The Southerner’s Guide To Brooklyn
WHAT TO DRINK
Photo: Austin McAllister
Whiskey: Moonshine is the most Southern of liquors, but unless you know someone selling it out of their apartment building’s basement you’ll never find authentic moonshine this far north. The next best thing is whiskey, because Southerners love their dark liquors, and Noorman’s Kil (609 Grand St.) in Williamsburg does too. The bar serves up one of the largest selections of whiskey in Brooklyn including single barrel and small batch bourbons, rye, wheated whiskey, corn whiskey and the especially good stuff from Tennessee. In all, patrons can choose from more than 160 different types of American whiskey while enjoying the comfort of a spacious yet cozy bar. It doesn’t get better than that.
Photo: Austin McAllister
Southern cocktails: Since sweating is the most popular Southern past time, refreshing cocktails have become something of an art down there. Meanwhile, the urban heat phenomenon and climate change has made “Ahhh”-worthy drinks a priority in NYC, too. Our all-time favorite place for Southern cocktails is the New Orleans-inspired Maison Premiere (298 Bedford Ave.). Of particular note is their impressive julep list, which includes the $13 Spanish Crown (pictured above), a combination of lemongrass mezcal, sherry, suze, crème de violette, blueberry and lemon, and the $12 Magnum Opus, which consists of Four Roses bourbon, dry vermouth, rosemary and grapefruit bitters. You’ll find us sipping on juleps and sucking down $1 happy hour oysters at their bar once summer kicks in.
Photo: Austin McAllister
Non-alcoholic drinks: If you’re not exactly interested in boozing it up, but want a refreshing drink, we suggest trying the brown sugar limeade or mint iced tea at Fritzl’s Lunch Box (173 Irving Ave.). Both are simple elevations of classic Southern drinks and at $3 each, they won’t put that big a dent in your wallet.
