Hub crawl

Flush with the fruits of our labors, my partner in all things cocktail and I embarked on what we dubbed, “The Bonus Boston Bar Crawl.” Starting at the illustrious No. 9 Park (9 Park St.), our goal was to hit as many swanky joints as our livers and newly-fattened wallets could muster. Renowned for impeccable service, the all-knowing bartender didn’t disappoint, and even plied us with free bar snacks (Other Hub bars take note!). The It drink is the exceedingly drinkable Palmyra, a house specialty using Rain vodka, lime juice and mint-infused simple syrup.

At KO Prime (90 Tremont St.), the neon-lit décor replete with cowhide chairs and antler chandeliers had us thinking we’d walked onto the set of a late night Cinemax movie, except everyone was clothed. The blasé bar staff seemed more interested in pouting prettily than providing service.

Wanting something more elegant, we sojourned to the Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel (200 Boylston St.). This was the home run of the night, thanks to the decadence of pink champagne coupled with Papelbon’s All-Star Popcorn, a heady mix of truffles, sunflower seeds and organic parmesan. Stellar service, even more free bar snacks (see a trend?) and comfy leather couches earned its nickname “Boston’s living room.”

A pit stop at Via Matta (79 Park Place) provided my favorite drink, the Morning Dov, a radiant mix of Aperol, amaretto and Prosecco. We skedaddled shortly thereafter since the staff seemed focused on shutting  down for the night. After much thought, we chose Eastern Standard (528 Comm. Ave.) for the final nightcap, but unfortunately for us,  good service was not their standard. Our know-it-all bartender was rude and off-putting. Though the cock-tail was well made, it left us with a bitter taste. In the long run we were better off, because round six would’ve drained our wallets of the rest of our ducats.   

Kate Coughlin is a freelance writer living in Boston.