Welcome to Libationland

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How to make a great bar: Take one part devoted clientele, one part friendly bartender, and one part comfortable, cool-looking digs. Shake well. Add liberal dash of local flavor. Pour into glass; garnish with good food, good music and maybe a pool table or two. Enjoy.

It seems as simple as the syrup, and yet, a great watering hole is a concoction that’s not always easy to make. But we’ve made it easy for you: After weeks of exhaustive research (toughest assignment ever!), we’ve narrowed down eastern Maine’s pubs, taverns, bars and lounges to a select seven. The best of the best – where you don’t even necessarily have to have a drink in your hand to have fun, because it’s such a great place to hang out.

This summer, give one of these fine establishments a whirl. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. And sometimes they don’t have to know your name – but they’re still glad you came.

Details about the drinks – and why you just might have another – appear below.

The Libationland Lineup

The Ambassador

Where: Passports Pub, Pentagoet Inn, Castine

What’ll it be? The Ambassador, a cocktail that combines Bombay Sapphire gin, ginger lemonade, lime juice and mint garnish

What’s so special about it? Passports Pub bar staff Emily Slocum developed this tasty summer drink, combining the oh-so-British libation of gin with spicy homemade ginger lemonade. Think of it as a nod to both Castine’s Colonial heritage and to the Victorian-era Explorer’s Club aesthetic in the pub.

Why you’ll be having another: Stepping into this cozy bar makes you feel like some intrepid adventurer, fresh off a jaunt through the Great Rift Valley, or the wilds of Borneo. You’re surrounded by loads of travel memorabilia, amassed by owners Jack Burke and Julie van de Graaf during their journeys around the globe. Queen Victoria presides over one corner, while a three-foot oil painting of Vladimir Lenin looks on as you quaff your cocktail, sitting in the Malaysian rattan chairs. Who knew that a bar straight out of Indiana Jones was in Castine, Maine?

Caipairinha

Where: Rupununi, Main Street, Bar Harbor

What’ll it be? Caipairinha, a cocktail of Cachaca, lime, sugar and soda water

What’s so special about it? Cuba has the mojito. Mexico, the margarita. And Brazil has the caipairinha – a cocktail as iconic to the South American nation as Carnival and the rainforest. The caipairinha has just recently become popular stateside, as cachaca, the rum-like sugar cane-based spirit that is the mainstay of the drink, has been available here for only a short time. It’s got the sweet-and-sour thing going on and, since cachaca is 45 percent alcohol, it’s pretty darn strong.

Why you’ll be having another: From mid-June until early September, Bar Harbor is one of the wildest towns on the East Coast. Rupununi exists in the epicenter of it all – right next to the Village Green, with the patio facing the crowd on Main Street. The food and drink is fresh, local and often organic, with a South American twist, thanks to owner Michael Boland’s yearly pilgrimage to Brazil. You could spend hours there, watching the parade of tourists, locals and summer workers, or just enjoying live jazz on Sunday afternoons. A caipairinha, a plate of crab cakes, and the knowledge that you’re on one of the most beautiful islands in the world – now that’s a potent concoction.

The Fishbowl

Where: The Main Street Tavern, Main Street, Bangor

What’ll it be? The Fishbowl, a concoction of vodka, rum, tequila, gin, blue curacao, sour mix, Sprite and Swedish fish

What’s so special about it? The Fishbowl, a concoction imported to the Tavern by longtime area bartender (and total sweetheart) Debbie Tozier, is essentially a Long Island Iced Tea, minus the triple sec and Pepsi, with blue curacao, Sprite and sour mix instead. It’s served in a small candle jar that looks like a little fishbowl (Tozier picked up a bunch of them at Marden’s), with a handful of Swedish fish thrown in for added effect. It’s supersweet, superpotent and superfun.

Why you’ll be having another: The Main Street Tavern opened in 1949, making it Bangor’s oldest bar. It has got a fantastic jukebox, a huge air hockey table and a sweet back deck. The beer is cheap, the pool’s free on Sundays and, like Moe’s on “The Simpsons,” there’s a jar of pickled eggs sitting on the bar. Fancy-schmancy is all well and good, but if you want the real deal, go to the Tavern. It’s Bangor’s best-kept secret.

The Mojito

Where: Woodman’s Bar and Grill, Main Street, Orono

What’ll it be? Mojito, a cocktail that combines light rum, lime, mint, sugar and club soda

What’s so special about it? Woodman’s owner Abe Furth doesn’t mess around when it comes to drinks. His martinis are shaken to perfection, his draught beers change constantly, and he has gotten the sweet art of the mojito down to a science. The mint is muddled, not massacred, the simple syrup is simply delicious, and the resulting cocktail is quite possibly one of the most refreshing you’ll have here in Maine.

Why you’ll be having another: Being that it’s a bar in a college town, Woodman’s attracts everyone from newly minted 21-year-old undergraduates to faculty members, as well as year-round residents of Orono. Regardless of age or background, people flock to the bar because it’s laid-back, it’s friendly and everything about it is just plain satisfying – from the burgers to the beer.

The Pickler

Where: 3 Tides, 2 Pinchy Lane, Belfast

What’ll it be? The Pickler, a martini concocted from vodka and pickle brine

What’s so special about it? Two words: pickle martini. Seriously. After concocting plenty of regular dirty martinis, it occurred to owner David Carlson that pickles, rather than olives, might pack an equally salty punch. He switched out the gin for vodka and, voila, the Pickler was born. If you like pickles, you’ll love it. If you don’t, you should probably skip it – or hope that Carlson might have some cucumbers laying around, and could make you a martini with pureed cukes and sea salt.

Why you’ll be having another: The gorgeous deck overlooking Belfast harbor. The bocce court. The roaring fires built after sunset in the metal fireplace, recently installed on the waterfront. The on-site brewery and lobster pound. The always engaging and intelligent locals. The utterly charming interior, which combines rustic wood and aluminum with funky accessories and atmospheric lighting. We could go on, but suffice it to say – 3 Tides is a must-visit.

Tequila Mockingbird

Where: The Red Martini, 10 Broad Street, Bangor

What’ll it be? Tequila Mockingbird, a cocktail that combines Patron tequila, cilantro, lime juice, prickly pear nectar, simple syrup and a dash of Tabasco sauce

What’s so special about it? Reading over The Red Martini’s extensive drink menu, you notice the Tequila Mockingbird, with its combination of tequila, cilantro and Tabasco sauce, and think “Huh?” Then, feeling adventurous, you decide to order one. The sweetness of the prickly pear, mixed with the spiciness of the hot sauce and the savory, green taste of the cilantro is just peculiar enough to keep you coming back for more. Along with the top-shelf tequila. Mmm.

Why you’ll be having another: Because you’re sitting in the hip, swanky cocktail bar, looking out over West Market Square in downtown Bangor. You’re watching the crowds walk by, you’re grooving to the DJ who’s spinning over in the corner, and you’re enjoying the vibe. You’re kind of amazed that Bangor has turned out to be a pretty cool place to be. But then again, those who live in the Queen City knew that already.

Victoria’s Secret

Where: Natalie’s at the Camden Harbor Inn, Bayview Street, Camden

What’ll it be? Victoria’s Secret, a cocktail that combines Hpnotiq, Stoli Ohranj, rose petals and a secret ingredient

What’s so special about it? The story goes that Camden Harbor Inn co-owner Raymond Brunyanzski so loved fruity liqueur Hpnotiq that he asked Thomas Laslavic, the “master mixologist” at Natalie’s, to make him something really special with it. The result? A cocktail too pretty to drink, and yet too tasty not to. Laslavic keeps the recipe private, and when he needed to give the drink a name he called on his co-workers to come up with something. They went with the “Victoria’s Secret,” named after his fellow bartender Victoria Lasbury. It’s such a secret, in fact, that it’s not even on the menu. You have to ask for it at the bar. Ooh la la.

Why you’ll be having another: Natalie’s is equals parts grand old Maine hotel, Parisian salon and New Orleans brothel. Red is the dominant color, with fringed lampshades dangling over your head as you sit at the opulent mahogany bar. Outside, tiny twinkling lights dot the veranda, and the smell of the ocean wafts up from the harbor. There’s tapas on Thursday nights. It’s Euro-chic, mixed with New England style. In other words: fancy, but not too fancy.