East Boston’s hidden cocktail bar, Next Door — Pazza on Porter’s sibling spot and neighbor — is an excellent choice for dramatically presented cocktails and a seafood-focused menu of shellfish towers, caviar, crudo, and more. Work your way through drinks that are visually appealing but also expertly made — the smoke bubble toppings, flames, and such aren’t just gimmicks. Try the “Lock and Key,” a take on a pina colada made with clarified milk.

Tiny cocktail bar Farmacia, located next to its sibling spot Ciao Roma in the North End’s North Square, seats just a handful of people at a time for its pre-paid cocktail experience. Parla and Wink & Nod alum Phillip Rolfe is at the helm, leading visitors through a customizable journey of classic cocktails supplemented by bar snacks. Rolfe rotates the offerings every few months — a recent menu centered on natural elements included a pickle-infused vodka cocktail with tomato water and savory spices, and a smoky rye whiskey number. Reservations are highly encouraged.

Located within the Charles River Speedway in Brighton, Birds of Paradise is the latest cocktail escape from Blossom Bar’s Ran Duan and his star-studded bartending team. The menu is split into two sides: On one end, there’s an anchor “global” drink set that includes cocktails like the Kingston to Milan, a riff on the Kingston Negroni. On the other end, there’s a “destination” set that will change with the team’s travels. Right now, the destination is Guadalajara, and the drinks to get include the Big Apple in Lil’ Jalisco, a carbonated cocktail that ties together tequila and green apple cordial.

The downstairs bar at Mooncusser isn’t new, but it’s freshly exciting to visit, having recently welcomed local bartending legend Todd Maul (Clio, Cafe ArtScience) in for a residency. As Maul fans know, he loves to play with technology; watch for him to create clarified juices using a centrifuge, quickly freeze liquids with a Snapchiller machine, and torch things. Catch him Wednesday through Saturday, starting at 4 p.m.

Borrachito’s storefront is a taqueria at the Seaport, but duck through a freezer door and head down a hallway to find bartenders slinging drinks from a hip hideout adjacent to the restaurant. Grab a seat and dig into the fun, cheekily named cocktails, including the Credit Card Roulette at the Steakhouse (rye whiskey, soy, caramelized demerara sugar, allspice, spiced pear, and angostura bitters) and the California Snowstorm (gin, pistachio, coconut, cucumber, and lime).

Owner Elizabeth Georgantas has taken over former South End institution the Boston Eagle — one of the city’s oldest gay bars, which closed its doors in 2021 — and opened the Kartal in its place. The bar is named after the Turkish word for eagle, a deliberate homage to the old space, and a two-headed eagle presides over the front door. Creative cocktails, both alcoholic and non, line the menu here, and the bar sources its house stock of gin and bourbon from nearby Chattermark Distillers in Charlestown.

When restaurateur Tiffani Faison opened boisterous Fool’s Errand in 2018 in Fenway — on the same block as siblings Sweet Cheeks and Tenderoni’s — the venue was standing-room-only; returning from a pandemic hiatus, the European-leaning “adult snack bar” now has seating. Small bites like marinated olives and bread and butter complement cocktails from the Emotional Support Napkin (gin, aquavit, absinthe, carrot, and both acid-adjusted grapefruit and grapefruit bitters) to the Oh! She’s Power Walking! (rye whiskey, Swedish punsch, Bénédictine liqueur, yellow chartreuse, and cherry bark vanilla bitters).

Okay, you do have to bring your own booze to this particular cocktail bar. But stay with us: Barlette, from the team behind the tiny, award-winning tasting menu spot Cobble in Brookline, is quite the interactive cocktail experience. The bar supplies all the mixers, tools, and garnishes, and then, with the help of a knowledgeable bartender, you can mix your own drinks that are fine-tuned to your preferences. Each pre-paid ticket includes three mixers, a couple of plates of bar snacks, and all the glasses, ice, garnishes, and mixing tools you need.