Bar Shots: Red Hook

A summer Saturday spent boozing in salty dives, karaoke diners and backyard gardens

Curious about what it's like to drink in this brave new post-Ikea world, we ferried down to Red Hook on a recent Saturday evening to have ourselves an alcoholic adventure. And so for several hours we pickled ourselves with basil martinis, red hookers (it’s a drink) and Brooklyn brews while encountering a Lewis Carroll–like cast of characters, from cocktail-lounge children to pizza-pushing hippies to bewigged retro-karaoke fans. We even meet copycat crawlers who followed our bar trail, which was strange but also a little comforting.

By Jessie Pascoe; photos by Gabi Porter

Pictured: Botanica's barkeep and her army of mixers