Hotel. Located in the former Charles Street Jail, Alibi’s interior is befitting its history as well as its purpose: you’re in a former drunk tank! Surly celeb mug shots from Sinatra to Lohan stare you down from the walls. The drinks, while whimsically named (Cool Hand Cuke, Doing Thyme), are by no means exceptional. But the real crime here is that Alibi and Clink are not in cahoots; they have different owners. Alibi’s food is walked across the street from Harvard Gardens, rather than down one flight from Clink. I just can’t pardon the fact that when an essential ingredient for my desired cocktail was missing, I had to change my order.

After our drink at Alibi, we headed up to Clink. Housed in the lobby rotunda where the prisoners once exercised, patrons now lounge luxuriously in banquettes. There’s no fear of solitary at Clink. Weeknights are busy, but a snitch told me that the weekend line up outside the hotel is hard time. The quirky cocktail menu warrants your notice, and snacks are tempting and plentiful. You won’t need to put out an all points bulletin for your server; ours was always at the ready. By my judgment, I ain’t got no Alibi, but I’d do another stretch in the Clink anytime. 

Alibi and Clink
215 Charles St., Beacon Hill
617-224-4000
www.libertyhotel.com

Kate Coughlin is a freelance writer living in Boston.