Last year, On the Boards revamped its house bar, which is open for one hour before a show and during intermissions. Their microbrews and half-decent wine? Nothing new. But On the Boards' $5-a-shot pours of top-shelf liquors are revolutionary: Bulleit small-batch bourbon, Ketel One vodka, Cuervo Reposado tequila. Most of those spirits cost $3 more at nearby bars. (Tradition demands, however, that the bar continue to pour Jack Daniels, since a bottle of Jack used to be at the center of every staff meeting.) When you're girding your loins to see a performance like Jan Fabre's self-sodomizing dancers, let me tell you, that shot of bourbon is necessary. And the savvy drinker might note that OtB only scans tickets on the way into the performance space, so if one showed up in the lobby looking vaguely cultured, he or she could probably score the best booze bargain in town.?Jonathan Kauffman <