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Backbar (Somerville)
If you're tired of endless apple and cinnamon holiday flavors, try backbar. The award winning spot is switching up traditional offerings with backbar's Hanukkah themed drinks menu.
Options include the Sababa, a savory chilled pina colada made with tahini and zhoug (zhoug is a spicy middle eastern sauce), from their Maccabee bar popup.
Maccabee bar operates through "popups," in which the host bar (in this case, backbar) gets a Hanukkah decor makeover, a themed cocktail menu, and specialty food items.
Bostonia Public House (Downtown Boston)
While you can't go wrong at Bostonia Public House's bar, which offers an array of drinks perfect for the season, general manager Norm Carpentier's favorite is the classic espresso martini.
"We have a couple great specials going on," Carpentier said. "But the mainstay, the espresso martini is probably my go-to. It's the best mid-winter kind of drink. One of the favorites on our menu all year round but especially enjoyable during the winter months."
Carpentier's favorite is made with Absolut vanilla vodka, Bailey's, Kahlua, and fresh espresso. The bar boasts a variety of other seasonal drinks, including the 'Sweat-er Weather', made with Bacardi spiced Rum, serrano pepper, lemon, cinnamon simple, and apple cider syrup.
Buttonwood (Newton)
Looking for some dinner with your drinks? Try Buttonwood, a restaurant offering rustic American fare, cocktails, beer, and wine.
You can get Buttonwood's mulled wine sangria by the glass or the carafe, so it's perfect for a group (or a taxi ride home for one). Seasonal spices make the mix of red wine, brandy, and orange liqueur perfect for a holiday outing.
While sipping your sangria, you can enjoy a winter squash risotto, served up with mushrooms, crispy sage, and parmigiano-reggiano.
The Banks Fish House (Back Bay in Boston)
If you want to celebrate New Year's in style, splash out at the Banks Fish House.
The restaurant has a raw bar and a variety of up-scale seafood favorites, but the extensive bubbles menu is perfect for a special seasonal occasion.
For the big spender, the 1999 Bruno Paillard Assemblage Vintage could be the perfect way to mark the changing of seasons or rolling into the new year. For the more economically minded, try the Zonin Prosecco Extra Dry, available by the glass.
Drink (Boston Seaport)
Bartenders at aptly-named Drink can mix up anything, even if you don't know what you want. Just describe what you like in a cocktail and the bartenders will take care of you, their website promises.
For those wanting something specific, try the Benson Flip, made with rum, crème de cacao, Maraschino liqueur, heavy cream, coffee beans, and one whole egg. The bar even released the recipe, so you can make it at home on days when you're too cold to leave the house.
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