Best of Boston

Discerning boozehounds have long since perfected the art of snaking into this legitimately industrial hideaway, but Backbar’s drink artistry also extends to its deceptively potent non-alcoholic offerings. The unexpected-in-one-glass flavors are what pack a punch. An "avocado piña colada" is at once hot and cold, with familiar coconut milk and pineapple spiked with throat-warming curry and unctuous avocado. A fennel-saffron " absinthe lemonade without any absinthe" is a brighter, more brilliant spin on Death in the Afternoon—without, you know, the impending death.