Equal Measure in Boston Is an Agave Lover's Destination Bar

The most exciting new cocktail bars in Boston are in the Fenway neighborhood, just a few steps from Fenway Park (home of the Boston Red Sox) and not far from Boston University. This place is adjacent to Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks, one of the city’s most popular restaurants for the past two decades, and it’s from the same ownership and management team. Little sibling Equal Measure debuted in 2023, but flips the focus, with just a small food menu alongside a very big spirits and cocktail program, especially for lovers of agave-based spirits.

Beverage director Jackson Cannon combines craft cocktails with a congenial “living room” aesthetic that often results in complete strangers engaging in friendly conversation, especially around the three-sided, 11-seat marble-topped bar, with a front-row view of the cocktails being created. In addition to the bar, there are two seating areas designed like living rooms, with plush couches and overstuffed easy chairs around low cocktail tables. The ceilings are high and the walls are covered by floor-to-ceiling pleated drapes, keeping things relatively dark, with ’80s music in the background and an unpretentious, relaxed feel. The featured décor is a large portrait of actor, writer, and producer Stanley Tucci shaking a Negroni on one of the walls. The entire place accommodates just 55 guests. Equal Measure is a reservation-centric bar, and advance booking is recommended, though they try to accommodate walk-ins. Many guests come before dinner, head next door to Eastern Standard to eat, and then find their way back.

Boston remains one of the nation’s more affordable big cities for premium spirits and fancy cocktails, and Equal Measure is no exception, with the majority of the tequilas and mezcals priced between $18 and $25, with the most expensive tequila being a 2001 Fuenteseca Tequila e Anejo (18 year old) at $85 and the priciest mezcals El Jolgorio Jabali and VDM Wahaka Penca Verde 2014, both at $32. There are about 30 options on each list, plus a handful of “off-menu” rarities the bartenders let interested agave mavens know about.

Lead bartender Rachel Lennox moved here two years ago from the San Diego area, and in just the short time since, has seen a lot of change in customer interests. “In southern California, agave is king, but when I came here and talked to colleagues about what people liked to drink, it was all whisky and rum in Boston. We always got whiskey nerds, but now two years later, we get that for tequila and mezcal, people coming in and saying, ‘wow, you have Calle 23, I have to try that.’ We have some Del Maguey products that are not widely available, and it’s fun to see people coming back and trying to work their way through the list.” The Calle 23 Criollo tequila is a bargain at $23, and they typically have more than a dozen mezcal offerings from Del Maguey, including Barril ($28), Arroqueno ($26), and San Jose Rio Minas ($20). Pours are 2 oz., but they also offer 1-oz. pours, and routinely put together custom three 1-oz. personalized flights.

Jackson notes that “agave nerds aren’t just in the restaurant business anymore, like it was pre-pandemic, and out of nowhere people are asking about additives and traditional production methods.” It’s not the case with mezcal, but in the tequila category, there are percentages of added substances allowed to correct flavor and body, but Equal Measure eschews these and has an entirely additive-free list. “Not all additives are necessarily bad, but nothing says ‘traditional method’ like doing it the old-fashioned way with 100% what you got from the agave.”

The cocktail menu is highly seasonal and changes more frequently. But the signature tequila drink, which is exceptional, began as a one-time offering and has become a perennial fan favorite that does not leave the menu. Each drink has both a colorful name and a slogan, and this one is Down the Rabbit Hole, described in true “Alice in Wonderland” style as “curiouser and curiouser.” It pairs Don Fulano blanco with Aperol, lime, turmeric honey, and carrot greens infused olive oil. The cocktail menu is also divided into categories, and this one falls under “Culinary,” which Cannon describes as, “Using a lot of ingredients from the kitchen that you might not expect to find behind the bar.”

There is no mezcal cocktail on the fall list, but Cannon and Lennox frequently substitute it for gin in the Gracias Gazpacho, another culinary offering with clarified tomato juice, bell pepper, and cilantro serrano oil. “If you like mezcal, that’s what I’d do,” said Cannon. The food menu is much smaller and truly bar food, from house-made Old Bay potato chips and deviled eggs to mini corn dogs, mini lobster rolls, and charcuterie and cheese platters. The food is good, but the drinks are the main event.