In the last week of 2022, a new cocktail bar opened and it was all the buzz. Birds of Paradise, from the team behind the Baldwin Bar, started popping up in my Instagram feed and was referenced in Boston Magazine's "Best Cocktail Bars" end of year list. They basically declared it a forgone conclusion that this bar would be at, or close to, the top of next year's list!
Birds of Paradise bills itself as a bar based on travel. The drink menu features the names of airplane routes. The cocktail features ingredients and flavors from the takeoff and landing destination. The drinks also feature unique, eclectic ingredients, and over the top garnishes.
I figured since this place seems to be headed straight for "impossible to get in" status, I would grab a reservation while I could. Last night JO and I headed over to The Speedway in Brighton to check it out. The Speedway is a new "food hall" type spot that is getting a lot of buzz. I use food hall loosely here because it's really just two establishments, Notch Brewing and Birds of Paradise, but maybe there are more spots waiting to open. One thing I noticed about the Speedway is there is no real spot for Ubers to drop off in a convenient way and there is no dedicated parking if you are coming from out of the area. When you enter the bar, you walk down this small path and "follow the pink light" as the bar said in a recent Instagram story.
When we entered this subterranean space I was a little underwhelmed. It's nice enough but I was expecting a little more out of the decor. The wall behind the bar is exposed stone, which was nice, but didn't seem to fit the travel theme. There is some nice uplighting and the bottles are on glass shelves. In addition to the bar seating, there is a row of tables that can seat probably another 20 guests. There's an "arrival" airport sign above the bar but other than that the decor is pretty basic.
My disappointment ended with the decor, and frankly, not every place can match a Ruka or Mariel level interior. The menu is fantastic, with lots of unique ingredients. Our first round featured the Guavaleada (BOS to GDL) and the Bankok to Mumbai (BKK to BOM.). These were incredible. The Guavaleada was this icy, slushy consistency and featured rum, lime, and guava. My one critique would be that the black sesame garnish was messy and I didn't think it added anything to the flavor of the drink. The Bankok to Mumbai was absolute perfection, even down to the lime zest over the top, which is definitely a trick I will be employing when I make mojitos this summer. The mango and jackfruit played perfectly with the yellow chartreuse and gin.
Since we had trekked (🤣) all the way over here we got a second round. (If we had stayed for a 3rd round we would have tried their amazing mocktails. You tell the bartender what you like and they whip up some great creations with awesome garnishes. The table next to us did this and they looked amazing.) I certainly couldn't leave without trying the already Instagram famous house Pisco Sour Lima to Dubai (although I got it with only egg whites) and JO got the Rio to Tokyo.
Let's start with the sour first. The presentation was excellent. A+, 4 stars, fantastic. They use a silicone stencil and an atomizer to make the design on the top. And this glass was a cocktail drinker's dream, with it's long, thin stem and the elegant coup shape. (I may have started searching for glasses like this today.) The sour also features some unique additions- Mr. Black coffee liquor, acidified cantaloupe, and cardamom tincure. I was a little skeptical of the Mr. Black because it seemed so odd to add to a pisco sour but this drink was absolutely worthy of it's Instagram fame. The coffee liquor did not overpower the drink at all. Instead it was just this little hint in the back that brought out the best in all the other flavors. If you didn't know it was in there I don't think you could place it as coffee but you would say, "What is making this taste extra yummy?"
JO's drink featured cachaca, miso pineapple, wasabi coconut, and green shiso. I'm not a coconut fan but it was quite good. I think JO's first drink was better but this is a great drink and again A+ for presentation. I have the same critique with this drink that I had with my first one. The stenciled green dust (possibly wasabi but it wasn't spicy so maybe it's the shiso but I don't know what shiso is so who knows) is messy. You could easily ruin a sleeve if you aren't careful.
Overall, I really enjoyed this place and the cocktails are obviously the star. I don't love the space and I didn't love getting there from our house, but I could easily be convinced to come back.
No comments:
Post a Comment