Liquid

Most of the dudes we hang with are beer men, though they can definitely be nudged toward a bottle of Jack Daniel’s after a particularly crappy day. But mixed drinks? For pansies. So we put the question to some local bartenders: what’s the most masculine cocktail a guy can order at your bar?

Paul Christie, bar manager at Gargoyles on the Square (219 Elm Street, Somerville, 617.776.5300): “Either the classic Manhattan [made with Maker’s Mark] ($10.25/six ounces; $11.75/10 ounces) — ’cause it has ‘man’ in the name. And it’s a bourbon-based drink. Guys tend to be more toward the dark-colored liqueurs, the scotches and the bourbons. The other one would be a Smoking Martini ($10.25/six ounces; $11.75/10 ounces). A Smoking Martini is usually a gin-based martini. The majority of the ones that I do are with Bombay Sapphire, and instead of vermouth, we use a real peaty single-malt scotch. Usually in this case we use a 10yearold Laphroaig. It has a little bit of that gin taste, but it has this harsh, smoky finish to it. It’s sort of the best of both worlds for men. You have your martini, but you also have your scotch. It’s definitely something you could enjoy in a cigar lounge.”

Kate Mullaney, assistant general manager at Harvest (44 Brattle Street, Cambridge, 617.868.2255): “We have a Sidecar ($10) on our list currently — that’s the most masculine cocktail that we are offering in terms of our specialty cocktails. [It’s guy-friendly] because it uses brandy, a dark spirit. I think of the dark spirits — brandy, scotch, bourbon — as being more masculine than the clear spirits: vodka and gin. And it’s a classic cocktail; I also think of the classic cocktails as being more masculine, like Old Fashioneds and Mint Juleps.”

Josh Hettick, bartender at 29 Newbury (29 Newbury Street, Boston, 617.536.0290): “A Jameson and Ginger ($8.40). Only real men drink Irish whiskey.”

Brittany Byron, bartender at Bambara (25 Edwin H. Land Boulevard, Cambridge, 617.868.4444): “We have the Green Monster ($10). Guys, for the most part, will not ask for your cocktail list, but if it involves the Red Sox, they will drink it all night long. It’s made with Midori, Malibu, Hpnotiq, and pineapple juice. It’s funny, because none of the ingredients are guy-friendly, but when you combine it and name it after the Green Monster, they don’t care.”