Surprisingly, it's legal

Cool sips in greater Boston

(aram boghosian for the boston globe)

The cocktail scene in Boston can seem a little insular at times, particularly with a lot of the same boldface names popping up in columns like this one. So we thought we'd move beyond the beaten martini path and try a place you might not expect to put much thought into its drink list: an East Coast (albeit locally based) chain restaurant.

We should have suspected something was up while looking over Legal Sea Foods' suspiciously interesting "Raising the Bar" menu, with its fresh fruit purees and house-made syrups. But when Legal's beverage operations specialist Kara Kukull explained that the company has been working with Eastern Standard's renowned bartender Jackson Cannon as a cocktail consultant, it all started to make sense. Whoops! So much for our plan to branch out.

"There's been a revival of these classic cocktail techniques," Kukull told us from behind the bar at the Kendall Square location. "There's more awareness of the value of quality in general."

To illustrate her point, she designed a taste test for us, setting two Tanqueray gimlets on the bar. One was made with Rose's Lime Juice, and the other was their Gimlet Classique (all drinks $9.95) made with fresh lime and real cane sugar. The difference was remarkable. There is simply no comparison between the pure flavors in the house-made lime cordial and the cheaper character of the Rose's. The color helps as well. Sipping a drink that's the color of icy lime as opposed to Martian green makes it feel like it's something that actually came from nature.

The Cranberry Bog Lemon Martini (fresh cranberry puree, Absolut Citron, house made sour, bitters; pictured above), a seasonal appropriate cocktail, was similarly well-received. The skins of the cranberries gave it a depth of texture, while the blend of the citrus and the bitters added layers of flavor and aromatic complexity.

Speaking of seasonal, The French Canadien (Benedictine, Canadian Club, caramel syrup, half and half) had us pining for Thanksgiving. A hard-shaken, frothy mix that puffed in the glass like a cloud, it pushed forward notes of clove and nutmeg and cinnamon. A second dessert-like option was The P.C. (house-made pear puree and caramel syrup, St. Germain, Bacardi Limon). The caramel syrup was like the liquid of the gods and the grapefruit and florals of the elderflower liqueur and slight spray of fresh citrus blew our minds.

We're not sure how well they'll go with a cup of clam chowder, but at least you know you have options. LUKE O'NEIL

Available at any Legal Sea Foods location.

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