We actually stumbled across Esther's High Dive by accident. We were doing one of our brewery/cocktail lounge crawls around Providence one weekend and happened to walk past it, so naturally we had to investigate. I'm very glad we did, because this has quickly become one of my favorite cocktail spots in the city.
Esther's is located on the ground floor of the Aloft Hotel, although you don't have to wander through the hotel lobby looking for some mysterious hidden bar. It has its own entrance right on Dorrance Street, which makes it feel like its own little place rather than simply a hotel bar that happens to serve better-than-average drinks. Once you walk in, the atmosphere immediately grabs you. It has this great mid-century modern, Palm Springs-meets-vintage-Hollywood look, with a little retro glamour thrown in for good measure. It's cozy without feeling cramped, the music is fun, and the whole place has a personality. Providence has really seemed to hit a bit of a cocktail renaissance lately, and I certainly won't be the guy complaining about that.
The cocktails are the real reason to come here, though. They're creative without becoming ridiculous for the sake of being creative, and the classics are treated with the same care as the more inventive drinks. There's a really nice balance between familiar cocktails and drinks that make you think, "Okay, I've never had that before." The menu itself reflects that philosophy, with everything from playful originals to classic throwbacks and some wonderfully old-school combinations.
Every bartender we've had has been outstanding. They actually know what they're talking about, they can explain the drinks without making you feel like you've wandered into a graduate seminar on vermouth, and their recommendations have been consistently good. That matters to me in a cocktail bar. There is a fine line between having a knowledgeable bartender and having someone who makes you feel stupid for ordering something they consider pedestrian. Esther's stays firmly on the right side of that line.
We were there again yesterday, and I ordered the Chrysanthemum, which is a classic cocktail that you don't see on every bar menu. It was exceptionally well made. The combination of blanc vermouth, Benedictine, absinthe and bitters sounds like it could easily become one of those drinks where the ingredients are fighting for control, but this one was beautifully balanced. It was subtle, aromatic and genuinely delicious. Their current menu lists it among the "Throwbacks," and at $15 it felt like a very reasonable price for the quality of the drink.
What I particularly like about Esther's is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. There are plenty of cocktail bars where you feel like you're supposed to whisper while someone presents your drink with tweezers and a twelve-minute explanation of the fermentation process. This isn't that. The cocktails are serious, the execution is serious, but the atmosphere is fun. That's a much better combination, in my opinion. The whole concept seems to be built around taking familiar drinks and flavors, giving them an interesting twist, and then letting people actually enjoy themselves.
This is exactly the kind of bar Providence needs more of. Great drinks, knowledgeable bartenders, excellent music, a genuinely cool atmosphere and enough variety that you can come back several times without simply ordering the same thing every visit. We originally found the place by accident, and now we're deliberately coming back. In fact, we'll probably be back again this weekend.
Definitely worth checking out if you're in downtown Providence and enjoy a properly made cocktail. Esther's High Dive is a solid addition to the city's growing cocktail scene, and I'm very happy we happened to walk past that door. read more