Editors’ Choice (TIE)
The Paddle Inn
Newburyport
With to-go cocktails on the menu until at least next year, The Paddle Inn excels by simulating the restaurant experience, so your drink tastes the same when you pour it over ice at home as it does in the restaurant. Some popular options are available in bottles, which can sit in the fridge for a few days, waiting for just the right moment. We love the menu-stalwart Rockin’ Chair, with black tea–infused bourbon, ginger, and lemon, but the ever-changing list is always fun to explore. You can also order their virgin infusions to-go and play with your own favorite spirit.
27 State St., Newburyport, 978-572-1242, paddleinnsurf.com
Short & Main
Gloucester
Bottled cocktails hold two generous servings of popular options like the Mai Tai or margarita, made with the same care and attention to local and high-quality ingredients as the rest of the menu. It’s the perfect accompaniment to one of Short & Main’s BONS-winning pizzas. The list changes frequently, so check the website to see what’s currently on offer.
36 Main St., Gloucester, 978-281-0044, shortandmain.com
Readers’ Choice
Deacon Giles Distillery
Salem
This craft producer offers myriad ways to enjoy cocktails at home. Of course, you can pick up a bottle of Deacon Giles spirits and mix up whatever you’d like. But the team also keeps adding new options to its canned cocktail line. What started with G&T AF, a gin and tonic made with its Juniper Point Dry Gin has expanded to include other classics like a Mai Tai with its Liquid Damnation Rum. But if you’re looking for that fresh-from-the-mixologist experience, inquire about to-go options from the Speakeasy Lab.
75 Canal St., Salem, 978-306-6675, deacongiles.com