Hot drinks are back on Boston menus. Eastern Standard gave them their own section this fall, Saloon in Davis Square finishes its toddy with smoke, and The Independent in Union Square pours three hot drinks, including an Irish coffee you can order without the whiskey. Here’s where to get a hot toddy in Boston right now and exactly what’s in each glass, plus one Irish pub that keeps Irish coffee on the menu. Split it into two short crawls, one night in Somerville and one in Boston.
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Saloon
255 Elm Street, Somerville
Saloon on Elm Street in Davis Square lists its hot drinks under Heated Spirits, and the Smoked Toddy is the one to get. It’s bourbon, lemon honey cordial and hot water, finished with smoke, for $16. The Cosmic Crisp is the sweeter pick, with salted caramel rye and hot cinnamon cider under an allspice sugar rim, also $16. It comes in a non-alcoholic version for $10, so the friend who’s driving gets a hot drink too. Saloon is the bar next door to The Rockwell, so it works before or after a show there, and Davis is on the Red Line, which makes it an easy first stop.
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The Independent
75 Union Square, Somerville
From Davis, it’s a quick Uber to The Independent at 75 Union Square. The house toddy, the Indo Hot Toddy, mixes bourbon with ginger brandy, honey, lemon and allspice for $14. The hot mulled cider is $8 on its own, and you can add bourbon, dark rum or brandy for $6 more. The classic Irish coffee ($13) is Glendalough Double Barrel Irish whiskey and Del’s coffee with demerara, freshly whipped cream and nutmeg, and the spirit-free version costs the same. Drinks are served every night until 1 a.m., so this is the stop where you can stay late.
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Eastern Standard Kitchen and Drinks
775 Beacon Street, Fenway
Eastern Standard on Beacon Street in Kenmore Square put three hot drinks on its fall menu under a section called Hot Stuff. The hot toddy is $17 and keeps it classic with Four Walls whiskey, honey and lemon. The mulled cider ($16) is bourbon with local pressed cider, clove, allspice and cinnamon, and the glögg ($16) is a fortified mulled wine with baking spices and orange. With three to choose from, this is the stop to order a round and share. Kenmore is on the Green Line, a few minutes’ walk from Fenway Park.
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Scampo
215 Charles Street, West End
Scampo is chef Lydia Shire’s restaurant inside the Liberty Hotel on Charles Street, the hotel that was once the Charles Street Jail. Uriel’s Hot Toddy ($17) is the brightest drink on this crawl, with fresh lemon and blood orange juice, honey, Four Walls Irish American rye and hot water. If you’re hungry by now, Shire’s fall dinner menu is on too. From Kenmore, take the Green Line to Park Street and ride the Red Line one stop to Charles/MGH, which lets you out right at the hotel.
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The Black Rose
160 State Street, Downtown
The Black Rose on State Street, near Faneuil Hall, keeps a Jameson Irish Coffee on its regular menu: Jameson, demerara sugar, hot coffee, fresh cream and grated nutmeg. It’s the easy last stop of the night, an Irish pub where the hot drink isn’t a seasonal special, so it’ll be there whenever the cold sets in.
How to do it
Saloon and The Independent make one Somerville night, and two hot drinks at each stop is plenty when most of them run $14 to $17. Eastern Standard, Scampo and The Black Rose make the Boston night, with Kenmore and Charles/MGH both on the T. The prices here come from each bar’s fall menu, and seasonal drinks can change, so check the menu before you head out. Skipping alcohol? Order the non-alcoholic Cosmic Crisp at Saloon and the spirit-free Irish coffee at The Independent.