Martinis are available for $9 during Sunday and Monday happy hours.
• Every Wednesday is Break-Even Bottle Night, in which guests can enjoy a pour from Queen Mary’s extensive selection of old, rare, reserve or otherwise special (and expensive) rum, whiskey and Madeira (dating from as far back as 1898) offered at cost.
• Classic Martinis are only $9 during happy hours on Sunday (3 to 7 p.m.) and Monday (5 to 7 p.m.).
NICE TO KNOW
Sportsman’s Club, also from Heisler Hospitality, is less than 15 minutes away by foot and showcases rotating classics and approachable riffs at a rejuvenated Art Deco bar.
NOTABLE AND NEARBY
The dream neighborhood bar, Queen Mary Tavern brings warm hospitality and a subtle maritime theme to its historic Wicker Park space. Originally dating to the 1940s, the time capsule of a bar was reopened in 2015 by Heisler Hospitality (Estereo, Sportsman’s Club) with general manager and bartender Dan Smith at the helm of the rum-, gin-, Scotch- and fortified wine–forward backbar. Like any great neighborhood tavern, Queen Mary can execute the classics to perfection (the Martini is first-rate), but the bar puts its own spin on familiar templates too, like the Navy Strength Old-Fashioned, which marries navy-strength gin and navy-strength rum in a split-base take on the classic whiskey cocktail. (It’s also the only bar in town offering sherry on tap.) For smaller groups of two to three people, the peninsula seating area—a portion of the original bar counter converted to allow seating on both sides—is the best after-work perch. Not sure what to try? Guests can trust in the tightly curated backbar, which is “all hits and no misses,” according to Smith.
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The Navy Strength Old-Fashioned (left) and the Calico Drift (right), a riff on a John Collins made with black walnut bitters and a float of red wine.
Around the corner on Grand Street, Fresh Kills (from Richie Boccato) has been quietly serving some of the best cocktails in Brooklyn for nearly a decade.
NOTABLE AND NEARBY
• When outdoor seating is available, the wisteria-draped garden (book ahead on Resy) might fool you into thinking you’re somewhere between Louisiana and Provence.
• While Maison excels at the A-list classics, look closely and you’ll find lovingly executed takes on B-side hits, like the Yellow Parrot and the Obituary, that make the case for revival.
NICE TO KNOW
Staff Favorite Dive Bars
Pete's Candy Store
I moved around the corner from Pete’s in 2008, and have found myself wedged into the bar’s tiny back music venue on countless nights since. The crowds may have changed, but Pete’s still maintains a bygone Williamsburg combo of grit, disaffection and surprise and delight. —Talia Baiocchi, editor-in-chief
Happyfun Hideaway
If you’re looking to make out on a dance floor, this no-frills, tropical-themed queer bar is the spot for you. —Irina Groushevaia, senior social media manager
7B Horseshoe Bar
7B stands out from the hoards of East Village icons not only because it opens at noon (ideal for killing time before, well, anything) but because it has one of the friendliest staffs of any bar, let alone dive, in the city. —Chloe Frechette, deputy editor
Sunny’s
This outer fringe of Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood is not easily accessible, but it’s worth a trip to experience a bar that’s been resurrected from the brink of closure several times. Live music starts most nights at 8 p.m., and there’s plenty of outdoor space for loitering. Don’t forget to bring cash. —Allison Hamlin, director of network development
An essential guide to the bars and retailers that have turned Oakland into an epicenter of progressive wine culture.
New York's Essential Martinis
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An essential guide to the bars and retailers that have turned Oakland into an epicenter of progressive wine culture.
Classic Martinis are $9 during Sunday and Monday happy hours.
The Calico Drift is a riff on a John Collins made with black walnut bitters, walnut liqueur and a float of red wine.