Crown Victoria

60 S 2nd St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
917.719.6072

Dram

177 s 4th Street
Brooklyn, New York 11211
view map
718.486.3726

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major Credit Cards
Hours: Mon-Fri, 5pm-4am; Fri-Sun, 4pm-4am
Subway: J,M,Z to Marcy Ave.
Food/Menu: Bar Snacks
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: None
Metromix says:

On a quiet block in Williamsburg, this cozy new cocktail spot serves carefully crafted drinks and fancified versions of bar snack favorites. Highlights of their bar menu include swanky concoctions such as the Gin Daisy ($9, cointreau, gin, lemon,syrup and Vichy water) and the “Knuck If you Buck” Buck ($9, rye, homemade ginger beer, lemon and lime). Or throw decision to the wind with the Bartender’s Choice: just name your spirit and style of preparation and the bartender will create a special cocktail just for you.

Time Out New York says:

Williamsburg has long been a stronghold of the old-timey fad—witness the 19th-century-style saloons crowding the neighborhood’s noisy avenues. So it’s unexpected that the area is the site of a watershed moment in the most durable arm of the retro trend: the speakeasy. The opening of Dram signals a paradigm shift in the world of thoughtful boozing: Here we have New York’s first truly progressive cocktail joint—a casual mixology haven with stools to spare for drinkers of all persuasions. It’s instantly apparent that there are no clandestine conceits at Dram: Giant windows lined with deep benches open onto the street, and while the music can be heard from a block away, it’s reggae and indie rock spilling onto the sidewalk—not ragtime. And then there’s the list of summery cocktails that changes according to the whims of Dram’s precocious barkeeps. Lighthearted but exquisitely executed, the menu is an antidote to the seriousness that defines the haute cocktail scene. Rust-colored with Angostura, the tiki-leaning Behind God’s Back gets its warm, nutty flavor from aged rum, cane syrup, pineapple, cinnamon and milky house-made orgeat (a syrup made with almonds and orange flower-water). The Mighty Tux is a botanical balancing act, with crisp gin, bittersweet maraschino liqueur, bitters, and both dry and sweet vermouth lending body and depth. There are classics, too—a beautifully integrated Sazerac; a bitter Negroni bobbing with a giant spiral of orange zest. The cocktail geeks swishing jenever at the bar share real estate with neighborhood dudes draining $4 Porkslap ales and couples sipping from a smart collection of international wines (one of Dram’s barkeeps, Frank Cisneros, is also a sommelier). It’s this egalitarian tack that will keep the place packed, whether or not its patrons appreciate Italian bitters and Kold-Draft ice cubes. And though the bar currently offers no food, its proximity to fried chicken joint Pies ’n’ Thighs makes it an easy place to while away an evening, hopping back and forth across South 4th Street. While some cocktail aesthetes may still be clinging to speakeasy culture, for the rest of us, accessible Dram is a giant step forward.

c/o Flickr

286 Seigel St
Brooklyn, NY 11206
view map
718.418.8823

Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Hours: Daily 4pm-4am
Subway: L to Morgan Ave.
Food/Menu: No food available
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: Daily 4pm-8pm: $3 drafts and $5 Buds with shot of Jack Daniels
The Village Voice says:

Best Bar In Brooklyn For Great Whisk(e)ys At Reasonable Prices – Kings County
Tourists: They are the bane of New Yorkers’ existence, clogging the sidewalks and subways, babbling at top volume about some Broadway behemoth no true city dweller (native or longtime transplant) would ever want to see. But not all visitors to our fair island are so oblivious to what makes New York truly fab. Recently a music industry pal visiting from London wanted to meet up in a “real New York bar” as he’d grown weary of the usual Manhattan hipster showplaces. So I took him to Kings County, the pride of bright young Bushwick. Tucked away behind a door of artfully rusted metal, this tiny, gorgeous neighborhood bar offers a connoisseur’s selection of Scotch and Irish imports, high-end domestic bourbons ($5- $7 a shot), as well as a great selection of beers (Chimay Blue, Bud, and Guinness). Add to this a tasty mixed crowd of attractive locals, a respectable jukebox, and Chops–the tattooed and bewhiskered biker-esque artist-proprietor who designed and built his bar as an oasis of love and culture in the post-industrial wasteland of East Nowhere—and you’re home free.

NY Mag says:

Aside from the crown that was forged from a sheet of iron then pegged onto the heavy door, there’s nothing regal about this whisky bar, although the sturdy stools and the thick wood tables do lend the former welding studio, now painted black, a bit of the feel of a medieval tavern. Like the bar, the furniture was built by the owner himself: His DIY aesthetic is also seen in the T-shirts and haircuts of the patrons, who tend to cluster in the brick-lined smoking alley out back rather than navigate the tight quarters where subtly ironic MFA art hangs asymmetrically on the walls. As the iPod behind the bar blasts the latest anthem of alienation and the bourbon flows generously, an unspoken agreement looms: Better to be out here, where the buildings may be ugly but the people are young and beautiful, than in any of those celebrated Manhasbeen nightlife strips.

c/o L Magazine

633 Grand St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
718.387.1029

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Hours: Mon-Fri, 4pm-4am; Sat-Sun, 2pm-4am
Subway: G, L at Metropolitan Ave.-Lorimer St.
Food/Menu: None
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: None
Metromix says:

When you’re chillin’ in the ‘Burg and need a hit of moonshine (which is always), this country-western bar is your go-to spot. Lady Jay herself would be proud of this low-key dive, as she was a renowned bathtub spirits-maker back in the day. Located on Grand Street, the bar proudly displays some backwoods grit with a neon PBR sign, recycled wood and deer mounted on the wall. There’s an outdoor patio that will make the hipsters happy during warm weather, and a jukebox stocked with tunes from cowpoke like Wayland Jennings. And then, there’s the moonshine. No longer illegal, the bar pours “white-dog” from the Buffalo Trace Bourbon distillery. This clear liquid is what whiskey is made from, and it can strip paint off the walls. Saddle up to the bar, and see if you’re country enough to down some. If you need a chaser, they do a special called the Popcorn Sutton. It’s $7 for a PBR and a shot of the white lightning. Yee haw!

Shecky’s says:

It’s 4pm, classic country-western is blaring from the jukebox, and a row of bikers is lined up at the bar, nursing their moon-shine. Just another typical bar in…Williamsburg? The hipster world capital finally has a good, old-fashioned honky-tonk, and it’s none too soon. At Lady Jay’s, you’ll find no herb-infused cocktails, but you will find a solid list of drafts and cans ($3-$6) and a crowd that won’t judge your weekday afternoon whiskey fix. American flags, animal horns, and kitschy signs (“Next time bring your wife”) conjure the confederate states with just enough irony to assure you’re still in a blue one. The youngins in trucker hats come teeming in later in the evening, allured by a shuffleboard arcade game, an expansive wooden patio, and large booths perfect for shooting the shit with friends. Even those who prefer Wyclef to Willie will find Lady Jay’s a welcome addition to the neighborhood’s repertoire.

Larry Lawrence

295 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
718.218.7866

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Hours: Daily 6pm-4am
Subway: L to Lorimer St., J,M,Z to Marcy Ave.
Food/Menu: No food available
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: Daily 6pm-8pm: $3 well drinks, $4 drafts, $1 off everything else
NY Mag says:

It’s easy to miss this underrated speakeasy located as it is down a long, concrete hallway demarcated by the lone word “Bar.” You wouldn’t be the only one to do so. Before 11 p.m., this cavernous loft is nearly always deserted; when it eventually does fill up, the post-grads in attendance are craving a quiet place to chat and smoke. (You can do the latter on the glassed-in upper-deck overlooking the bar.) A soundtrack of folkie-leaning rock reinforces the earthier aspects of the ski-lodge aesthetic that comes with warmly lit wood. And after a few dips into the small, curated menu of beers or wines by the glass, it’s easy to delude yourself into thinking that Larry Lawrence is your own private club. You may be inspired to make up your own password and secret handshake.

Citysearch says:

A slim gray hallway leads passersby to a heavy wooden door with an impressive, lofty barroom on the other side. Exposed brick walls and solid woodwork distinguish the lofty space, which has a warm, golden look courtesy of tiny lit candles. On the ground level, smoothly carved bar stools and reclining wooden booths mark the perimeter, leaving plenty of floor space for bigger crowds. Get there early to grab the more secluded nook in the rear. Late arrivers compete for seats with a flurry of the area’s young, hip clientele. The bar’s most alluring innovation is its upper-level smoking area, glassed-in and on view from the floor below. The small section, decorated with potted plants, opens to the sky. Mixed drinks are nicely and cheaply done—with specialty cocktails on the way—and the small selection of red wines by the glass includes a luscious Rioja.

c/o Blackbook Mag

790 Metropolitan Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
718.387.3797

Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: Cash Only
Hours: Daily 4pm-4am
Subway: L Train to Lorimer St. or Graham Ave.
Food/Menu: No food available
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: Daily 4pm to 9pm: $1 off everything (except any $3 beer), $3 Legion Lager, Schlitz or Schmidts, $5 Schlitz, Schmidts or Tecate & a well shot ($6 for Jack or Jamesons)
NY Mag says:

Formerly the Pourhouse, Brooklyn’s vaguely tragic blue-collar haunt has been overtaken by young professionals and Guitar Heroes filing off the Graham Avenue stop. Dark brick walls, barred windows, and lava-lamp-pink neon light feel reminiscent of a high schooler’s basement bedroom—perfect for Legion Bar’s barely-legal patrons who might feel stifled by the more patrician Harefield Road across the street. D.J.’s spin “Surfin’ Bird” from a booth in the front room on Saturday, while a backroom pool is the draw for mellow weeknights. The beers on tap are standard—Stella and Hoegaarden—but like a cool-kid’s parent’s well-stocked booze cabinet, Legion offers nine varieties of wine, ten bourbons, and fifteen scotches.

Martini Boys say:

There was a time when the Legion was known exclusively as a hang out for American war vets to drown their memories with cheap alcohol and the company of others who have experienced the same horrors of war. The Legion has now taken on a new incarnation as a hip hang out spot, replacing Pourhouse, and the American Legion has yet to file a trademark suit. My only advice: don’t expect any heroes here.

c/o Flickr

949 Grand St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
718.302.0810

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Hours: Daily 3pm-4am
Subway: L to Grand St.
Food/Menu: No food available
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: Daily 3pm-8pm: $2.50 domestic bottles, $3 well drinks, $3.50 varying tap specials, $5 Long Island ice teas, and $1 off all other beer
Gothamist says:

A couple blocks from the Grand Avenue L station, Lock Inn is recognizable for not being an auto body shop or construction company- that and the oversized wrought iron key on the door. Inside, the keys are all over the place, hanging on the exposed brick wall, most notably near the chastity belt above the menu. The bar is comfortable and the tables built into the walls have Scrabble and chess boards encouraging people to linger, and when we visited there was a small child and a dog at the tables in addition to construction workers and students. In the back there is a good jukebox and a pool table, opposite pretty memorable bathrooms lined with crossword puzzles and lit by refurbished Jack Daniels bottles. Under the AC a heavy door leads to a large garden with tables, grape vines and, weather permitting, barbeque, a welcome addition to the bar snacks of barbeque potato chips, orange cheese doodles and microwave popcorn. Weekdays from 4-8, the happy hour gives patrons $2 house “just beer” (read: Bud Lite), $1 off every other beer making the most expensive choice $4. The bar has the usual suspects and other choices like Blackthorne cider in line with owner Lisa Buono’s Anglophile aesthetic (in the U.K. the bar’s name is a term for an after-hours location). Converted from a scooter shop, it is surprisingly easy to get comfortable at the bar and settle in.

The Village Voice says:

Getting to Lockinn was quite the trek. Sort of. One could easily take the L to the Grand stop and be there in a flash. Or they could forget the address at home, as we did, and rely on their dyslexic inner compass to lead them to 494 Grand Street instead of 949 Grand Street. Regardless, Lockinn was well worth the avoidably lengthy walk from Williamsburg. Will most non-locals make a special trip through the industrial ghost-town neighborhood just to check it out? Probably not. Is that the whole point of living in East Williamsburg? You bet. The name is a nod to owner Lisa Buono’s Newcastle, England, roots and the U.K. pub practice of locking up and sipping on past last call. Decorated with antique keys, a creepy chastity belt, and tables with built-in boards from rainy-day favorites like Scrabble and chess, the space is a good exercise in the subtlety of theme decor that lots of bars miss the boat on. Locals in Mets jerseys shot pool next to the dormant fireplace, while most of the action, thanks to a beautiful night, was happening in the tree-canopied back garden. Unfortunately the only table open was next to a group of obnoxious boys who, despite being well over 21, were acting like it was their first time ever drinking, one of them booming at one point “I love Chinese people!” and then singing the opening riff to the Vapors’ “Turning Japanese.” Our refreshing pint of white sangria, made of white wine, ginger ale, and peach slices ($5), was too good, though, to keep us from throwing it on him.

Noorman's Kil

609 Grand St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
347.384.2526

Whiskey for Williamsburg is nothing new, but at Noorman’s Kil, opening Wednesday, the focus won’t be the usual Maker’s Mark drunk by bearded dudes in the ‘burg, but rather more obscure brands like Old Potrero and Springbank, plus Scotches. “We wanted to kind of educate a younger generation of whiskey drinkers. There’s that weird stigma that it’s all Park Avenue guys with suits,” says Marcel Simoneau, one of the four young co-owners of the Grand Street spot. As for pairing this with grilled cheese, well, “Those are the two things we really like,” Simoneau explains.

But don’t worry if hard-core whiskies aren’t quite your bag. There’ll be regular tastings during the week for seasoning the taste buds, plus twelve beers on tap and a rotating lineup of three whites and three reds. The partners built out the 174-person space themselves, lugging the 1880s bar down from Amish Country, and freshening up the backyard with grapevines and benches*. Bread for sandwiches like the Jane — made with sourdough, New York sharp Cheddar, and My Friend’s Mustard — comes from Orwasher’s and Grandaisy, and cheese from Murray’s. Expect whiskey and grilled cheese pairings once things get rolling. For now, check out the full food menu below.

Jane
New York Sharp Cheddar, My Friend’s Mustard on sourdough

Sylvia
Empire Jack, tomato, Herbes de Provence on ciabatta

Betsy
Vermont Chèvre, apricot jam, honey, thyme on olive bread

Solona
Jalapeno Jack, hot pepper sauce, tomato, cilantro on sourdough

Maefred
Double Cream Brie, local mushrooms, rosemary on ciabatta

Karen
Fromage Blanc, Gruyere, New York Sharp Cheddar, Havarti on sourdough

Vernice
Connecticut Ricotta, Nutella, seasonal fruit preserves by Anarchy in a Jar on sourdough

c/o NY Mag

142 Franklin St.
Brooklyn, NY 11222
view map
718.609.5858

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: Cash Only
Hours: Mon-Fri 3pm-4am; Sat-Sun 1pm-4am
Subway: G to Greenpoint Ave.
Food/Menu: No food available
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: Mon-Fri 3pm-9pm: $3 rotating beers, $4 well
We say:

A beautiful, out-of-the-way bar in Greenpoint with a great selection of drafts. Ten beers are on tap. Named for the enormous ex-pencil making warehouse directly across the street, this bar is the perfect place to go to relax, have a drink, and a quiet conversation. With its classic look (tin ceiling, wood floors, oak tables) you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into another era where Brooklyn was actually known for its pencils. Wines, spirits, and some great single malts are available too. (The owners also own Harefield Road).

NY Mag says:

Long before hipsters outpriced from Williamsburg flocked to Greenpoint, longshoremen looking to tipple found refuge at the neighborhood’s many bars. The Pencil Factory-the namesake factory is actually located across the street-was once the Miltonian Social Club, a bar catering to said dockworkers. The old moniker is now etched in glass at the back of the bar, serving as a reminder to those days of yore along with the original wide-plank floors, apothecary cabinetry, and weathered, exposed brick walls. Since much of Greenpoint’s nightlife now consists of Polish social clubs, young newcomers to the area usually settle at “the Factory” for single malt scotches priced by the year, as well as 10 beers on tap like perfectly poured Guinness.

c/o Time Out New York

188 Havemeyer St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: Cash Only
Hours: 5pm-2am, Daily
Subway: J,M,Z to Marcy Ave.
Food/Menu: Sandwiches & Soups
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: No
Time Out New York says:

Flag-waving whiskey enthusiasts now have a new place to hole up. South Williamsburg drinks den Post Office opened on Feb 15 with an exclusive focus on American tipples. Alla Lapushchik, one of the founders of Death & Company, has collected 30-plus varieties of the brown stuff, with an emphasis on small-batch brands, like Whipper Snapper (Oregon), Redemption (Kentucky), High West (Utah) and local favorite Kings County Distillery. For those who choke at the thought of taking a spirit neat, there’s a small selection of classic cocktails (Manhattans, old-fashioneds), as well as craft beers and wines. Guests can offset the drinks with raw-bar platters, soups (look out for Borscht Fridays) and sandwiches, like chicken liver and bacon with charred onion mustard and frisée on a baguette, from chef Sam Glinn (The Brooklyn Star, Momofuku Ssäm Bar). The 40-seat space—named after the Charles Bukowski novel—salutes its patriotic leanings with vintage eagle-emblazoned wallpaper and light fixtures fashioned out of whiskey decanters.