City Guide: Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
Brought to You by January Spirits
Welcome to City Guides, a paid-subscriber exclusive featuring personal recommendations for my favorite neighborhood spots for drinking and eating around New York City and beyond.
Today’s LAST CALL City Guide is brought to you thanks to the generous support of January Spirits.
As you might expect, the first month of the year holds a special place for Brooklyn-based January Spirits, named for Janus, the Roman god of the past and future, god of new beginnings, and god of the open door. While Dry January continues to remain a focus for many taking a break or abstaining from alcohol, January Spirits, founded by longtime New York City bartenders Jon Langley and Lucky Preksto, wants to also inspire you to make your January a little “wet” as we slide into the back-half of the first month of the New Year.
Recently featured in Imbibe magazine’s Imbibe 75, spotlighting “75 inspiring people and places that will shape the way we drink in 2025,” January Spirits makes a trio of craft spirits, including a floral gin, a coffee and roasted chicory amaro, and a genepy liqueur.
With the current cold snap and “feels like” temperature dipping into the teens, it’s the perfect occasion to reach for a bottle of their bespoke Alpine liqueur, January Spirits Genepy. Made with 27 macerated botanicals, including cultivated white genepy sourced from farmers in the French Alps, the blend is sweetened with Catskills honey and rested in Sauternes barrels for a number of months before bottling. Last year January Spirits Genepy took home the Double Gold at the San Francisco International Spirits Competition and was awarded Best Liqueur at the New Orleans Spirits Competition.
One of Jon and Lucky’s favorite ways to enjoy their Genepy is the super versatile Genepy Soda (they love it so much they also created a branded “Genepy Soda” ballcap to help spread the good word). Simply add 1.5 to 2 ounces of Genepy in a highball glass filled with ice, top with seltzer, and garnish a lemon twist. “There is is no wrong way to do it,” says Preksto. “You can also proof it down a bit by splitting the Genepy with a little dry vermouth or add a splash of lemon juice if you want to brighten it up a bit.”
Save 15% off any online order using promo code LASTCALL15.
City Guide: Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
We continue our exploration of the many neighborhoods of Brooklyn with a stop in Boerum Hill, a classic “Brownstone Brooklyn” nabe that sits among nearby Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Gowanus (it was often called “North Gowanus” in the 1950s), Downtown Brooklyn, and Prospect Heights.
The borders of Boerum Hill are Schermerhorn Street to the north, Warren Street to the south, Fourth Avenue to the east, and for the sake of this guide I’m calling the eastern side of Smith Street as the western border, though some say it’s Court Street, though that’s firmly Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill in my book.
First off, Boerum Hill is not actually a hill but is relatively flat. It would eventually be named for the Boerums, an early family of Dutch settlers who who established a farm that covered most of the area in mid-1600s. It also played a part in Brooklyn’s role in the Revolutionary War and the Battle of Long Island (or Battle of Brooklyn). Two forts had been built in the area with Fort Box erected at the current location of Pacific and Bond Streets. Several Boerum family members served in the war, including William Boerum, a first lieutenant in the Brooklyn Light Horse Brigrade, and Hendrick and William Boerum, who were both privates. Peter Wyckoff, who would one day have a Boerum Hill Street named after him, served as a quartermaster.
By the 1800s, the neighborhood was settled as another suburb of Manhattan, though Boerum Hill wasn’t established as its proper name until the 1960s, with the Boerum Hill Historic District becoming official in 1973. Throughout much of the 20th century the neighborhood was populated by many working class and middle-class Black and Puerto Rican families, but as is the case with Brooklyn, gentrification in the 1990s brought a new wave of upper-class residents to the brownstone and tree-lined streets. In turn, by the 2000s, Smith Street soon grew into a restaurant row with popular dining destinations for locals and visitors alike. While Court Street has joined in with its own extensive selection of bars and restaurants, Boerum Hill still offers many great destinations along with independent shops and boutiques.
Boerum Hill is serviced by many convenient public transportation options and is easily accessible by subway (2,3,4,5,A,C,N,R,W) and the B25, B61, B63, and B65 buses.
For a great read on the early days of Boerum Hill that sets the scene for today’s modern renaissance, check out Jervis Anderson’s 1977 New Yorker article, “The Making of Boerum Hill.”
More to Explore in Brooklyn City Guides
Boerum Hill Fun Facts!
The setting for former longtime Boerum HIll resident and award-winning author Jonathan Lethem’s acclaimed 1999 novel Motherless Brooklyn (tough the film adaptation was filmed in Brooklyn Heights and other NYC locations) and 2003 novel, The Fortress of Solitude.
And.. Action! Movies filmed in Boerum Hill include Spike Lee’s Clockers, based on the novel by Richard Price.
Stars—They’re Just Like Us!: The former home to many notable names, including Spike Lee, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Isaac Mizrahi, Heath Ledger, Jonathan Lethem, Jonathan Ames, Jonathan Safran Foer, and as well as current residents Ethan Hawke, Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale, Paul Dano, Emily Mortimer and Alessandro Nivola, and Ryan Serhant.
The Mosaic House of Boerum Hill at 108 Wyckoff Street, began just after 9/11 when artist Susan Gardner began gluing barnacle-like bits of colorful bric-a-brac to the facade of her building as a way to interact with her community. The panorama of “broken crockery, tile, toys, shells, stones, bits of mirror, and costume jewelry” has grown over the years and whether you consider it an eyesore or an art installation, it commands your attention.
Mohawk Skywalkers: In the early 1900s a community of around 800 Mohawk Nation ironworkers and their families settled in Boerum Hill centered around Brooklyn’s Local 361 Ironworkers’ Union an area dubbed “Little Caughnawaga.” They played a key role helping construct some of New York City’s most iconic skyscrapers—including the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center, and Rockefeller Plaza—earning the nickname “Skywalkers” for their skill and bravery working at such great heights.
Drinking & Eating in Boerum Hill
Grand Army
Since Grand Army first opened their doors in 2015, this acclaimed corner bar has developed a very devote fanbase of regulars, and you can count me among them. This “serious bar that doesn’t take itself too seriously” feels like a live-in, plant-filled Brooklyn apartment (likely owned by the coolest person you know), complete with a working wood-burning fireplace. They’re known for their inspired seasonal cocktail menus with themes ranging from Scandinavian black metal albums and My Little Pony to Townes Van Zandt and The Spice Girls and frequently host community-minded pop-ups and regular events like Martini Monday as well as an excellent Happy Hour featuring half-price oysters. The food leans toward raw bar offerings with seafood towers, oyster platters, rounded out with deviled eggs, hot dogs, and sticky ribs.
Grand Army (336 State Street, Brooklyn, New York 11217)
The Brooklyn Inn
This beloved neighborhood bar, a favorite post-shift hangout among local bartenders, dates back to 1870 making it one of the oldest bars in New York City. Inside, Brooklyn Inn is anchored by a room-length, hand-carved wooden bar from Germany and outfitted with an excellent pool table and jukebox. Its pub-like atmosphere is always welcoming and the fact that they open at 3 p.m. is a practice I wish more neighborhood bars adopted.
Brooklyn Inn (148 Hoyt Street, Brooklyn, New York 11217)
Rucola
Opened on a historic corner of Boerum Hill in the spring of 2011, Rucola, a rustic, farm-to-table neighborhood restaurant specializing in Northern Italian fare continues to foster a wide cast of longtime regulars and newcomers alike who post up for antipasti, house-made pasta, whole-roasted brook trout, and more. (Fun fact: before he launched Faccia Brutto Spirits, Patrick Miller was the longtime executive chef at Rucola.)
Rucola (190 Dean Street, Brooklyn, New York 11217)
Mile End Delicatessen
![Order Mile End Delicatessen - Brooklyn, NY Menu Delivery [Menu & Prices] | Brooklyn - DoorDash](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F347a2944-6937-423e-93b8-4aeda97e3f92_1192x672.jpeg "Order Mile End Delicatessen - Brooklyn, NY Menu Delivery [Menu & Prices] | Brooklyn - DoorDash")
Mile End Delicatessen helped pioneer the arrival of Montreal-style cuisine to Brooklyn with their signature Montreal Smoked Beef Sandwich and classic Poutine, and continues to offer plenty of comforting Jewish deli staples like Matzo Ball Soup and inventive takes like the Chopped Liver BLT and Spicy Chicken Schnitzel.
Mile End Delicatessen (97 Hoyt Street, Brooklyn, New York 11217)
Bien Cuit
Longtime baker Zachary Golper opened Bien Cuit on Smith Street in 2011. Named after the French phrase for “well done” (the way my friend David Lebovitz prefers his daily baguette), the snug bakery has expanded to several NYC locations but still specializes in a wide selection of bread (baguette, miche, sunflower rye, ciabatta), viennoiserie (the Apple Cardamom Danish is a favorite of mine), pound cakes, and tartines.
Bien Cuit (120 Smith Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201)
Paisanos Butcher Shop
We’re lucky to have some independent butchers still in business in neighborhood (Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens), but there’s nothing quite like walking into Paisanos Butcher Shop, a family-owned business that’s been going strong since 1960. Whether you're looking for a prime rib or a dry-aged porterhouse they’ve got your back, along any other cut of chicken, pork, or veal you seek. (In the summer I’m all about their Berkshire pork sausage pinwheel stuffed with cheese and parsley.) The narrow storefront is packed with plenty of cheese, salumi, sausages, sauces, condiments, and pantry provisions, and don’t think about leaving without grabbing a to-go sandwich. Ask my associate Finance Mike about their Heroes by the Foot (the Super Bowl will be here before you know it).
Paisanos Butcher Shop (162 Smith Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201)
More to Explore in Boerum Hill
Ace Hotel Brooklyn (252 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, New York 11217)
The lobby makes for a convenient place to meet up or as a respite for the work-from-home freelance crowd. The hotel’s restaurant As You Are closed after three years earlier this month, but there’s still an outpost of Black Seed Bagels.Someday Bar (364 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11217)
Cozy craft beer and cocktail bar with a kitchen turning out chili cheese fries, fried Wisconsin cheese curds, tacos, and more. And they carry Utica Club!French Louie (320 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11201)
A chic and stylish neighborhood French-American bistro at home for the weekend brunch set as well as a special-occasion destination.Sottocasa Pizzeria (298 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11201)
An unassuming garden level pizzeria just off a busy Atlantic Avenue bus stop where an Italian actor turned chef turns out a wide variety of excellent wood-fired Neapolitan pies.Mia’s Brooklyn Bakery (139 Smith Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201)
Mia’s looks like a pretty generic chain bakery from the outside but the extensive selection of pies, cheesecakes, layer cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and pastries are worth checking out. Friend of LAST CALL Patrick Miller, of Faccia Brutto Spirits, swears by their Rainbow Cookies.Betty Bakery (448 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11217)
This charming neighborhood bakery turns out housemade Twinkies, Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats, classic and speciality cakes, cookies, brownies, and more. And be sure to check out their selection of perfect-for-winter savory pies.
Our thanks to January Spirits for underwriting today’s LAST CALL dispatch.
Save 15% off any online order using promo code LASTCALL15.
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Paisano's is THE BEST.