Weekends at Smith are a peculiar thing. For many, the thought of venturing outside of one’s room for any other reason than to stock up on food from the dining halls would be stretch, while for others, the town of Northampton beckons. Admittedly, before turning 21, my weekends consisted of occasionally getting wine-drunk with a few friends in one of the houses on lower Elm or attending some god forsaken house party on the quad. More often than not, I would hermit in my room for three days, only to emerge at the end of it feeling somewhat less jaded about the “party” culture at Smith. The next weekend, I’d give it another go.
Then I turned the big TWO-ONE and the town of Northampton appeared before me, a new world of weekend possibilities. A veteran of the scene now for about a year, I provide you with my guide to finding the best cocks, (as in cocktails), in Noho.If you’re looking for beer, wine or all of the above I’d suggest finding a more comprehensive list.
The Green Room: 5 Stars. Despite its irksome description as being a “prohibition-era bar,” The Green Room is anything but trapped in the wrong century. They deliver both prohibition era and modern craft cocktails. Though the prices of cocks range between $10-$14, I’d argue they’re well worth the investment. More than three drinks at the Green Room and you’ll wish you hadn’t, both for the sake of your productivity the next day and for the sake of your bank account.
The drinks here are strong and the mixologists are top-notch. They use an assortment of bitters, house bases and local fruits to jazz up their extremely extensive collection of imported and local libations. The drinks here are unique, but they serve old classics as well. The menu changes every Monday and there’s always something new to try. If you’re feeling adventurous the head bartender Harry Harrison is always willing to recommend or conCOCK something unique and specific to your taste.If you’re looking for something sweet or something heavy, they have it. Try the New England Swizzle, El Diablo or a Last Word.
McLadden’s: 2.5 Stars. Mcladden’s is well known for its huge variety of beers on tap, but should also applauded for its small, but worthy collection of signature cocktails. Prices here are between $8-$15 for a cock, which in my opinion is probably only worth it if you go for the Hemingway Daquiri. It’s exactly as described on their menu, “heavy on the rum, light on the sweet”. The Lolita Haze, despite it’s highly suspect, questionable name, is also pretty decent.
Tunnel Bar: 3 stars. Northampton is well known in the Pioneer Valley for its restaurants. Though some would argue the nightlife here has been on a slow, but steady decline for a while now(I wouldn’t beg to differ), my advice is to give the Tunnel Bar/Platform Bar a try. In my humble opinion, the place is kind of sketch, but I have several friends who enjoy the occasional trip to the Tunnel Bar on a Friday night.For me the Tunnel Bar is a “one and done” sort of place because the drinks are expensive and the Platform Bar above is a little gross. If you’re into dancing and don’t mind the crowd the Platform Bar attracts, give it a go, but if you’re only looking for a drink, try to stick to just the Tunnel Bar itself. Drinks include refreshing modern takes on the classic Corpse Reviver, Gimlet and Cosmo. The menu also features a huge selection of signature Martinis.
Sevenstrong: 4 stars. When Sevenstrong opened its doors this past August, a lot of people weren’t really sure what to make of it. Serving up super fancy eats at a super unattainable price, Sevenstrong was sort of an enigma. It had entertainment, it had wine, but it had yet to acquire a liquor license. Anyone familiar with the bar scene in Noho knows the unfortunate and infamous tale of the greedy owner of multiple empty-storefronts in town, who coincidently was hording a bunch of unused liquor licenses. Well, somehow, Sevenstrong was able to get their hands on one of them! Now they’re servin’ up some pretty tasty cocks. A staff favorite, which also happens to be my favorite, is their Whiskers & Cream, which features bourbon, cream and staghorn sumac (whatever that is).Sevenstrong also features weekend specials on drinks and if you stick around, they usually have live music. Dance nights are always great here and they attract a good crowd.
Northampton Brewery: 3 stars. It usually goes without saying that a place that brews up its own beer and that features a huge range of beers on tap is going to have a pretty decent cocktail menu. The Northampton Brewery features just that. It also has some pretty good food. Cocks here are overpriced and not very strong, however. It’s a good place if you’re not looking for entertainment or a wild night out. The Brewery is the place to go if your parents are in town and you’re looking reliable pub fare that will make everybody happy. Drinks to try include, the Cucumber Dill Martini, the Elderflower Mojito or the Brewhouse Bloody Mary. Stay away from their tempting, but truly terrible spiked Hot Chocolates, which are far too sweet to be considered a nicely balanced dessert cocktail.
