Best of Boston

As a rule, hard-drinking journalist types hate—or pretend to hate—any cocktail that tastes like dessert. So the Oak Room’s version of the sidecar—a brandy, Cointreau, and lemon juice concoction invented sometime during Prohibition—took us by surprise. Served in a martini glass, the rim thickly frosted with sugar, this cocktail’s deliciousness can sweeten the most jaundiced dispositions. We even enjoyed a lengthy chat with the guy at the next barstool, who was attending a dental convention. Now that’s potency.