By CARLA SPARTOSReady for a drink? Yeah, we thought so.A small batch of bourbon bars has arrived on the scene just in time to take the edge off the chilly weather and even chillier economic climate.So why the fixation with the quintessential American spirit? Perhaps after one too many pink cocktails, the city is ready to get back to basics.We set out to some of the city’s best bourbon bars, rating them on a scale of one to five shot glasses based on selection, accessibility, service, food and overall attention to detail.
2 of 10
Char No. 4 – 4 shots196 Smith St., Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn; 718-643-2106Yes, you really can put lipstick on a pig. Smith Street newcomer Char No. 4 is the most chichi of the new bourbon haunts as even its name is an inside reference: Bourbon is aged in new charred oak, and level four indicates the deepest char.
3 of 10
Char No. 4 features a honey-hued setting and an encyclopedic whiskey menu – including some 150 bourbons – available in 1- and 2-ounce pours. Those looking to dig into the bourbon list should plan to talk up the bartender, or fall back on $9 bourbon-based cocktails like the Nor’easter (Old Crow bourbon, ginger beer, lime and maple syrup).
4 of 10
Blue Smoke – 2 ½ shots116 E. 27th St.; 212-447-7733Though not an expert, our bartender was enthusiastic about bourbon and the only barkeep we encountered who bought us back a drink. While a little pricey for the casual boozer, the $32 Blue Smoke Bourbon Flight serves as a well-rounded introduction for the would-be bourbonite. Arriving in a special wooden holder, the five selections include prized pours of 15- and 20-year-old Pappy Van Winkle.
5 of 10
Perfect for novices, Danny Meyer’s behemoth barbecue joint is friendly and approachable.
6 of 10
The Pig Bourbon & Beer Bar – 3 shots64 Lafayette Ave, Fort Greene, Brooklyn; 718-799-0292An annex to the Smoke Joint, the Pig was recently made over into a bourbon and beer bar serving light Southern-inflected fare during the day and the Smoke Joint’s barbecue menu at night.
7 of 10
The bourbon menu is the most user-friendly we found, with copious tasting notes for the roughly 20 selections and a variety of flights, including ones that let you compare small batch distillers ($18) and different mash bills like corn, wheat and rye ($15).
8 of 10
Fette Sau – 5 shots354 Metropolitan Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-963-3404Like its renowned ‘cue (recent standouts included brisket, pork belly and Peking duck), the booze selection manages to be both artisanal and accessible: Micro-brews can be ordered in gallon-size jugs; bourbons and American whiskeys (no Jameson here) in flights ranging from Pre-School ($9) to Grad School ($39). There are even eye-dropper bottles filled with water placed on the bar, so you can temper your drink with precision. But the kicker is the affordable pricing: A flight of single barrel bourbon (Elmer T. Lee, Elijah Craig, Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit; $14) and two small yet strong beers ($3 for a half-pint, $5 for a pint) cost only 20 bucks, and was enough to get two people buzzed.
9 of 10
Mason Dixon – 3 ½ shots133 Essex St.; 212-260-4100Lost all your money in the stock market? You can still ride the bull – even if it is a mechanical one – at this enormous honky-tonk. The inked bartenders know how to navigate you through the list of some 40 bourbons, and they don’t stint on the pours, either. Save yourself from drowning in a whiskey river by ordering up some of the solid bar food.
10 of 10
Bourbon basicsThere’s nothing more badass than a bottle of brown booze – especially if it happens to be bourbon.-To qualify as bourbon, a whiskey must contain at least 51 percent corn in its “mash bill” (i.e. recipe) and be aged in new charred oak barrels.t can’t go into the barrel higher than 125 proof, be distilled higher than 160 proof or contain coloring or artificial additives. And while most bourbon hails from Kentucky, it can be made anywhere in the US.To train your palate, LeNell Smothers suggests sampling different bourbons from the same distillery, bourbons that represent different mash bill categories (e.g. “high rye” versus “wheated”), or bourbons from the same label but of different ages and proofs. “The best way to learn is by drinking it, not reading about it,” says Smothers. Indeed.
