Flavorful alternatives

“We wanted to get rid of the formal feel and make it a more casual neighborhood restaurant and bar,’’ explains general manager Rob George. Casual, sure. Neighborhood bar, though? Not so much. This is a relatively swanky affair. Still, it’s a welcoming space all the same.

The stately, arching windows and ceilings remain, and the bar glows with a soft yellow lighting that is a natural match for the ornate chandeliers and handsome browns throughout. A lounge area of high-top tables is separated from the dining areas by ceiling-length, flowing curtains. On the TVs behind the bar, old black-and-white films are in rotation.

“When you walked in before it was a lot more stark,’’ says bartender Casey Decker. “I think the clientele is going to change drastically.’’

None of this would matter to us if the cocktails weren’t any good. Not surprisingly, with many of them being carried over from the adjacent City Bar, we found a few to like. We’ve been drinking Alaskas lately, so the Pallazo (Bombay Sapphire, Acqua de Cedro, Yellow Chartreuse, $12) was right up our alley. The Acqua de Cedro is an Italian liqueur made from the citron fruit. It’s dry with a slight burn and a syrupy consistency, but a sweet finish. Sort of a clear, drier version of a limoncello. Like the other martinis here, it’s served with a crushed ice rim.

“Not only does it look very nice, it’s to keep the drink very, very cold, which is what most people want when drinking a martini,’’ George says.

It also helps in savoring the flavors of cocktails like the Kentucky Flu (Maker’s Mark, Licor 43, citrus juices, $12) as the crushed ice melts on your tongue. Bartenders shake their martinis so hard because they’re looking for this chipped ice effect. The bourbon is masked here mostly by the lemon and the sweet vanilla liqueur, but it’s a good match. Bourbon virgins might consider this a gateway cocktail, but aficionados will want something less adulterated.

The refreshing, herby, and easily drinkable Chartreuse Sour (Green Chartreuse, lemon and lime juice, egg whites, $11) has got citrus and an anise nose up front with a dry finish and only a light egg froth. “Most people forgot about the egg when they started making sour drinks again,’’ says George. Another classic variant comes in the P/C Southside (Plymouth Gin, cucumber, mint, pomegranate liqueur, lime juice, $11). Served over crushed ice, it’s grassy and bright in flavor.

There are still a few opening week quibbles. Some of the cocktails aren’t made with the ingredients listed on the menu, and the charm of the Marx Brothers short on the TVs waned as it replayed some 20-plus times while we sat there. Groucho didn’t want to belong to any club that would have someone like him as a member. But if City Table had offered, he might’ve reconsidered.

City Table, 65 Exeter St., Boston. 617-933-4800. www.citytableboston.com

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