A club worth joining
Drinking at the Metropolitan Club forced us to put yet another tired misconception to bed. Apparently steakhouse bars aren't all filled with back-slapping Bill Brasky types hoisting heroic glasses of scotch. Who knew? The bar at the Met Club was quite the opposite, in fact, with a sophisticated cocktail list boasting delicate seasonal flourishes. Even more appealing for a restaurant with a $42 steak on the menu: The cocktails were reasonably priced at $11.
The Killer Bee (house-infused butterscotch vanilla vodka, honey, lemon), was a creamy, candied confection made by cooking butterscotch chips with honey and vanilla vodka. A friend found the dessert qualities to be a drawback, but we thought it would have worked nicely drizzled over ice cream.
The Cactus Rose (vodka, ginger syrup, lime, agave, and bitters) hid the slight earthiness of its agave just beneath the bitter perfume of the ginger, while the Sandstorm (Gosling's dark rum, yuzu, lychee, satsuma, ginger beer) with its wide variety of international fruit (yuzu is a Japanese citrus juice something like lemon and lime, and satsuma is a fruit of Chinese origin akin to a mandarin) was like an Asian-inspired Dark and Stormy with no after-tingle in the sinuses.
Best of all, the Chesnut Hill Club (gin, passion fruit, cucumber, cucumber soda) was a golden, herby ray of Caribbean sun. Hold on though, cucumber soda? Another Japanese influence, it seems. And nowhere near as disgusting as it sounds. The tartness of the passion fruit was spiked by edges of sharp vegetable and the light carbonation in the soda, which somehow provided a welcome sensory relief after our week of tasteless, head-cold monotony. Then again, maybe that was the cold medicine talking. Don't try this at home, kids.
The Metropolitan Club, 1210 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill. 617-731-0600. metclubandbar.com
Boston Globe
Drinking at the Metropolitan Club forced us to put yet another tired misconception to bed. Apparently steakhouse bars aren't all filled with back-slapping Bill Brasky types hoisting heroic glasses of scotch. Who knew? The bar at the Met Club was quite the opposite, in fact, with a sophisticated cocktail list boasting delicate seasonal flourishes. Even more appealing for a restaurant with a $42 steak on the menu: The cocktails were reasonably priced at $11.
The Killer Bee (house-infused butterscotch vanilla vodka, honey, lemon), was a creamy, candied confection made by cooking butterscotch chips with honey and vanilla vodka. A friend found the dessert qualities to be a drawback, but we thought it would have worked nicely drizzled over ice cream.
The Cactus Rose (vodka, ginger syrup, lime, agave, and bitters) hid the slight earthiness of its agave just beneath the bitter perfume of the ginger, while the Sandstorm (Gosling's dark rum, yuzu, lychee, satsuma, ginger beer) with its wide variety of international fruit (yuzu is a Japanese citrus juice something like lemon and lime, and satsuma is a fruit of Chinese origin akin to a mandarin) was like an Asian-inspired Dark and Stormy with no after-tingle in the sinuses.
Best of all, the Chesnut Hill Club (gin, passion fruit, cucumber, cucumber soda) was a golden, herby ray of Caribbean sun. Hold on though, cucumber soda? Another Japanese influence, it seems. And nowhere near as disgusting as it sounds. The tartness of the passion fruit was spiked by edges of sharp vegetable and the light carbonation in the soda, which somehow provided a welcome sensory relief after our week of tasteless, head-cold monotony. Then again, maybe that was the cold medicine talking. Don't try this at home, kids.
The Metropolitan Club, 1210 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill. 617-731-0600. metclubandbar.com
Boston Globe
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