Baltimore. Crime reports, “The Wire,” the shadow of nearby D.C. — there are many things that cloud the reputation of Maryland’s largest city. It was a surprise, then, for a first-time visitor like myself, to see its beauty. The Town of Baltimore was founded in 1729, and at times has the look of a former industrial city, to be sure, and there are devastated areas of poverty.
But what stands out is its sparkling waterside setting, its Colonial-era architecture and cobblestone streets in the oldest areas (like charming Fells Point), its dramatic public monuments and more than any U.S. city, roughly one in three buildings is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, imbuing a sense of history and place as you walk its streets. Most of all, I noticed the warm welcome of Baltimore locals.
When it comes to food and drink, it may not be on par with many U.S. cities — or even nearby D.C. — but it is fast on the rise. Notable restaurants like Woodberry Kitchen continue to make national waves and, even when uneven, that restaurant and sister restaurant Parts & Labor exhibit a unique vibe that could define the parameters of Baltimore’s modern-day food scene, one that pulls from other U.S. regions but combines it all in a way that feels specifically Maryland/Baltimore.
Similarly, the city’s best bars run quirky and neighborhood-centric, including many a great dive bar that has been around for years. Baltimore’s later-to-the-scene cocktail renaissance had its forerunners, like Brendan Dorr (at B&O Brasserie) and Doug Atwell (at Modern Cook Shop and Blue Pit BBQ & Whiskey Bar), who years back were keeping step with more pioneering cocktail cities, paving the way for what has been happening in Baltimore for the last couple years. There may not be as much innovation here as in some known cocktail cities, but you can find bartenders pushing boundaries — and in sticking to the best places, you won’t have a problem finding a great drink.
Cozy neighborhood bars excel in beer and atmosphere (like the fantastic Brewer’s Art: www.thebrewersart.com); there is stunning India-meets-Victorian-era architecture with quality food and an upstairs and downstairs bar at The Elephant (http://theelephantbaltimore.com), historic 70s kitsch and history at Owl Bar (www.theowlbar.com), Scotch rarities in a quirky, intimate space at Birds of a Feather, American whiskey goodness at Blue Pit BBQ & Whiskey Bar (www.bluepitbbq
.com) and a strong spirits and beer selection at Of Love & Regret (http://ofloveandregret.com).
On the distilling side, small-batch, craft distilleries have been on the rise since 2008 with the vibrant Maryland Distillers Guild (http://marylandspirits.org), helmed by Jaime Windon of Lyon Distilling, our distiller interviewed in this volume. Just a few of the state’s growing distilleries include Old Line Spirits, The Baltimore Whiskey Company, Lost Ark Distilling Company, Blackwater Distilling, Louthan Distilling, Tenth Ward Distilling Company, Twin Valley Distillers, MISCellaneous Distillery, Blue Dyer Distilling Co. and Sagamore Spirit.
Here are 10 of the city’s best bars — in restaurants or stand-alone — covering the gamut from robust spirits collections to top-notch cocktails.
Bookmakers Cocktail Club
Opened in 2014, Bookmakers Cocktail Club (http://bookmakersbaltimore.com) is easily one of Baltimore’s most sophisticated bars, serving some of its best cocktails in a dim, inviting space. It’s also one of the city’s biggest spirits collections — including plenty of small batch spirits from all categories — glowing along the long bar under cathedral-esque arches. The crowds are drawn to Federal Hill for quality comfort food, like the beloved Bookies Burger, laden with American cheese and smoked tomato, or cornmeal-fried oysters accompanied by smoked bacon, tomato, pickled red onion and remoulade sauce on toast points.
What to Drink: Beverage director Ryan Sparks creates balanced, refined cocktails — both seasonal and house standards — and it’s the only bar in the world authorized to serve Chartreuse Episcopal (a blend of Yellow and Green Chartreuse) on draft. Japanese whiskey is showcased in beauties like the Hokkaido Sour with aged cachaca, orgeat, ginger, yuzu, pineapple and Thai basil. ‘Rye’sing Sun further plays with Asian flavors (one of many approaches in Sparks’s wide-ranging cocktails), deftly combining rye whiskey, Strega, Chinese five spice-pineapple cordial, lime, Japanese chili-lime bitters and drops of chili oil.
B&O Brasserie
B&O Brasserie (www.bandorestaurant.com), in the Kimpton Hotel Monaco, opened in 2009 and its bar manager, Brendan Dorr, has been a key pioneer in Baltimore’s cocktail scene, founding the Baltimore Bartenders’ Guild in 2011, and acting as one half of Cocktail Proper Consulting (www.cocktailproper.com). He put B&O on the drink map nationally and has trained many a notable Baltimore bartender at this small, sophisticated hotel bar where his team collaborates on a range of cocktails running from seasonal to twists on classics.
What to Drink: With all manner of spirits covered on the cocktail menu, look for unique expressions like the refreshing, dry Cat’s Pajamas, featuring Barr Hill Tom Cat Barrel Aged Gin with lemon, Bärenjäger, Art in the Age Rhuby (rhubarb spirit) and Millstone Hopvine Cider. House classics equally delight, like Coppertop No. 1, a peppery stunner mixing NY Distilling Co.’s Dorothy Parker Gin, Yellow Chartreuse, ginger syrup, lemon and pink and black peppercorns.
WC Harlan
Candlelit, Old World and dreamy, there is no more seductive bar in Baltimore and, thanks to owner Lane Harlan, WC Harlan (www.facebook
.com/WC-Harlan) is a notable bar in the whole country, not just Baltimore. Gorgeous antique glassware, occasional live gypsy jazz and vintage bottles of Fernet make it a destination, ideal for lingering over conversation until late into the night.
What to Drink: Cocktails are elegant and drinkable, showcasing amaro, pastis/absinthe and beyond. The likes of the WC Pisco Sour shows off traditional pisco, egg white, lemon with chamomile, nutmeg and yerba mate honey. Craft brands like Letherbee Fernet get mixed with sotol and Byrrh Grand Quinquina in cocktails like Hand of God, accented with apricot, Bolivar bitters and unctuous drops of sesame oil.
Clavel
Lane Harlan’s second bar (opened in 2015, following WC Harlan in 2013), Clavel (www.barclavel.com) is both mezcal central and arguably one of the best sources, not just in the city but the state, for authentic Mexican food. Think lengua (tongue) and huitlacoche (corn fungus) tacos with freshly made tortillas.
What to Drink: There are agave spirits cocktails, like the creative, frozen El Noa (sotol, Smith & Cross rum, roasted sweet potato, coconut milk, dank maple syrup, Amargo Vallet Fernet and a rim of cocoa shards and chapulines [grasshoppers], in true Oaxacan style). But the most profound joys lie in the extensive mezcal selection with flights and categories broken down to delight both the mezcal aficionado and educate the novice hoping to learn more about the wide range of varietals and flavors inherent in the spirit.
Rye of Baltimore
The new Rye, at 1639 Thames Street, is not the same as the original Broadway space when bartender Doug Atwell (now at Modern Cook Shop and Blue Pit BBQ & Whiskey Bar) put it on the map. Rye reopened in the summer of 2016 in a larger space marked by rustic woods, a chandelier and original brick wall, as well as live music some nights. With years of experience at bars in NYC and in Baltimore, Perez Klebahn collaborates with his bartending crew on a menu that would fit in NYC, right down to the vests and the speakeasy-era look (though thankfully no passwords and a friendly, fun vibe). But the cocktails are drinkable and impeccably made, with a spirits selection heavy on whiskey and absinthe, offering some small-batch brands.
What to Drink: Proving the sophisticated but approachable point, the merely $10 Coin-Operated Boy subtly marks rye whiskey, absinthe, Tempus Fugit’s Gran Classico and lemon with the salty-sweet intrigue of house caramel. Served over crushed ice, Thirteen Songs combines dark rum and rhum agricole with coconut, lime and absinthe to almost tropical (but balanced, refined) effect.
Gunther & Co.
Gunther (http://eatatgunther.com) just opened in mid-2016 in the historic, striking Gunther Brewery, now a gorgeous, multiroom restaurant helmed by a chef who had a popular food truck in D.C. Shaun Stewart is the “Libations Liaison” (head bar guy) and from a massive central bar in the casual-cool front room, he churns out some of the more creative cocktails in Baltimore, unafraid to play with a range of flavors.
What to Drink: A minty-sweet, layered drink is It’s Me Cynario, combining Philly’s Bluecoat Gin, Cynar and Kümmel (caraway dill liqueur) with Foro Amaro, Burlesque Bitters, then barrel aged. Telegraph Avenue Kiss is an integrated lesson in how to handle Luxardo Maraschino, which can easily overpower a drink but here adds intrigue to a bright cocktail of 209 Gin, Baltimore Whiskey Company Apple Brandy, lemon and rhubarb-beet syrup.
TEN TEN An American Bistro & Fleet Street Kitchen
These neighboring restaurants in Harbor East both boast bars you might not be aware of. TEN TEN An American Bistro (www.bagbys1010.com) opened in 2011 through the back courtyard of the historic Bagby Building, and is known for using locally sourced food and sustainable seafood. With original beverage director Tim Riley still consulting, head bartender Rob Vogel has been crafting seasonal cocktails at the brick-walled bar under lofty skylights for nearly three years. Drinks like the Jackalope (Brazilian rum, carrot shrub, sage, lemon, Suze, black pepper) showcase the seasonal side while cocktails like Birch Please (bourbon, birch syrup, sherry, lemon, egg white, whiskey bitters) are crowd-pleasers.
Fleet Street Kitchen (www.fleetstreetkitchen.com) sits off the main street, with multiple rooms and a wraparound bar ideal for a drink and bites or a full meal with house barrel-aged cocktails, like Ed & Otts (bourbon, rye whiskey, two vermouths, cherry), from lead bartender Justin Carr. Carr collaborates on drinks, like the Ed & Otts, with Vogel at TEN, while also turning out house creations like Hay Ride (roasted corn-infused gin, allspice, lemon, pumpkin syrup).
Alma Cocina
Alma Cocina (http://almacocinalatina.com) is a rare pleasure in Baltimore: “real deal” modern Venezuelan food, killer arepas, a sunny space lined with greenery, a top-notch agave spirits cocktail menu and a spirits selection that includes plenty of small-batch brands.
What to Drink: Balance is key in house cocktails and the Alma Colada is a prime example, featuring Papa’s Pilar blonde rum, El Silencio Mezcal, coconut cream, pineapple juice and nutmeg, blended into a not-too-sweet but still creamy, vacation-like whole. Cielo Verde is green and vivacious, mixing Sotol Por Siempre with rosemary-infused Dolin Blanc vermouth, Agwa, lime and mint syrup, enlivened with a jalapeño salt rim.
Modern Cook Shop
Just opened in spring 2016, Modern Cook Shop (http://moderncookshop.com) recalls the kind of gourmet shop-meets-bar-meets-coffeehouse-meets-restaurant long common in cities like San Francisco. The airy, expansive Fells Point space soothes in pinewood and whites, housing gourmand groceries and all-day food menus.
What to Drink: These aren’t so much revolutionary cocktails as all-around good, accompanied by a small but thoughtful selection of wines and craft beers and cocktails on draft, all served at the welcoming back bar or in the restaurant. Drinks like Witch’s Call offer a balanced mix of bourbon, Strega, Luxardo Maraschino and lemon, while Bogey Man is bright and frothy with blanco tequila, egg white and orange, given a touch of tart and bitter from Campari and lemon.
Woodberry Kitchen
As one of the most lauded restaurants in Baltimore — and with its fantastic, hip, younger sister restaurant focused on meats and butchery, Parts & Labor (www.partsandlaborsf
.com), Woodberry Kitchen (www.woodberrykitchen.com) is the ultimate farm-to-table restaurant but done the Maryland way, representing local farms and ingredients with its own unique voice. Some dishes can be uneven — as can the cocktails — but when they nail it, it’s the best in town. Worth a visit alone: the intimate bar, stocking only small batch, thoughtfully-made spirits. This may be the most original restaurant in Baltimore, set in a stunning, lofty, barnlike space with an inviting courtyard and outdoor fire pit (reserve well ahead).
What to Drink: Though some drinks play muddled (in flavor), lacking focus, some are stellar. You’ll notice a range of vinegars, verjus and shrubs used to add acid and balance to drinks, as they use only local, seasonal ingredients so that rules out citrus. A shining cocktail example is Rooted In, mixing Letherbee Autumnal Gin, beet juice and beet vinegar, honey, parsley powder and a kick of ginger. A fascinating recent drink was Your Sour Soul, which plays like an aperitif with the sour crisp of Frey’s Obscene Dream beer served in a Champagne flute, but still boozy with Corsair’s hibiscus absinthe, maple liqueur, bitters and verjus.
