Restaurant bar
Unclaimed profileAvert Brasserie
West Hartford, CT · $$$
Inebrious
Beverage Program Score
The editorial take
Avert Brasserie does not leave its French identity on the plate. The cocktail list works through aperitif wine, Champagne and bitter liqueurs: Riviera Spriz combines Lillet Blanc, Provencal rose and Suze; Avoir de Peche brings peach liqueur and vermouth blanc under a Champagne finish; Rouge Amer puts Gamay beside Cappelletti and Bonal. These are drinks designed to begin a meal rather than overwhelm one. A French 75 and the Cognac-based April in Paris provide recognizable landmarks, although the vodka-led Westside and Fleur de Provence are less tightly tied to the brasserie argument. Wine is the more substantial achievement. Twenty-one glass pours make Sancerre, Macon-Villages, Mosel Riesling, Mercurey, St.-Emilion and Medoc available without committing a table to a bottle. The bottle list then becomes properly regional: Chablis and Pouilly-Fuisse precede Chassagne-Montrachet; modest Bordeaux sits below mature or more ambitious Burgundy and Rhone selections; Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape reaches $300. Avert could organize that breadth more cleanly and proofread a few labels, but it gives guests a real progression rather than a decorative French accent. The sharpest value appears from 3 to 6 p.m., when five wines and five cocktails fall to $8 and can be paired with oysters, mussels or escargots.
- What should I order?
- Use Riviera Spriz as an aperitif, then choose wine by the dish: Domaine Houchart Provence Blanc with oysters or mussels, Mercurey de Buxy with roast poultry, or Chateau Saint Andre St.-Emilion with beef. At happy hour, the $8 French 75 is the cleanest introduction.
- Who will enjoy this place?
- Drinkers who want a French regional wine list with unusually broad glass access, and aperitif fans who prefer Lillet, Suze, Bonal and vermouth to a menu dominated by flavored vodka.
- When should I go?
- The 3-to-6 p.m. Monday-through-Saturday green hour offers the best value. Dinner is better when the table can explore Burgundy, Bordeaux or Rhone bottles beyond the glass list.
- What should I expect to spend?
- Current cocktails are mostly $14-$16. Wines by the glass run about $12-$19; bottles begin around $42 and extend to $430 for Dom Perignon, with several serious French bottles above $100.
- What makes the beverage program distinctive?
- Few Hartford-area programs connect a 21-pour glass list, French regional bottles and an aperitif-driven cocktail menu this directly to the rituals of a brasserie.
Beverage categories
We only score what a venue sets out to do. Categories a venue doesn't attempt are left unscored rather than penalized.
Wine
A wide glass selection opens into credible French regional depth, with Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone, Loire, Provence and Champagne represented at several price levels.
Menu strengths
- — Twenty-one by-the-glass choices
- — French regions treated with meaningful depth
- — Bottle ladder from accessible appellations to prestige selections
Standout selections
- — La Legende de St. Martin Sancerre
- — Albert Bichot Chablis 2023
- — Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2019
Pricing: Glasses generally $12-$19; bottles approximately $42-$430
Cocktails
Aperitif wine, Champagne and French bitter liqueurs give the signatures a coherent pre-dinner purpose, while classics keep the list approachable.
Menu strengths
- — Aperitif-driven construction
- — Clear French ingredient vocabulary
- — Strong happy-hour access
Standout selections
- — Riviera Spriz
- — Avoir de Peche
- — Rouge Amer
Pricing: Mostly $14-$16; five named cocktails are $8 during green hour
How it sits with the food
Provence Blanc and Sancerre suit oysters, salmon rillette and mussels; Mercurey or Bourgogne rouge can carry duck and mushrooms; Bordeaux or northern Rhone structure fits beef. The bitter, low-tannin Rouge Amer is especially useful before richer food.
Inebrious does not score kitchens, food or the restaurant overall. We review the beverage program only.
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