THOUGH MY fairy-princess days are far behind me, I never really got over my love for playing dress-up. My costumes are no longer nebulas of pink tulle and gobs of plastic-and-rhinestone jewelry, but the exhilaration of slipping into something sparkly to break up the monotony of my everyday life is still present. So it makes sense that my favorite holiday is Halloween. It's a chance for kids and grownups alike to play dress-up (though the older I've grown, the shorter and, let's face it, sluttier my costumes have become). And the season is also the perfect time for cocktails to get "dressed up" - to deviate from their normal ingredients with a splash of something dazzling. Perhaps not as dazzling as a tiara and a tutu, but pretty damn close.
For starters, the appletini gets all dolled up as the ultimate autumn treat at the Rowes Wharf Bar (Boston Harbor Hotel, 70 Rowes Wharf, Boston, 617.439.7000). This month, the Candy Apple Martini ($11) kicks up the usual sweet-tart treat by adding Absolut Citron and grenadine to the standard Apple Pucker. It's reminiscent of those candy apples you used to beg your parents for, just sweet enough to make you smile, with a back-of-the-tongue kick that balances the flavor. And the best part? You don't have to gnaw it off a stick.
Speaking of sticks, cinnamon adds warm spice to just about everything, even . . . sangria? For the essence of a sultry October evening at a Barcelona café, head over to the West Side Lounge (1680 Mass Ave, Cambridge, 617.441.5566) for their Spicy Cinnamon Sangria ($9): diced pear, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves stewing in a bath of red wine, with a splash of brandy. Just as fragrant and complex is the Roasted Pear Bellini ($10). The name alone conjures visions of roaring fires and succulent fruit. Honey-roasted Bartlett pears, pureed and topped with Prosecco? Bad news, brunch: your signature cocktail just got glammed up for nights out on the town. And we like it that way.
The new kid in town is Coda (329 Columbus Avenue, Boston, 617.536.2632), and the folks there are already making a name for themselves by modernizing the already modern. Confused? Let me explain. Remember 10 minutes ago, when everyone in town was clamoring for pomegranate this, pomegranate that? You couldn't leave your apartment without tripping over a pomegranate martini. The craze has subsided, but the fruit shouldn't be cast aside; it's the fruit of Greeks and goddesses, after all. (Look it up, slackers.) Thankfully, Coda is keeping the pomegranate alive and burning hot with the En Fuego ($7) a pom-tini upgrade that doffs vodka for tequila. Patron Anejo, to be exact, mingled with fresh pomegranate juice and pomegranate liqueur. Persephone herself would sidle up to the bar for this one. (I know, I'm a nerd. But it's proof that all this drinking I do isn't killing my brain cells. Yet.)
Over at 33 Restaurant & Lounge (33 Stanhope Street, Boston, 617.572.3311), the Chamomile-teani ($14) kicks up one of the most calming fall beverages around, blending snuggly, soothing chamomile tea with Bombay Sapphire gin, Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur, and fresh lemon. It's served cold but invokes the essence of a steaming cup of chamomile: a grown-up teatime treat that's much more fun in a martini glass than it is in your chipped-china mug.
33 also has its own glamorous take on the apple-tini. The Orchard Cocktail ($14) tastes as though it could have been plucked from a tree: Bacardi Gold, Berentzen Apfel Korn Liqueur, apple sauce, and cinnamon syrup combine for the ultimate autumn treat. This is one apple martini that should stay in its dress-up clothes forever.
Sometimes, a little (glamorous) change can do everyone some good. And even cocktails deserve a break from the norm every once in awhile. So take advantage of these special drinks before the costumes come off and it's back to the same-old. @
[Photo by Kelly Davidson]
