Dive Bar Jukebox with Ben Hopkins
“I’ll give you fish. I'll give you candy."
Welcome to Dive Bar Jukebox, a LAST CALL paid subscriber exclusive where bartenders, writers, chefs, musicians, and a cast of cool characters answer the question: If we were hanging out together at a bar and I put ten credits on the jukebox, what songs would you punch in and why? Their responses reveal thoughts on their favorite dive bars along with a curated, annotated playlist for your weekend listening pleasure.
Please join me in welcoming today’s special guest…
Ben Hopkins
“I know we haven’t officially met, but I’ve been stalking you for a while.” This was the first thing Ben Hopkins said to me when I recently met them in person after stopping by Pitt’s, the new Red Hook restaurant from Chef Jeremy Salamon of Crown Heights’ Agi’s Counter. I was familiar with Hopkins’ name from their career as a NYC bartender, and they quickly clarified that there was no need for a restraining order; they had simply (strategically?) sat near me at some of my usual spots like Dante, The Long Island Bar, and Grand Army but never actually said hello.
With those formalities behind us, Hopkins, the Beverage Director of Pitt’s and Agi’s Counter, demonstrated a playful sense of elan stirring up Pitt’s signature Negroni Sazerac while serving as an unofficial cruise director behind the bar, greeting guests and sharing stories that somehow brought together a selection of Mad Libs-like lottery balls of unexpected bold-faced names—from Hopkins recently pulling their back out dashing to the dance floor at a lesbian wedding when the DJ played Sister Sledge, a loving tribute to the prowess of Charo on flamenco guitar, the undeniable star power of Gina Gershon in Showgirls, and living in a world without the great Charles Nelson Reilly.
Hopkins grew up in Hamilton, Massachusetts, where they worked at their parents' catering company, Timothy S. Hopkins Catering, driving big box trucks “full of crab cakes and small time criminals” all over the North Shore. “I found my way into the world of punk music and theater and ended up touring all the world in different projects,” says Hopkins, “but through a series of bizarre plot twists I discovered myself behind the bar.”
They learned the craft of tending bar and creating cocktails under Haera Shin at Momofuku Ssäm Bar and Kō, and then experienced “years of hot dog madness” behind the bar at Please Don't Tell, before their first solo project at HiLot, the cocktail bar at Joyface. But Hopkins has come into their element in their new role as the Beverage Director for Jeremy Salamon’s two celebrated restaurants. “Pitt’s and Agi’s Counter are my dream project!” says Hopkins. “I make silly, simple things around the most creative queers I've ever met, and there are carbs everywhere.” What’s not to love, right?
And if you’re in NYC this weekend, stop by Pitt’s this Sunday, March 9 from 5:30 p.m. - SOLD OUT for an evening of “Ben and Haera Make Korean Cocktails,” with Hopkins and Haera (which sounds like an excellent ‘70s Yacht Rock duo) as they stir and shake up a selection of sneak-peek cocktails featured in Shin’s forthcoming book, Korean Cocktails—coming out in Summer 2026 from Countryman Press.
Read on as Hopkins shares their thoughts on dive bars—”A great dive bar is somewhere you can go for a cheeky make out in the corner one week and for post-funeral catharsis the next and find no judgement.”—the no-shame reveal why Smash Mouth’s “All Star” is their go-to karaoke song, and an excellent hit-play-and-repeat playlist featuring Liz Phair, The B-52’s, Vernon Burch, and the (hard to believe!), first DBJ appearance of Tina Tuner’s “The Best.”
Talking Dives with Ben Hopkins
What is your favorite dive bar and why do you love it?