Boston’s drinking roots stretch all the way back to before the Revolutionary War, back to when the first bar in the country opened in Boston almost 400 years ago. This is to say that Bostonians have known how to have a good time since at least 1634, the year Boston’s first recorded licensed drinking establishment Samuel Cole’s Inn opened.

But the city’s drinking culture has come a long way since the 1600s. Sophisticated cocktail bars, Champagne bars bubbling high above the city, award-worthy Irish pubs, and a prodigious number of historic bars mean there are myriad ways to secure a good drink.

Boston’s cocktail scene in particular has grown spectacularly over the past decade, buoyed by creative and inspired mixology informed the melange of cultures that call the city home, as well as vibey decor and attentive, informed service. These drinking dens sit side by side with decades-old pubs that welcome locals and visitors with open arms (but maybe not a smile, especially in the winter). To visit Boston is to visit American history, and many of our best drinking establishments represent that and more.

Here you’ll find a collection of eight bars that constitute the best and most representative places to imbibe the city of Boston has to offer.

HecatePhoto by Birch Thomas

48 Gloucester St, Boston, MA 02115
@hecatebar

Just off Gloucester street, right down Public Alley 442, a dark door beckons thirsty travelers into an alluring subterranean hideout. You’ll hear the quiet beat of music as your eyes adjust to the darkness. If you have trouble reading the leather-bound menu (or “book of spells,” as it reads) of meticulously crafted cocktails, sidle up to the gleaming marble bar and grab the light mercifully offered by the bartender. Inspired by Greek mythology and other schools of mysticism, Hecate is a candlelit space meant to savor high-concept, theatrical cocktails that arrive in eccentric goblets and bowls. The dark room, with touches of gold, and excellent snacks on order, is one of the best date night spots in the Back Bay.

Don’t miss: The Palo Caldero is a tempting blend of two different rums, hibiscus tea, earthy ugu leaf, woodsy palo santo, black peppercorn, almond, and burnt cinnamon. The name hints at its potion-like quality; caldero translates to “cauldron” in English.

The DublinerCandice Conner