Best Craft Cocktail Bars in Boston: Speakeasies & Artisan Drinks

Boston's cocktail scene has shed its Irish pub heritage and grown into one of the Northeast's most sophisticated — a spread of speakeasies, historic hotel bars, and craft-focused neighbourhood spots where the drinks programme rivals anything in New York or Chicago. Drink, on Washington Street in Fort Point, is arguably the best cocktail bar in New England: no menu, just an encyclopedic bartending team who ask what flavours you're in the mood for and build something perfect every time — visit early or queue. The Hawthorne in Kenmore Square runs one of Boston's most serious cocktail programs in an intimate Art Deco space. Backbar in Union Square Somerville is the neighbourhood gem — a hidden basement bar with creative seasonal cocktails. Yvonne's in Downtown Crossing occupies a former supper club with stunning interior design and an excellent drinks list anchored in classic cocktail tradition. Boston's cocktail renaissance is real, confident, and making itself heard.