Bellocq

Bellocq isn’t outwardly historic. Named after a famed photographer who secretly snapped shots of Storyville madams, it opened in 2011 and sits across a small courtyard from the lobby of a boutique hotel in a late-modern former YMCA building. But the cocktail menu is infused with history, and abounds with obscure 19^th-century classics, like the crusta, julep, and, chiefly, the cobbler. The cobbler was born of ice—New Orleans was a major importer of New England ice starting in the early 19th century—and much of that chilly goodness got crushed and conscripted for these delicious drinks. When you arrive, stop to admire the silver-plated punch bowl resting atop an entangling octopus. There’s often a fine concoction inside to start the evening.