
The Bronx Brewery, East Village: 64 Second Ave., between E. 3rd and E. 4th streets in the East Village. (917) 243-5015. www.thebronxbrewery.com.
The Bronx Brewery, East Village: 64 Second Ave., between E. 3rd and E. 4th streets in the East Village. (917) 243-5015. www.thebronxbrewery.com.
Freak Bar at Coney Island USA. 1208 Surf Ave. at W. 12th St. in Coney Island. www.coneyisland.com. Open Sun-Thu noon-6pm; Fri-Sat, noon-midnight (hours may vary, depending on the weather).
I love the Coney Island Circus Sideshow, and I currently work the door there, so consider my objectivity with a grain of salt.
Gage & Tollner: 372 Fulton St., between Smith Street and Red Hook Lane in Downtown Brooklyn. www.gageandtollner.com. (347) 689-3677. Open daily, 5-10 pm.
The full martini list includes vodka, gin, dirty, perfect (equal parts sweet and dry vermouth), a Gibson, and the Turf. Non-martini cocktails cost $16, but do not come with a sidecar (not even the Sidecar, which is disappointing).
I’ve visited the bar three times. The first two times, the drinks were fantastic. On my last visit, they were just okay. I suspect that the really good bartenders do not work the Wednesday afternoon shift.
That last line is a little bitter towards current beer trends, but I was just offered a “sour beer” that tasted like lemon juice and vinegar cut with cayenne peppers, so I’m feeling a little bitter.
For the record, the best wings and beer combo is the “Wangs” 3-piece with Hot Sauce, consumed with the Blood of the Gods Red Ale.
Strong Rope Brewery in Gowanus. 574A President St., between Third and Fourth avenues. (929) 337-8699. www.strongropebrewery.com. Open Sun-Wed, noon-9 pm; Thu-Sat, noon-10 pm.
Strong Rope also has a new location in Red Hook, coming later this summer. It’s going to have a truly ridiculous view.
Wangs. 671 Union St. between Fourth and Fifth avenues in Park Slope. (718) 636-6390. www.wangsbk.com. Open noon-9 pm.
Reserve by Amor y Amargo. 95 Avenue A at East Sixth St. www.amoryamargo.com. (833) 328-4588. Tue-Sun, at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm. $100.
Greenpoint Beer and Ale Co. 1150 Manhattan Ave., between Ash and Box streets in Greenpoint. www.greenpointbeer.com. Open Mon-Fri; 2-10 pm; Sat-Sun, noon-10 pm.
(Sorry if its gauche to mention another brewery’s beer in my review of this one. I just really liked the beer!)
It’s another print in my Still Life series, along with the Hot Toddy, the Manhattan, and the Sidecar! The previous incarnations have been very classy drinks, but I decided to get a little trashy for this one.
Turns out drawing six bottles is a lot tougher than two or three. I spent a lot of time last week getting all those shadows and reflections in place!
I’ll add a print of this to the store when I get a chance.
Barrow’s Intense Ginger Liqueur Tasting Room. 86 34th St. between Second and Third avenues in Sunset Park; at the north end of Industy City Courtyard 5/6. www.barrowsintense.com). Open Mon, noon-7 pm; Tue, noon-8 pm; Wed, noon–9 pm; Thu-Fri, noon–11 pm; Sat, noon–10 pm; Sun, noon–8 pm.