Kate and Laura Mulleavy are the hypercreative, madcap sisters behind designer label Rodarte. Their eccentric fashions dramatically blend unlikely colors, styles, and textures. What does this have to do with cocktails? It’s their aesthetic that immediately comes to mind when I first sip the Upside Down at the Blue Room in Cambridge. Made with gin, vermouth, cognac, and Fernet, it is an improbable mix of ideas, like a martini under siege. The drink works by engaging the drinker, revealing itself in layers: Lively, crisp botanicals invite you in, warming cognac asks you to stay, and Fernet just tiptoes around the edges, making sure things don’t get too self-serious.

Lisa Weisstuch

Liza Weisstuch can be reached at liza.weisstuch@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @livingtheproof.