The Tide Is High at Better Sorts Social Club

The Prettiest Cocktails in Boston Right Now

Whether you can’t wait to post your next cocktail on Instagram or you just appreciate a nice-looking drink, try these eye-catching drinks around town

by Katie Faust Stryjewski Jun 12, 2019, 9:11am EDT

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by Katie Faust Stryjewski Jun 12, 2019, 9:11am EDT

Katie Faust Stryjewski/Eater

A good cocktail is an experience that begins the moment the drink is set down in front of you. Bartenders know that customers drink with their eyes first, and it’s not difficult to find a cocktail with impeccable presentation in Boston’s bar scene. But in this age of Instagram, many bars are going above and beyond when it comes to beautiful drinks. Here are 14 of the most visually stunning cocktails you can order in and around Boston right now.

Negroni Rose at Talulla

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The Negroni isn’t a drink that usually wins many beauty contests, but Talulla’s floral take on the classic would certainly take home a crown. Scottish gin, Campari, and rose petal vermouth are stirred up and garnished with an orange slice and dried rose petals.

377 Walden St, Cambridge, MA 02138

(617) 714-5584

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A Matter of Trust at the Longfellow Bar

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The Longfellow Bar’s marble bar top and large windows are an Instagrammer’s dream, and the cocktails don’t disappoint. A Matter of Trust is the fancy G&T you never knew you needed, made with Roku Japanese gin, Suze, Miro Vermut, honey, and locally-made tonic water. But it’s the house-made nori water boba that make this drink truly unforgettable.

40 Brattle St #3, Cambridge, MA 02138

(617) 864-0001

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Pika at Artscience Culture Lab & Cafe

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The Pika was one of the first cocktails that beloved late bar manager Tenzin Samdo made for Artscience. It’s a delicious blend of scotch, ginger, clarified lemon, honey, and St. Germain, flavored with alpine herbs that can be found in its namesake’s natural habitat. The elaborate garnish — a lychee foam topped with cayenne, turmeric, lavender, coconut, basil, and a rice paper hummingbird — is all part of the experience, allowing the drinker to get a slightly different aroma and flavor depending on what part of the bowl from which they sip.

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650 E Kendall St, Cambridge, MA 02142

(857) 999-2193

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Que Será Será at Our Fathers

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The Que Será Será is Our Fathers’ bar manager Sara Alvernaz’s creative take on sangria — with no wine or fruit in sight. Butterfly pea flower tea gives the cocktail its beautiful purple hue and a faint floral flavor that complements fruity quince gin and herbal yellow Chartreuse. Juniper berries and edible flowers provide the finishing touch.

197 N Harvard St, Boston, MA 02134

(617) 303-0101

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The Tide Is High at Better Sorts Social Club

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You’ve probably never had a cocktail that looks — or tastes — quite like The Tide Is High from Better Sorts. With rum, lime, kale juice, and banana liqueur, it’s “your morning smoothie meets a daiquiri,” as one bartender put it. The vivid green drink is garnished with an edible orchid.

90 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02108

(617) 772-5834

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The Best Martinis in Boston Right Now

Tea Service at Yvonne's

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As you might expect, tea at Yvonne’s is a glamorous affair, and there’s plenty of booze involved. The downtown supper club offers two different shareable tea cocktails served in unique and beautiful tea sets. Choose from the Swedish Tea Cup (Absolut Elyx, Cocchi Rosa, green tea, and bubbles) and the Tea Trade (scotch, chai tea, East India sherry, and vanilla).

2 Winter Pl, Boston, MA 02108

(617) 267-0047

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Snowbunny at Trade

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Trade is ready for summertime with this adult twist on a classic snow cone. Vodka, elderflower, and lemon are topped with crushed ice, blackberry liqueur, and a dusting of powdered sugar.

540 Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA 02210

(617) 451-1234

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El Camino at Committee

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This tart and creamy creation with its eye-catching Tarot card garnish is just begging to be photographed. And Committee’s El Camino, made with tequila, lime, turmeric, agave, and house-made coconut cream, tastes as good as it looks.

50 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02210

(617) 737-5051

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Watermelon at Saltie Girl

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This two-toned beauty is the ultimate refreshing summer cocktail. Saltie Girl bar manager Christiano Souza combines watermelon juice with ice wine vinegar before mixing it with maraschino liqueur, simple syrup, and lime juice. The drink is topped with butterfly pea flower-infused rum and garnished with pickled watermelon rind.

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281 Dartmouth St, Boston, MA 02116

(617) 267-0691

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Box Office at the Ghost Walks

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The cocktails at the Ghost Walks are all about theatrics, and the Box Office takes that inspiration literally. Buried inside a popcorn bucket — filled with actual popcorn — is a tasty drink made with bourbon, sherry, lemon, blood orange, and butterscotch. You’d be hard-pressed to find a cocktail more fun.

57 Stuart St, Boston, MA 02116

(857) 263-8932

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The “box office” cocktail at the Ghost Walks — The Box Office at the Ghost Walks

I Didn’t Text You, Tequila Did at Citrus & Salt

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If you could capture the cheerful white and pink coastal Mexican decor of Citrus & Salt in a glass, it would look like the I Didn’t Text You, Tequila Did. This gorgeous guava-flavored tequila sour is topped with eggwhite foam and a skull design. You — or the tequila — will certainly be texting photos of it before the night is done.

142 Berkeley St, Boston, MA 02116

(833) 324-8787

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citrus & salt — I Didn’t Text You, Tequila Did at Citrus & Salt

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Shore Leave Cocktail at Shore Leave

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In true Tiki fashion, all of Shore Leave’s drinks are impressive and elaborate, but their eponymous cocktail is one of the prettiest — and tastiest. The garnish may vary nightly, but the one thing certain to grace your Tiki mug will be a piece of house-made Angostura sea foam candy.

11 William E Mullins Way, Boston, MA 02118

(617) 530-1775

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The Shore Leave cocktail — in a signature Shore Leave coconut Tiki mug — sits isolated on a dark surface — Shore Leave Cocktail at Shore Leave

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Aloha Catrina at Tiger Mama

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There are some pretty spectacularly garnished cocktails on Tiger Mama’s Tiki menu, but it’s hard to beat the Aloha Catrina for pure wow factor. The skull mug is garnished with a crown of marigolds and pineapple fronds. You’ll want to have your camera ready when a dusting of cinnamon causes some serious pyrotechnics. Like the garnish, this tequila cocktail is fun and fruity with a hint of smoke.

1363 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02215

(617) 425-6262

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Vivir Soñando at Blossom Bar

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The presentation of Blossom Bar’s cocktails is all about small details done right, as the Vivir Soñando shows. This lower ABV drink is made with Aperol, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, and macadamia cream.