(Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff)
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Sweet spot for travelers
(Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff)
HINGHAM - It’s hard to escape the past when you’re on the South Shore. Streets lined with stately Colonial homes stand as a testament to the area’s history. So on a weekend in which we celebrated the birth of our nation, we thought it fitting to belly up to the bar in a building that’s been around longer than American independence itself.
Although there’s plenty to remind you of the 250-plus year history inside the sprawling Colonial that houses Hingham’s Scarlet Oak Tavern - low, exposed beam ceilings, tucked away nooks, winding staircase, fireplaces, and so on - it’s the contemporary touches that give the space its pleasing contrast.
“This was the midway point for the wealthy when they traveled from Boston to Cape Cod,’’ bartender Joe Beale explained, although one suspects they weren’t offered anything quite like the Raspberry Champagne Fizz (Stoli Raspberry, peach schnapps, Chambord, champagne, $9.50). This is a summertime specialty, Beale said. We were expecting something a lot sweeter. Candied booze, if you will. Instead the sparkling wine dried things out nicely for a fine balance.
People do tend to prefer things on the sweeter side here, Beale explained, like the brand new, unnamed cocktail made with Grey Goose Orange, Cointreau, White Crème de Cacao, and a brown sugar and chocolate syrup rim. This one doesn’t beat around the bush, putting the sugar right on your lips (and fingers if you’re not careful). The chocolate and orange combination made this fun for a few sips, but we preferred the next offering called the Experience (Hendrick’s Gin, fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice, muddled cucumber, soda $9.50). Everyone’s wacky for Hendrick’s and cucumber in the city, so it’s nice to see the combination migrate to the suburbs as well. It’s basically a Tom Collins, but the fresh juices and a splash of soda make it pop. We could drink this one out in the sun all day.
That was a marked difference from the overpowering sweetness in some of the other options. Still, the French Pear (Grey Goose La Poire, Chambord, pineapple juice, $10) was drinkable all the same. Shaken hard, the pineapple foams up big. “That’s why I tend to go with no garnish here,’’ said Beale. “It’s almost like a head on a beer.’’ The presentation was a cascading sunset of color. Other attempts at more traditional cocktails, like the Gentleman’s Manhattan (Woodford Reserve bourbon, sweet and dry vermouth, Angostura bitters, $10), fared better with our simple taste.
The Rain Drop (Pinnacle Blueberry vodka, lemon juice, $10, below) seemed easy to dismiss at first, especially with its sugar rim, but it pulled us in with hints of blueberry on the back of the fresh citrus. Likewise the Ryan’s 9 (Canadian Club, orange juice, lemon, lime, cinnamon sugar rim, $10). Although if that sounds like a drink proposed by a 9-year-old pulling ingredients out of the air, that’s because it is. The general manager’s son is the mastermind here, and it’s not bad for a first attempt.
Most of these are not for purists or cocktail snobs, but for weary travelers making the trip from Boston to the Cape, or those living in between. It’s more than enough to quench your thirst or fortify you for the long trip.
Scarlet Oak Tavern, 1217 Main St., Hingham. 781-749-8200. www.scarletoaktavern.com
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