The entrance to Backbar, Sam Treadway’s Somerville cocktail bar, is inconspicuous and sneaky. Behind the unassuming gray door lies a colorful, “Star Wars”-decorated lounge and bar with some of the most creative cocktails in the area. Backbar has been named one of the top 25 bars in the world by Time Out and the No. 1 bar in Boston by Boston Magazine, but these accolades will come as no surprise to anyone who has tried cocktails on its changing menus.
The ambiance and service is amazing. Bartenders are skilled at recommending drinks as well as creating them. Even Treadway walks around refilling waters and conversing with customers. I asked question after question about the process behind all these inventive drinks, and he responded with a comprehensive and thoughtful answer for each one.
Backbar is now offering a “mixtape menu,” each drink inspired by a song chosen by the bartenders.
I first tried Fruits of My Labor, from the Lucinda Williams song. Some of the ingredients come directly from Williams’ lyrics – sugarcane, persimmons and purple flowers. The flavor profile is suggested by the ethos of the song, of bitterness and then acceptance of the bitterness, in turn producing something sweet. I was skeptical of some of the ingredients, namely sunchoke, but I found the drink to be amazing – perfectly sweet, with a refreshing summery spice.
I also tried Squabble Up, an unconventional old-fashioned prompted by the recent Kendrick Lamar song. It includes broccoli-infused gin as a reference to the lyric “woke up looking for the broccoli.” The drink definitely tastes like broccoli, and initially, is as abrasive as it sounds. The savory flavor does grow on you slowly, accompanied by a Parmesan crisp garnish and boosted by the inclusion of Kleos Mastiha, a sweet and floral Greek liqueur.
I probably wouldn’t order a drink with a vegetable-infused gin again anytime soon. But there are few other places in the city with a menu so original, and I’m glad I seized the opportunity.
Leaving Backbar, I found I already could not wait to go back to try every drink on the menu and introduce friends to the vaguely hipster yet homey decorations and vibe – and of course, the unbelievably cool drinks. You won’t find such service and ambiance paired with exceptionally creative drinks anywhere else.
Backbar, 7 Sanborn Court, Union Square, Somerville
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