Restaurant bar
Unclaimed profileFire by Forge Restaurant
Hartford, CT · $$$
Inebrious
Beverage Program Score
The editorial take
Fire by Forge builds its bar around access without reducing the drinks to lowest-common-denominator recipes. Ancho Problem layers chile vodka and Ancho Reyes against pineapple and mango; Cardarum Punch stretches rum and cachaça with citrus, almond and cardamom. At $13–14, these are fairly priced, and the Wednesday-through-Friday happy hour drops several core formats to $9. The tradeoff is a recurring dependence on flavored fruit preparations: the menu's Pan-American vocabulary is clearest when chile, coffee, smoke or spice—not another fruit option—sets the direction. Wine performs a supporting role. The glass list covers the expected grapes, while Bodega Garzón Albariño, Hawk Ridge Connecticut rosé and Iron Horse sparkling provide more interesting bottle decisions. Zero-proof is better integrated: Baked Apple uses smoke, clove and nutmeg; Pomegranate Mule repeats the bar's cinnamon-vanilla 'fire' seasoning; Mint Condition stays sharp and simple. Those drinks are not placeholders, and their $8 happy-hour price makes abstaining guests full participants in the bar. Fire by Forge is strongest as an energetic, affordable mixed-drink program—not as a wine cellar or rare-spirits destination.
- What should I order?
- At happy hour, compare the $9 Spiced Old Fashioned with the $8 Baked Apple; both reveal how the bar uses warming spice with and without alcohol. At dinner, order Ancho Problem with wings or a pupusa, then move to Bodega Garzón Albariño if the table needs a dry reset.
- Who will enjoy this place?
- Guests who want recognizable drinks enlivened by chile, tropical fruit and baking spice—and who value transparent, moderate pricing—will get the most from the bar. Collectors looking for deep wine vintages or an expansive neat-pour library should look elsewhere.
- When should I go?
- Wednesday through Friday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. is the obvious test: meaningful drink discounts apply in the bar, tavern and patio. Dinner provides the fuller pairing context, while brunch introduces a separate set of bright, fruit-forward recipes.
- What should I expect to spend?
- Most cocktails cost $13–14, zero-proof drinks $12 and six-ounce wine pours $9–14. Happy hour lowers selected cocktails to $9, mocktails to $8 and the house lager to $5; a 19% benefits and compensation charge applies to checks.
- What makes the beverage program distinctive?
- The program makes social-enterprise hospitality tangible through pricing, not slogans. A house bourbon, exclusive local lager and fully composed zero-proof drinks sit within reach while Pan-American spice gives the menu a specific accent.
Beverage categories
We only score what a venue sets out to do. Categories a venue doesn't attempt are left unscored rather than penalized.
Spirits
A compact, value-conscious mixed-drink program uses chile, cachaça, coffee and baking spice with a clear Pan-American accent, though fruit preparations recur more often than necessary.
Menu strengths
- — Accessible house-drink pricing
- — Chile and spice used with purpose
- — Local Up N Down bourbon identity
Standout selections
- — Ancho Problem
- — Cardarum Punch
- — Oaxacan Old Fashioned
Pricing: Most mixed drinks $13–14; selected happy-hour versions $9
Wine
The dinner list supplies familiar grape coverage and a modest reserve tier; the most useful deviations are Uruguayan Albariño, Connecticut rosé and a small run of American sparkling wines.
Menu strengths
- — Multiple pour sizes
- — Local Hawk Ridge rosé
- — Dry options for spicy food
Standout selections
- — Bodega Garzón Albariño
- — Hawk Ridge Western CT Highlands Rosé
- — Iron Horse Russian Cuvée
Pricing: Six-ounce glasses $9–14; bottles $35–225
Nonalcoholic
Three actual recipes cover smoky-spiced apple, a pomegranate-ginger mule and a clean mint highball, giving abstaining guests choices that mirror the bar's flavor language.
Menu strengths
- — Substantive happy-hour discount
- — Smoke and baking-spice complexity
- — Different flavor profiles rather than substitutions
Standout selections
- — Baked Apple
- — Pomegranate Mule
- — Mint Condition
Pricing: Signature zero-proof drinks $12, or $8 during happy hour
How it sits with the food
Ancho Problem and the Oaxacan Old Fashioned can meet mole, smoke and fried textures; Albariño or Riesling is the better choice with mussels and sharper chile. Baked Apple works surprisingly well beside pork belly because smoke and spice echo the dish without adding alcohol.
Inebrious does not score kitchens, food or the restaurant overall. We review the beverage program only.
Community reviews
Anyone with a free Inebrious account can rate the drinks here. Community ratings are kept entirely separate from the Inebrious editorial score above.
No community reviews yet. Be the first to write one.