Better Sorts Social Club Opens at Kimpton Nine Zero Hotel | Eater Boston

"Opening Thursday, October 4, I’m describing the newly renovated cocktail bar on the second level of the Kimpton Nine Zero Hotel that unveils Better Sorts Social Club, which replaces the Highball Lounge and is part of a $12 million hotel renovation. Naomi Levy leads a beverage program that ranges from contemporary to classic with seasonal twists — standout cocktails include a caccio e pepe martini with vodka, Gouda‑infused vermouth, and black pepper pasta water syrup, a rum drink with butternut maple and sassafras bitters, a whiskey cocktail with lemon stock and hot pepper jelly, and a sherry cocktail with lemon, cranberry, and thyme — plus rotating wines, craft beers, and ciders. Chef Steve Hamilton oversees a small‑plates food menu featuring fall comfort items like cheddar fondue with charred Brussels sprouts and fingerling potatoes, charcuterie with house‑made mustard and pickled onions, short rib Wellington, and a New England shellfish dish of lobster, scallop, shrimp, and squid with Meyer lemon horseradish; breakfast offerings include overnight oats with mix‑ins and vanilla bean pancakes with berries and syrup. The updated interior combines wood accents, marble tables, green tiles, wallpaper, custom leather and velvet furniture, wood tables, and Persian rugs — a far cry from the Highball Lounge’s lighthearted rubber‑ducky cocktails and View‑Master menus — and there’s a private room for up to 15 with flat‑screen TVs and A/V. Service hours are dinner and cocktails Tuesday–Wednesday 5 p.m.–12 a.m., Thursday–Saturday 5 p.m.–2 a.m., and breakfast weekdays 6:30–10 a.m. and weekends 7 a.m.–12 p.m., with cocktails priced $12–$17." - Dana Hatic