IMAGES BY SCOTT MURRY | @HOTDOGTACO
Bastille Kitchen, glimmering nightlife entrepreneur Seth Greenberg’s newest addition to the ever-blossoming Fort Point Channel nightlife scene, has (finally) been open for a few weeks now. And if the response from long-time locals is any indication, this is more than just another French joint touting a fat wine list and a stiff upper lip. According to General Manager Michael Adkins, that lack of pretentiousness, both in terms of Bastille’s energy and its approach to cocktails, is the secret to their success.
Simple doesn’t necessarily mean boring. Their opening lineup of original creations and classics spun French was intentionally designed to avoid any sense of “branding,” and instead focuses on libations that are gateways to, well, more libations.
“Most people staring at a menu of serious cocktails don’t know what 90 percent of the ingredients are,” Adkins says. “And that can be intimidating. We wanted to use fun ingredients sometimes overlooked, as well as traditional spirits.”
And they do. Their Napoleon’s Knees is a crisp Parisian take on a Bee’s Knees with lavender, honey, dry gin and fresh lemon, while the Bonne Bouche fuses maple syrup, rye whiskey, cognac and Cynar for an Old Fashioned with a digestif kick. According to Adkins, the
clear fan favorite so far has been the Paris Saint-Germain with vodka, St. Germain, lime and an herbal finish with fresh basil. “We’ve been seeing every cocktail getting attention, but that’s the one that has [been] the most consistently ordered.”
Asked if he’s intimidated by neighborhood serious cocktail joints like Drink, he tips his figurative hat in respect, but points out that’s not what he’s going for. “We’re the anti-mixologists,” he jokes. “We knew [as a French influenced venue] we would have a big wine crowd. But we wanted to create a lineup of cocktails that were simple yet effective, yet would leave us room to listen to what the locals in the neighborhood give us as feedback for us to then deliver what they want.”
BASTILLE KITCHEN. NOW OPEN. 49 MELCHER ST., 617-556-8000.
