Blue Notes change the tune

If we have piqued your curiosity, first dig in at the well-worn wooden bar. It flows around the middle of the dark dining room in a way that calls to mind the texture and movement of an old vinyl record. You’ll be in good hands with the barkeeps. Mainstay Reggie St. Paul has been there for the entire run and brings a been-there, seen-that, made-the-drink wisdom and hospitality to the bar. Colleague Mary Graham adds the classic-cocktail revival aesthetic and recipe knowledge that most of the best bars have been wise to incorporate into their game plan of late.

The fruit of that partnership, literally and figuratively speaking, jumped out at us in the form of the Caipiruva (red and green grapes muddled with sugar and cachaça, $8). This “Brazilian classic - like Pelé,’’ as one of the many cheeky menu descriptions reads, adds a pulpy texture from the grapes to this variation on the widely popular caipirinha.

“This one isn’t for toddlers,’’ Graham said, presenting a cocktail called The Dark Side (Plymouth gin, Erbaluna Barolo Chinato, Peychaud’s bitters, lime, star anise, $10). It’s based on the recipe of the classic cocktail Gin and It (“It’’ meaning Italian, or sweet, vermouth). Here, instead of vermouth, they use a high-quality barolo, stewed with herbs and spices. In combination with the star anise and lime, it allows this cocktail (below right, with the Caipiruva) to behave more like a wine, opening up over time and developing. After letting it sit for a while, we returned to an almost entirely different drink altogether.