When cocktails first re-emerged in the 1970s, serving reliable versions of the “classics” — Manhattan, sidecar, old fashioned, and of course martini — was enough to assure success. Nowadays, gaining recognition for a bar requires creativity and ingenuity. Mixed drinks must include off-beat ingredients and be visually appealing.
Both of those criteria are satisfied by the cocktail program at Bohemien Bar, in Brooklyn Heights. The drinks are presented in eclectic glassware — the Birdy Num Num is served in a hand-blown bird-shaped coupe glass — and draw at times upon improbable components. The rum-based “Mambo No. 5” is concocted with clarified milk punch, curry leaves, and coconut water. Your “Felix Felicis,” a blend of green Chartreuse, sherry, lemongrass, and the sparkling wine cava, is sprinkled with 24-karat gold flakes just before service. You can get an espresso martini all over town, but Bohemien Bar is the only bar I know of that serves the drink crowned with a smoke bubble.
Bohemien Bar, 97 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, 347-844-9895.
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