The Oak Room

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.