COUNTLESS BARS CAN make you any cocktail in the book, and that is a good thing. But then there are those exemplary establishments that wrap their arms around a certain cocktail and embrace it with motherly love — and that is an even better thing. For an establishment to have such a signature cocktail, said cocktail must convey a certain truth about its parent establishment. No one can argue about the fact that the Ward Eight is the drink to order at Locke-Ober, for instance, because it was invented there. Chez Henri stocks a full bar, but everybody knows that you have to order at least one mojito when you’re there. Apple martinis grow on trees these days, but Radius was the first place to infuse its vodka with Jolly Rancher candies. Mantra serves a bevy of bevies, but those in the know know to order the pomegranate martini. Please note that the following list purposefully omits cocktails from the establishments featured in this issue’s fashion spreads and cover — the Good Life, the B-Side Lounge, Silvertone, The Red Fez, and Lucky’s — because anything you order at one of those joints is sure to be sublime. Without further ado, we present you with a list of Boston’s 21 signature cocktails. Try them (just not all on the same night) — you’ll be glad you did.

Oak Bar’s perfect dry martini: Three ingredients — the incredibly flavorful Hendrick’s gin, Noilly Prat vermouth, and a fat Spanish olive — ensure bone-dry perfection every time. This is one aptly named libation.

Doyle’s bloody Mary: It’s not just for breakfast anymore, and Doyle’s serves up the best bloodies in the city.

Rhythm & Spice’s Jamaican voodoo: If you don’t remember enjoying one (or more) of these exotic beauties at Rhythm & Spice, that’s a good sign that you did. Dangerously delicious, and the perfect beverage to pair with R&S’s spicy Caribbean cuisine.

Radius’s apple martini: The apple martini has become a ubiquitous cocktail, but Radius was the first establishment (at least locally) to infuse the vodka with Jolly Rancher candies. And the color of the cocktail goes well with the restaurant’s interior.

Sonsie’s Sonsie doli: Soak cut pineapple in vodka for a few weeks, pour over ice, strain into a martini glass, and serve. It’s sinfully simple, and sufficiently sophisticated for Sonsie.

Club Café’s cosmopolitan: Cheery and fruity like . . . well, we won’t go there. But you can’t swing a Cher record over your head without hitting at least a dozen cosmos in this South End hotspot. The cosmo is just one more thing that Club Café does right.

Tremont 647’s Tremont Tang: Potent and delicious, this sucker really does invoke the powdered breakfast drink of our youth, while at the same time capturing the playful professionalism that is a big part of Andy Husbands’s success.

Chez Henri’s mojito: The local joint that started the mint-muddling craze. Chez Henri’s mojitos are as refreshing as a cool Havana breeze. They remain a great complement to chef Paul O’Connell’s Latin-inspired cuisine.

Bomboa’s trixitini: Bomboa’s festive atmosphere is the perfect environment for cocktailing. Of the many delicious elixirs on its cocktail menu, the one that most screams " Bomboa! " is the trixitini, a martini made with vodka, Chambord, and lime juice, topped with champagne.

No. 9 Park’s cocktail flight: Showy and yet restrained, simultaneously elegant and hip — No. 9’s cocktail flight is all these things and more. The flights change seasonally, but order it now and you get mini-versions of three of the restaurant’s specialty cocktails: the palmyra, the lamara (complete with Campari foam on top), and a pear martini.

Washington Square Tavern’s Jeff’s gimlet: Tart with lime juice and spiced (and spiked) with gin, this elegant old-schooler is the perfect beverage to sip in the classy confines of Washington Square’s little slice of cocktail heaven.

Blue Room’s Escondido cocktail: It sits silently behind the bar, taunting and seducing at the same time. Just what the hell is in that giant jug, you ask? It’s tequila infused with a delightful combination of pineapple, coconut, and vanilla beans, and it’s delicious served straight up with a squeeze of lime.

Locke-Ober’s Ward Eight: The drink is basically a whiskey sour with a splash of grenadine, and it was invented at Locke-Ober 100 years ago. A little tradition goes a long way.

West Side Lounge’s West Side martini: The glass is rinsed with Rémy Martin before being filled with chilled Ketel One and, if you like, a splash of vermouth. But it’s the hand-stuffed blue-cheese olives that make this cocktail a true signature drink at the West Side.

Franklin Café’s sparkling peach: It’s not incredibly complex or sophisticated, but then again, that’s not why people love the Franklin. The sparkling peach is nothing more than peach liqueur and champagne, garnished with a dried apricot, but its delicious simplicity reflects what the Franklin does best.

Masa’s Masarita: The Masarita is the perfect drink to put out the small tongue fires that chef/owner Phil Aviles’s sublime Southwestern cuisine can create. There is no better accompaniment to Aviles’s cowboy steak than an ice-cold Masarita. When in Rome . . .

29 Newbury’s classic martini: Whatever your brand, whatever your style, a great martini starts with the bartender, and the ’tenders at 29 know how to make a great martini.

Vox Populi’s white crantini: You want to drink something made with Vox vodka at a place whose name most people condense to " Vox, " and a Vox white crantini is as smooth as the pick-up lines you’ll hear at the bar. And it gets bonus points because, minus garnish, it looks like it could be a regular, more traditional martini.

Argana’s Casablanca iced tea: No, this is not a variation on the frat-boy favorite the Long Island iced tea, but rather a delightful combination of bourbon, orange liqueur, lime juice, fresh mint, and sugar. While we’re not sure how much bourbon one finds in North Africa, we can assure you that this cocktail is appropriately evocative of exotic lands.

Mantra’s pomegranate martini: Exotic and strangely erotic, this fruit-kissed cocktail makes you feel like you’re at, well, Mantra. Did we mention that it looks beautiful in the glass?

Pho République’s mango martini: Pho had an early jump on the mango-ization of the masses, and it still does it better than anyone with this simple combination of Absolut and mango purée. A local classic.

PHOTOS BY KELLY DAVIDSON

Issue Date: January 21 - February 4, 2003