Is This Boston Bar One Of The Top Spots In The US? Esquire Thinks So!
A Boston bar is one of the top spots in the US, according to Esquire magazine.
Esquire just named three-year-old Boston sake bar the Koji Club in Brighton one of its best bars in America in 2023.
The place is helmed by sake enthusiast Alyssa DiPasquale and it’s the city’s first dedicated sake bar
Editor Kevin Sintumuang wrote in Esquire that stepping into the tiny space “felt like a world away here more Tokyo than Beantown”
“And it’s tiny: no more than 16 seats in the place, and the bar itself has about seven stools.
“There was only one other person there that evening, but within minutes we all started to feel like friends deep into a sake journey ….When I left, the rain had stopped, and for a moment, I did feel like I had just stepped out of a bar in Tokyo.
“What you’re having: If they’ve got it, an aged Yuho sake that might change your mind about having sake with bigger bolder foods.
Truth be told – sake is taking the cocktail world by storm! So it’s no wonder this Boston bar is one of the top in the US.
This cool drink is turning heads and capturing taste buds with its unique charm.
Sake is like the hipster of the beverage scene, effortlessly blending tradition and innovation. With its versatile flavors and exquisite craftsmanship, it brings a touch of elegance and sophistication to any cocktail.
Sake’s smooth and refreshing taste leaves you wanting more, while its cultural significance adds a sense of adventure and discovery to your glass.
Kanpai to sake’s rise!
The Koji Club is the only Boston bar to make the list. In fact, it’s the only bar in New England to make the list. Other hot spots are in Miami, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco. A Disney World bar actually made the list, which is pretty surprising.
The Koji Club is one of the 21 best new restaurants in the world according to Conde Nast Traveler’s 2023 Hot List,
And DiPasquale was named 2022’s Best Beverage Director of the Year by Boston Magazine!
Best Beverage Director 2022 @BostonMagazine 🍶✨ pic.twitter.com/zClkZjxd5I
— Alyssa Mikiko (@alyssamikiko) June 29, 2022
According to their website, the Koji Club’s goal is to “reframe Japanese sake from an esoteric, hangover inducing, sushi companion (insert sake bomb here) to an approachable everyday beverage choice”.
The Koji Club is located in The Charles River Speedway at 525 Western Ave Brighton MA 02135.
The 8 Most Popular Cocktails in Boston on National Cocktail Day!
1. Margarita
Some say the cocktail was invented in 1948 in Acapulco, Mexico, when a Dallas socialite combined blanco tequila with Cointreau and lime juice for her guests.
I believe it.
Better get cracking on these though, there’s a tequila shortage on the horizon. Here’s a classic margarita recipe from Liquor.com:
Classic Margarita
2 ounces blanco tequila
1/2 ounce orange liqueur
1 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 ounce agave syrup
Garnish: lime wheel
Garnish: kosher salt (optional)
Steps
Add tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice and agave syrup to a cocktail shaker filled with ice, and shake until well-chilled.Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
Garnish with a lime wheel and kosher salt rim (optional).
Margarita cocktail on white wooden table
2. Martini
James Bond was WRONG. Stir this sucker. Don’t shake it.
The Nick & Nora Martini is named for characters in “The Thin Man,” a novel by Dashiell Hammett.Nick & Nora Martini
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
Garnish: Spanish olive (no pimento)
Steps
Add the gin and vermouth to a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled.Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass.
Garnish with a small Spanish olive without pimento filling.
3. Espresso Martini
It’ll keep you up AND give you a little buzz. Go easy on these though.
Espresso Martini
2 ounces of vodka, 1/2 ounce of coffee liqueur (usually Kahlúa), 1 ounce of espresso, freshly brewed (or cold brew concentrate), 1/2 ounce of simple syrup, and optional garnish of coffee beans.
Ingredients
2 ounces vodka
1/2 ounce coffee liqueur (usually Kahlúa)
1 ounce espresso, freshly brewed (or cold brew concentrate)
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Garnish: coffee beans
Steps
Add vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso and simple syrup to a shaker filled with ice and shake until well-chilled.Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with 3 coffee beans.
4. Bloody Mary
Good Morning! This is a great way to start the day.
Bloody Mary
Bloody or virgin mary cocktail served in a cup with celery sticks and cherry tomatoes.
Ingredients
Celery salt
1 lemon wedge
1 lime wedge
2 ounces vodka
4 ounces tomato juice
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 pinch smoked paprika
Garnish: parsley sprig
Garnish: green olives
Garnish: lime wedge
Garnish: celery stalk
Steps
Pour some celery salt onto a small plate.Rub the juicy side of the lemon or lime wedge along the lip of a pint glass.
Roll the outer edge of the glass in celery salt until fully coated, then fill the glass with ice and set aside.
Squeeze the lemon and lime wedges into a shaker and drop them in.
Add the vodka, tomato juice, horseradish, Tabasco, Worcestershire, black pepper, paprika, plus a pinch of celery salt along with ice and shake gently.
Strain into the prepared glass.
Garnish with parsley sprig, 2 speared green olives, a lime wedge and a celery stalk (optional).
5. Cosmo
Carrie Bradshaw was NOT wrong. This is a great drink. Simple, sweet, and easy.
Cosmopolitan
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces citron vodka
3/4 ounce Cointreau
3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 ounce cranberry juice cocktail
Garnish: lime wedge
Steps
Add the vodka, Cointreau, lime juice, and cranberry juice cocktail into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with a lime wedge.
6. Old Fashioned
Thank you to Don Draper, who made these popular again.
Bourbon Old Fashioned
Ingredients
1 teaspoon sugar
3 dashes Angostura bitters
1 teaspoon water
2 ounces bourbon (or rye whiskey, if preferred)
Garnish: orange twist
Steps
Add the sugar and bitters into a mixing glass, then add the water, and stir until the sugar is nearly dissolved.Fill the mixing glass with ice, add the bourbon, and stir until well-chilled.
Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube.
Express the oil of an orange twist over the glass, then drop into the glass to garnish.
8. Cape Codder
This classic summer drink will get you from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Sure, you might not remember anything, but it’s a refresher!
Cape Codder
Cranberry Vodka Cocktail with lime and ice on black table. Cape Codder Cocktail with cranberry juice and vodka, alcohol drink.
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces vodka
Cranberry juice, chilled, to top
Garnish: lime wedge
Steps
Add the vodka into a highball glass over ice.Top with cranberry juice and stir briefly to combine.
Squeeze a lime wedge over the glass and drop it into the drink.
