Vodka Twist

A huge drink menu just a short stagger from the scene

capePhoto: Nicole Pasquale

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locks from the noisy center of Commercial Street, the Mews is a respite from the crowds and clamor but with standout food and a secret you’ll like more and more as the clock over the carved-mahogany bar ticks into the night (it chimes the hour at five minute past, one of the great quirks of this homey place): a bottomless vodka selection with 287 brands from 32 countries. Seriously: We watched one of the all-business bartenders crawl under the bar with a flashlight to find one particularly obscure bottle. From these come unique martinis like the Butterfinger (Van Gogh chocolate vodka with Frangelico). The food’s good, too, and the vibe at the Mews, which is in the quiet East End art-gallery district, depends on your mood. (Trust us, it will change as the martinis keep flowing.) There’s a romantic room upstairs with candlelight and stained glass, and a more casual room (and menu) downstairs at beach level. Both have water views.

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The premier of P-town’s many gay nightspots, the Atlantic House, opened in 1798 as a tavern and gradually drew bohemian visitors including the playwrights Tennessee Williams and Eugene O’Neill, who was arrested there one night during World War I for carrying a suspicious black box that turned out to contain only a typewriter.