Tucked away in a residential neighborhood in Portland, Maine’s West End, The Danforth is a modern New English restaurant and bar from Gin & Luck, the group behind the Death & Co empire. Cocktails are, unsurprisingly, a central focus, with a list that eschews the once de rigueur hyper seasonality for a more evergreen list. Standouts include the Golden Slumbers (a White Negroni variation with pear eau de vie, Calvados, blanc vermouth, aperitivo bianco, and verjus), and the Jukebox Highball (scotch, maraschino, kirsch, and toasted oat soda), and bubbly cocktails a reserved on draft for optimal dizziness.
There are a lot of great small plates (big ones, too) to accompany the drinks, and the space—designed by longtime Gin & Luck collaborator AAmp Studio—has a kind of hip elegance. The company’s COO, Alex Day, says they hope the mix of casual and fancy, both in the bar’s design and in the menu offerings, will foster the idea that the Danforth is “the kind of bar and restaurant casual enough for a stop by, but meaningful enough for a special celebration.”
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