"It's an unassuming entrance on King Street into a small place with dark wood, sunlight slanting in through front windows until finally succumbing and the night begins. An absinthe fountain sits prominently between guests and barkeeps and bottles crowd narrow shelves on the bar wall. There's a daily quote and some daily specials on a chalkboard, punctuated by the sound of bartenders hand-cracking ice. The cocktail list is the perfect pitch between inventive and classic. A Sazerac or Scotch-based Penicillin sits beside a Siddhartha Spritz with Mango Shrub; they make a mean Manhattan but also something reminiscent of Strawberry Quik. It's that old adage that you have to know the rules before you can break them and the staff at Proof are A+ students of the cocktail canon." - Stephanie Burt
