Proof Bar

"100 Proof (437 King Street) is the updated version of Proof, focusing on slammable shots. Owner Craig Nelson collaborated with Boston DiMattia to create a lively party atmosphere. The menu includes 100 shot varieties from green tea to classic Vieux Carre." - Erin Perkins

"Candlelit cocktail bar Proof offers interesting concoctions like the Pink Rabbit (Ancho Reyes, Hendrick's gin, house-made strawberry "Quick," and mole biters) and the Knuckle Ball (Old Grand Dad, cola reduction, orange bitters, and pickled boiled peanuts). Or owner Craig Nelson and the other bartenders are always quick with a suggestion. Proof is a great spot to meet friends or sit in the window solo and watch the parade of late-night patrons on King Street." - Erin Perkins

"Cocktail bar Proof announced that it will remain open with 'power, ice, booze, beer, wine, filtered water, phone chargers' and perhaps ramen from 2Nixons." - Erin Perkins

"Owner of cocktail bar Proof, Craig Nelson, says that he will keep his place at 50 percent capacity, but says that being able to stay open until 2 a.m. will greatly increase his sales. He also says that he’s excited to see food and beverage workers back at his bar." - Erin Perkins

"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