At Drink, a new Boston cocktail lounge, you have no choice but to get to know your bartender. This venture from prolific chef-restaurateur Barbara Lynch doesn't offer a menu, so ordering a drink requires a quick Q&A about your liquor preferences, favorite flavors--or even just your mood.

Once your bartender figures you out, he (along with the rest of the all-star mixologists) will custom-craft and tailor a drink perfectly suited to you. The minimalist design of the lounge--exposed brick walls, beamed ceilings--gives the subterranean space a modern-day speakeasy vibe. Even the liquor is stored below the white oak bar, so there's no risk of subliminal brand influence from bottles of Johnny, Jim or Jack; only vintage glassware and a 50-pound block of ice are on display.

Bar manager John Gertsen upholds the Barbara Lynch ethos of using the best ingredients possible by making his own tonic water, flavor extracts and bitters in-house. Tell Gertsen you like Manhattans and there's a good chance you'll end up with Drink's signature Fort Point cocktail, a Beantown riff on a Manhattan made with Benedictine, and an ode to the lounge's newly hip hood.

The Fort Point
Makes 1 drink

Ice
2 ounces Rittenhouse Rye
½ ounce Punt e Mes (an Italian vermouth)
¼ ounce Benedictine (an herbal French liquor)
Brandied cherry, for garnish
Fill a pint glass with ice. Add the remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly but gently, being careful not to incorporate too much air into the liquid. Slowly strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry.

Drink, 348 Congress St. (between Farnsworth St. and Thomson Pl.), Boston; 617-695-1806 or drinkfortpoint.com