Botanica: A Dapper Cocktail in Red Hook (NYC)

Zipped into Red Hook last weekend with Matt, Sepi and Amira for a little Fairway getaway. We stopped into a chic new bar, Botanica, which opened just a month or so ago. The day has finally arrived when you can get a fancy cocktail in Red Hook- there's no turning back now!

(Red Hook is an industrial area in Brooklyn that up until about 5 years ago was pretty desolate. 10 years ago, it was considered no-man's land. Although it's still off the beaten path (2 buses or a 20 minute walk from the train), it's gentrifying bit by bit- it's a pretty magical world in Red Hook. This next season of Real World is currently being shot here.)

Botanica is the perfect summertime bar- I had just been here a few weeks back while I was waiting for a table at Good Fork, just down the street.


The space is a mishmash of classic and rugged accents which all come together seamlessly: a copper bar, elegantly stenciled walls, high ceilings, an untreated wood floor, a gorgeous Venetian glass chandelier and matching wall lights.


Yes, we are still in Red Hook. It's an airy Great Gatsby space with a dapper Great Gatsby menu. They have a pretty long list of cocktails to choose from, plus beer and wine. No food (at least yet). All the cocktails are $10- not too expensive by NYC standards.


So the cocktails. The copper bar is lined with fresh fruits and a small herb garden for mixing. The bar guy (also one of the partners) told me that the cucumbers, figs and flowers are right from the neighborhood.


Matt got the Hemingway- rosemary, vodka, Elderflower liquor, and grapefruit juice. The sprinkled marigolds are a pretty touch.


Intrigued by the figs, I asked the barman what he could make with it. He whipped me up a "Fig Time" (I think that's what it was called- it wasn't on the menu), consisting of fresh figs (I got to choose from 3 different kinds!) with Pisco and Cointreau.


We enjoyed our cocktails on the sidewalk- what really gets me about Botanica are these huge industrial glass doors that open up completely to the street. They're about 10-15 feet tall maybe?? I geeked out for my architecture/ glass engineer friends.


It looked like they are still setting up the separate back area, which will probably be for more tables (or better yet, a dance floor). They offer a few board games, and are not afraid to turn up the music here, and bring in djs too.

Yes, we are still in Red Hook.


Botanica
220 Conover Street at Coffey
Red Hook, Brooklyn
T: 718.797.2297