177 S. 4th Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11211
Meet more of the city’s best barkeeps and booze hounds. June 7, 2011
Tom Chadwick, Dram
Specifically, where and when can we find you in New York?
Dram on Wednesdays until 8pm and Fridays until 2am.
What cocktail trends would you like to see die?
Cocktail bartenders acting like rock stars. Is that a trend? Respect your craft, but stop taking this whole thing so seriously.
What are you working on right now?
An aperitivo menu. I’d like to have a “classy” happy hour of lighter cocktails for late-afternoon drinking.
Cocktail nerds: Love ’em or hate ’em?
Cocktail nerds are always welcomed if they understand that during peak service hours, it may be difficult to talk shop. Also, do not order a cocktail at our bar after 3:30am. That is when a beer and a shot are in order. It’s been a long shift, and cocktail bars have lengthy breakdown times.
We want to buy you a drink. What’ll it be?
German pilsner. A surprisingly difficult style to get right. A beer you can drink every day and not get sick of. That is my postshift drink of choice.
Soapbox time: What pisses you off? What do we need to start or stop talking about?
I understand that the uninitiated consumer may have bad associations with cocktails being sweet, but hearing requests for drinks to be made “not sweet” literally dozens of times a night makes me want to require all guests to read a disclaimer that good cocktails are balanced. Also, guests who insist on “the best” in terms of menu selection. The implication is that some selections on the menu aren’t good.
Dram - The Fourth Mission by Jeremu Oretel and Mayur Subbarao from TONY. Photograph: Jolie Ruben
2011 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards Nominees are announced. Dram is up for World's Best New Cocktail Bar.
Tales of the Cocktail, the spirits industry’s major annual gathering, has announced this year’s nominees for its Spirited Awards. The winners will be announced July 23 at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail gathering in New Orleans. In the running for Best American Cocktail Bar are New York’s Clover Club and Employees Only, Boston bar Drink and The Varnish in Los Angeles.
For 2011 the judging committees added three new categories: Best High Volume Cocktail Bar for places with 100 seats or more; Best Restaurant Bar and a new division of Best Cocktail Writing awards between Non-Book Publication and Author. Here’s the full list of nominees, listed in alphabetical order by last name.
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World’s Best New Cocktail Bar · 1534, New York City, New York
· Dram, New York City, New York
· Eau de Vie, Sydney, Australia
· Painkiller, New York City, New York
Read More: http://eater.com/archives/2011/06/01/tales-of-the-cocktail-2011-spirited-award-nominees.php
Read More about Tales of the Cocktail: http://www.talesofthecocktail.com/
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— Illustration by Maritsa Patrinos
When last call has come and gone, the bartenders-only after-hours scene comes to life. Details.com enlisted two of New York City’s best barkeeps — Nicholas Jarrett (Clover Club, Dram, he Flatiron) and Frank Cisneros (Dram, co-owner of the Drink) — to give you exclusive access to this uncensored slice of nightlife. Join them and a rotating crew of seasoned drink-slingers every other week for tales of debauchery.
THE BAR: Friday night at Dram, in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York.
THE BOOZERS: Tonia Guffey, bartender at Dram, the Flatiron, and Lani Kai.
THE LIBATIONS: A bottle of Fernet Branca; three “shorty” beers (two Sixpoint Otis Oatmeal Stouts and an Einbecker Pilsener); three pink gin and tonics (Boodles British gin, Fever-Tree tonic, lime juice, and Angostura bitters).
2:02 a.m. “Grand Guignol”
Following a story from Nicholas about the unfortunate barback who once, on a dare, drank so much tonic water that his ears began to ring, the talk turns to battle wounds.
Frank Cisneros: Behind the bar, it’s war time, it’s Band of Brothers. One night, at Prime Meats,…
…Like more and more of his peers these days, Mr. Ward has a way of popping up behind the bar in places other than the one in which he’s mainly invested, and it’s not about moonlighting for extra money. It’s about the cross-pollinating dynamic of the cocktail scene right now, which is like some boozy analog to “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Guest stars are a major deal.
Dram and 1534, in particular, thrive on them, inviting bartenders from around the city and the country to come in for a shift, show what they’ve got, teach a little to the resident staff, learn a little from them and generate a few hours of buzz…
Richard Perry/The New York Times, Philip Ward of Mayahuel, an East Village bar, mixing and serving cocktails at Dram in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
…Sometimes guest bartenders are paid and sometimes not. Sometimes they keep tips and sometimes they donate them to charity. Sometimes they’re asked to mix at least the classic drinks according to the host establishment’s specifications and sometimes they’re encouraged to go their own way.
But always, they’re supposed to have a good time. “They’re only here for a few hours — no setting up, no closing down, no going to staff meetings,” Mr. Chadwick said. “They can just relax and do their thing.”
Negroni at Dram, Photograph: Jolie Rube
New York City has officially established itself as a cradle of enlightened tippling, with nerd-baiting bars popping up faster than flyaways in a handlebar mustache. But this egalitarian drinkery has bested them all, earning your votes over haute cocktail dens (Weather Up Tribeca) and tropical boîtes (Lani Kai, Painkiller). Credit owner Thomas Chadwick and barkeeps like Frank Cisneros, whose meticulous hands turn out flawless drinks: classics, such as a sublimely balanced Hemingway daiquiri, and vivid original cocktails that toe the tiki line as gracefully as they deploy Italian bitters and eaux-de-vie. Huddled in a deep window seat, you marveled at colossal swizzles; at glacial ice cubes softening your rye old-fashioned’s exquisite sting. And yet for all its finesse, Dram is still a damn fun place to hang out—it has an earnest x-factor that, more than any behind-the-bar wizardry, truly makes the place crackle. 177 South 4th St between Driggs Ave and Roebling St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-486-3726, drambar.com) – April 1, 2011
Read More: http://newyork.timeout.com/restaurants-bars/1118675/best-new-cocktail-bar-dram
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Posted January 21, 2011 at 9:00 am
Despite what you’ve seen on “Jersey Shore,” good things do come from that part of the Garden State. Case in point: Tom Chadwick, a dedicated bar professional who got started on the Jersey shore, refined his skills at Bushwick Country Club and worked for nearly six years to open Dram in Williamsburg. When he and the building owner originally decided to take over Zak Pelaccio’s Chickenbone Café, Chadwick had a very different vision for Dram. The bar took longer than expected to come together, so Chadwick had the luxury of being able to reevaluate as the New York City cocktail scene matured, and by the time the bar opened in spring 2010, the concept shifted from speakeasy to neighborhood bar. Williamsburg denizens have responded by turning out in droves to order inventive, reasonably priced cocktails, beer and wine that changes on a regular basis. The only thing that hasn’t changed is the décor, which still features an illuminated Chickenbone kayak and cedar paneling. We met at Dram on December 28, in the aftermath of a blizzard, and Chadwick discussed his unique and often democratic approach.
What was your approach with Dram?
We hatched the idea in 2004, and by the time everything started, we realized it was going to be closer to 2010. The cocktail landscape had changed so much in the city that I was a little hesitant, because the economy crashed, and there was a proliferation of cocktail bars. Not all of them very good, not all of them focused on the craft as much as I wanted to be, but I felt like there may be a backlash, and they’re all tied into the speakeasy narrative that was just everywhere. You know, the suspenders, the throwback jazz, and I wanted it to be a neighborhood bar. That’s the only way it could work, because it’s an odd part of Williamsburg, and I think people were getting sick of the preciousness of the cocktail culture, so I really wanted it to be a full-on neighborhood bar, open 4 to 4, every day. It was going to be bartender driven, rather than house driven, meaning I didn’t want to have my stamp on everything in terms of the specs and ingredients, per classic cocktails. I wanted to make our menus very, very collaborative, so using that as a platform for different bartenders. We’ve had bartenders from Death & Co., Clover Club, Flatiron, Franklin Mortgage in Philadelphia, Prime Meats, and I wanted them all to explore their own style, so that was my way of making it more casual and a more fun environment while not dumbing down the approach at all.
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Read More: http://www.foodgps.com/qa-with-bartender-tom-chadwick-dram/
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Story and photos by Lauren Viera, Tribune Newspapers
3:01 p.m. CST, January 4, 2011
…Cocktails ahead of the curve
No doubt it’s old news in New York, but for the rest of us, the tiki trend is a wagon we can hop on. Recommended: Painkiller, though be sure to pace yourself among the many mai tais, Bastards and Zombies (limit one per customer — no joke). While it’s far from exclusively tiki, Williamsburg’s Dram channels the easy vibe via wood-paneled decor and pineapples at the ready. Many of the five boroughs’ best bartenders take shifts here, making the Bartender’s Choice option a no-brainer. The next big thing in cocktails? Coffee, if the relatively new Randolph Coffee Bar has any say in it. Classic spirits (Laird’s Applejack, Pisco) make their way into coffee mugs here, with deliciously eye-opening results.
Read More: http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/sc-trav-0104-drinking-new-york-20110104,0,2967469.story
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Excerpt:” At Dram in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, an aged Martinez, a 19th-century cocktail founded on gin and sweet vermouth, can be sampled. At the Gramercy Park Hotel’s Roof Club, there’s an cask-seasoned star cocktail, made of apple brandy and sweet vermouth. Temple Bar, near Boston, takes its time with a Negroni.
Barrels give whiskey much of its flavor, and all its color. With cocktails, the wood imparts flavors of vanilla, caramel and certain spice notes. Vermouth becomes a bit oxidized from exposure to air through the wood. And practitioners say the various alcohols integrate in the process.
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(Reusing the barrel is a matter of debate. Mr. Morgenthaler does, while Tom Chadwick of Dram does not.)
Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/dining/29aged.html?_r=1
Metromix
December 20, 2010
http://newyork.metromix.com/restaurants/article/neighborhood-of-the-year/2364906/content
On the drinking tip, neo-cocktail den Dram opened as the almost polar opposite of Prohibition-era spots like Clover Club and Dutch Kills. Yes, the classics like Sazerac and Martinez are served with precision. But from the soundtrack (more Yo La Tengo than Jelly Roll Morton) to the list of “experimental Scotch” to the friendly but noticeably laconic owner Tom Chadwick, nothing could be more different than the mustachioed establishment. And we like this kind of different.
South Williamsburg, you had yourself an exciting year. And with the recently re-tooled M line, it’s even easier to get to you. (From our office in Koreatown, we were seated, with drink, at Dram in under 40 minutes). You’re up, Greenpoint.
Examiner Mixologist of the Month Jeremy Oertel of DRAM
December 15th, 2010 | Tess Rose | Brooklyn Cocktails Examiner
December’s Mixologist of the Month, Jeremy Oertel, is both a craftsman and an artist. Having accrued a foundation for the finer points of bartending at the late Cornershop (Broadway and Bleecker), Jeremy is pursuing mixology with more passion than ever at Tom Chadwick’s South Williamsburg cornerstone, DRAM. He also designed the neighborhood-themed cocktails at Berlyn, the new restaurant across from BAM, in collaboration with his wife Natasha. With a background is in visual art he is an accomplished painter (JeremyOertel.com) aside from his life behind the bar. He brings his understanding of the importance of craftsmanship and the excitement of creativity to every drink.
Tess Rose: How did you get started in the world of spirits and cocktails?
Jeremy Oertel: I sort of fell into it, I was bartending to support myself while studying painting….
Read More: http://www.examiner.com/cocktails-in-new-york/mixologist-of-the-month-jeremy-oertel-of-dram
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http://www.thelmagazine.com/gyrobase/top-5-new-brooklyn-bars/Content?oid=1858146&showFullText=true
#5 Dram
177 S 4th Street, Williamsburg
At this South Williamsburg mixology mecca, old school tiki drinks like the Mai Tai meet signature cocktails like the Apples in Stereo (Famous Grouse, Fernet Branca, honey, bitters, cider) and tailormade “bartender’s choice” concoctions.
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© 2010 Martha Stewart Show - Martha's "Date Night" in Brooklyn
Martha first met Brendan Kennedy and Jim Cantiello when she happened to sit next to them at Co., one of her favorite pizza restaurants. Martha and the boys hit it off, and they had such a good time that they decided to get together for another evening of fine food and drink.
About two weeks ago, Brendan and Jim, who work as MTV News correspondents, invited Martha to a few of their favorite Brooklyn hot spots.
Dram
First on the menu was Dram, where expert bartenders mix classic cocktails from a well-curated list of liquors and ingredients.Not to be outdone by her companions, Martha sipped on more than a few potent drinks, including favorites like a bourbon sour and a caipirinha, a sweet concoction made with Brazilian cane sugar liquor.
Read more at Marthastewart.com: Martha’s ”Date Night” in Brooklyn – http://www.marthastewart.com/article/marthas-date-night-in-brooklyn
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Our cartoonist says: ‘Get a dram at Dram’ Illustration by Bill Roundy
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Jeremy stirring it up. Photo: by Louis Spector
Only half a year has passed since this long-developed space opened its doors and already it has a reputation as one of the best bars in town. A local of 9 years Tom Chadwick designed Dram as a neighborhood spot for the thriving yet low-key south side of Williamsburg. The vibe is inclusive and laid back while sophisticated and has become a popular hangout for nearby restaurant industry workers, musicians and artists. Sipping on Southern Tier Harvest Ale, Tom explains that he wanted Dram to accommodate the changing landscape of the cocktail world by providing a space where staff and patrons can geek out about drinks and still enjoy a relaxed atmosphere.The set up is experimental and largely unrestrained. Though Tom is there often, there is no ‘boss’ or ‘manager’ and each tender takes responsibility for running the show during their shift. The handpicked mixologists all share deep knowledge and passion for drinks and bring unique skills and experiences to the bar. Provided with the platform and tools to be creative, the bartenders are what make it special and take cocktails to the next level.
The commitment to creativity is matched by the commitment to quality across the board. The beer and wine selections are just as thoughtful as the four types of ice they use. Many of the mixers are handmade every day using seasonal ingredients for fresh and robust flavors. The mixers and spirits they carry represent top quality and it’s a great place to find small production and lesser-known brands.
Delivering quality without pretentiousness (or inflated prices) is a winning recipe in Brooklyn. If you love creative and inspiring drinks, it’s definitely worth the trip from any of the boroughs.
Drinks To Try:
Bartender’s choice: Whenever creativity is celebrated it’s a good idea to go with the flow. Featured on their menu is an option to name your spirit and other flavors for a customized cocktail anytime.
Daiquiri: One of the most exploited drinks out there, you’ll get the real thing here, made with love…
Read More: http://www.examiner.com/cocktails-in-new-york/dram-brooklyn-cocktail-hotspot
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“…Essentially I’m putting in one place the lifestyle programming I’ve always wanted to do. That includes specials and also developing the other talent that exists in our company. We want to be the same informative show with new twists.
One segment I’m sure everyone will enjoy is something called “Date Night.” It’s me and two guys – one a producer on my show, another is an MTV personality. We go out to their kind of places and my kind of places. The other night we went to Dram Bar and then to Pies ‘n’ Thighs (both in Brooklyn, N.Y.) where we drank and ate very well. Lots of fun.…”
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/09/08/3011226_martha-stewart-packs-up-show-moves.html#ixzz0z3elXW1QDram will be on The Martha Stewart Show Sept. 15, 2010…
Williamsburg has long been a stronghold of the old-timey fad—witness the 19th-century-style saloons crowding the neighborhood’s noisy avenues. So it’s unexpected that the area is the site of a watershed moment in the most durable arm of the retro trend: the speakeasy. The opening of Dram signals a paradigm shift in the world of thoughtful boozing: Here we have New York’s first truly progressive cocktail joint—a casual mixology haven with stools to spare for drinkers of all persuasions.***
New York's summer of swizzle. © Photo: John deBary
Like all things tiki, the swizzle–a cocktail composed of a spirit, fruit juice, liqueur and crushed ice–is back. The libation is named for its mixing technique: You plunge the three-pronged stick into the cocktail and twirl it between your palms. The result is a frosty glass worthy of an umbrella.
At Dram, Williamsburg’s best new cocktail joint, order the Behind God’s Back swizzle; with its combination of rum, cinnamon and almond syrups, pineapple and lime juices and bitters, it’ll leave you swaying.
Read More: http://tastingtable.com/entry_detail/nyc/1942/New_Yorks_summer_of_swizzle.htm
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Williamsburg’s four-month-old cocktail bar Dram has already gained a reputation as a haven for the city’s most discerning drinkers, and on any given night, you’ll probably find several skilled mixologists perched on the tiki-style bar stools alongside the modish, skinny-jeans-clad clientele. While the bar prides itself on serving serious concoctions—“bartender’s choice” cocktails are tailor-made to customers’ personal tastes, juices are fresh-squeezed daily, and ice is hand-carved—the bartenders like to foster an atmosphere of relaxed camaraderie. “The staff [ideally] gets one shift drink,” explains owner Tom Chadwick, and that doesn’t include shots that generous customers occasionally buy for employees. But in keeping with the air of laid-back refinery, this is not a place to overdo things, and most drinkers limit their imbibing to one or two beverages; Chadwick and his team see the rare hammered customer only “about once a month, late night, on weekends,” he says. “We escort them out in the least confrontational manner possible.”
When we visited recently, barkeep Nicolas de Soto, who previously tended bar at the Experimental Cocktail Club in Paris, was in a bind because that night’s barback, Jeff Hazell, was delayed. Luckily, another cocktail maven happened to be hanging out: Toby Maloney, who formerly worked at Milk & Honey and just opened the Randolph at Broome. Maloney had no trouble coming to the rescue and chipping in behind the bar. “There’s something called a shaker face, and it’s just like an ‘O’ face,” he says. “It’s the really intense face that people make when they’re doing it right.”
Wanna work here?
Start out as a barback; you’ll need extensive mixology experience to bartend.
Stats
Employees: 13
Employees who have left: 0
Average number of people working per night: 2–4
Average number of drinks served per night: 160
Bar fights: 1. “We had a minor incident last [week], and it was diffused successfully.”—Tom Chadwick, owner.
Times the staff has had to ask someone to leave: “About once a month a situation arises wherein someone isn’t handling their booze well, or they come in a bit too hammered and a bit too aggressive,” says owner Tom Chadwick. “We always get them a cab or make sure we escort them out in the least confrontational manner possible. You never want to embarrass or directly confront someone in that state.”
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Other bars have impressive lists of cocktails. Tom Chadwick’s bar Dram, which opened in Williamsburg three months ago, has an impressive list of cocktail makers.
“I really didn’t want to be the kind of bar that gives you a 75-drink menu, it’s being done really well by places and Death & Company,’’ Mr. Chadwick said. “So I thought I’d have a platform and venue for bartenders, thinking that would be an exciting thing to do.”
Mr. Chadwick, who previously tended bar at the Bushwick Country Club for years, turned to his many friends in the cocktail community, asking them if they’d like to put in a regular shift at Dram, at 177 South Fourth Street (Driggs Avenue).
“They knew how geeky I am about it, for lack of a better word, and how dogmatic,’’ he said. “And I think they knew just from my attitude and approach that it would be a cool project.”
Read More: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/a-brooklyn-bars-all-star-rotation-of-mixologists/
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True decadence doesn’t come in a tumbler. We asked four local barmen and -women to share recipes for supersize cocktails.
Photo: Hannah Whitaker
Piper’s Punch
a.k.a. the Kilted Bastard
By Tom Chadwick, Dram
“A lot of traditional punch recipes from the seventeenth century use tea. You’re dealing with tannins, different spice profiles. The rooibos plays well with the citrus without being too tannic.”
For Recipe and to Read More: http://nymag.com/guides/summer/2010/66747/
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Thankfully, just in time for summer, a handful of bars have broken from the somber speakeasy pack—these laid-back gin joints forgo the attitude without compromising quality. At newbie Dram (177 South 4th St between Driggs Ave and Roebling St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-486-3726, drambar.com), there’s no reservation policy or hidden entryway: Huge windows open onto the street, and the walls are paneled in knotty wood like the belly of a ship. And while the bartenders can prepare a strapping Mighty Tux (gin, Dolin and Antica vermouths, maraschino liqueur, absinthe, orange bitters; $9), they won’t look at you sideways if you choose to chase it with a Coke.Read More: http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/restaurants-bars/86524/relaxed-summer-drinking-jordana-rothman***
In New York, Greg Seider at Summit Bar plans to put a couple of his original cocktails in barrels, while Tom Chadwick at Dram in Brooklyn may be the first to experiment with an aged Martinez (a variation of the martini, made with gin, sweet vermouth and maraschino liqueur).
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The sun’s setting and the first drink goes down easy. The second drink, sipped from a weighty tiki mask, slides down nicely too. The third you’ve left up to the bartender who now knows you pretty well. You may have told him about your last two dates while sharing a key lime wedge from Pies ‘n’ Thighs across the way with a newly acquainted barmate. Such is an early evening at Dram.
Vinyl spins in the background and a luminous oversized canoe casts shadows up and down maple-syrup-colored walls. An aberration from most cocktail dens, Dram’s floor-length windows are thrown open to the street letting twilight seep in amongst punchbowls and lovers in booths. Calves dangle along stools and relieved staff linger about for last words and Diesel stout.
Read More: http://www.papermag.com/2010/06/bar_of_the_week_dram.php
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NEW YORK — The walls are exposed brick and burnished wood. The seating is black industrial steel. The lighting is makeout-friendly dark. Outside, an elevated subway train rumbles by.
Inside the Dram bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, standing before a half-dozen crew and a single camera, is Darryl Robinson, who Scripps Networks Interactive, the Food Network’s parent company, is hoping will become one of the next food TV stars.
Read More: http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2010-06-03-cookingchannel03_CV_N.htm
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The drink: Jet PilotThe bar: Dram, 177 South 4th Street, Brooklyn
The price: $9
The ingredients: Rhum agricole, Jamaican rum, housemade orgeat Falernum, fresh lime juice, and an absinthe rinse, swizzled over crushed ice.
The buzz: Beware, young tippler. This sweet, nutty, spicy potion is far deadlier than it looks. Or tastes. Two different types of rum, and a splash of absinthe will have you on your bottom in no time, so do sip responsibly. Disclaimer in place, you’re in for a treat: swizzles spell refreshment and this tiki-flavored swizzler is no different. It’s garnished with a sophisticated sprig of fresh mint, but the spirit of the drink screams perky paper umbrella. As the name suggests, may cause you to think you can fly.
Read More: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/archives/2010/04/drink_a_jet_pil.php
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Williamsburg is heating up these days with a string of new openings, including Pies-n-Thighs, Traif, Fatty ‘Cue and gin joint Dram, a cozy, wood-paneled bar that sits on once-sleepy South Fourth Street. Sleepy no more! We sat down with bartender Jessica Gonzalez, who likes her neighborhood, thank you very much. P.S. Hipsters are annoying.
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Dram is on South 4th Street in Williamsburg in a space that started out as Zak Pelaccio’s debut restaurant, Chickenbone Cafe. Although Chickenbone closed in 2003, more than a hint of it remains, with very few changes, if any, to the original decor. The kayak-shaped light over the bar is still in place, as is the wooden spoon used as a lock for the bathroom door, but despite those details, Dram is an entirely different beast from its predecessor.
Taking its name from a unit of measure used by apothecaries, Dram serves up cocktails with a lot less fuss than some of the speakeasy-type bars in Manhattan. It feels like a neighborhood bar that just happens to serve excellent drinks—in a fantastic collection of antique glasses, tiki mugs, and even ceramic coconuts. The cocktail menu changes frequently, but let your bartender serve as your guide. Owner Tom Chadwick has recruited a strong team behind the bar, and his menu format, offering only a very small selection of drinks each night, enables the talent and creativity of the bartenders to shine. (On a recent visit, we picked our glassware first, and the bartender, Nicolas de Soto, created cocktails to match.)
Nicolas, who hails from the China Club and the Experimental Cocktail Club in Paris, described how he had created a Cucumber Collins while he was there. Since his arrival in New York, he had the opportunity to play with some St. Germain elderflower liqueur, and eventually came up with the St. Germain des Prés—named after a Parisian neighborhood.
It is a spicy drink—be prepared for a strong zing of chile upon your first sip—but the heat is quickly tempered by the cucumber and egg white. The effect is incredibly refreshing, and tasty to boot.
For Nico’s Recipe and to read more: http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2010/04/mix-it-up-st-germain-des-pres-at-dram-williamsburg-brooklyn.html
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Dram
No More Dram-a by Kara Zuaro
177 South 4th St, Williamsburg
Rating: 4 out of 5 L’s
Behind a wide brick facade just a block from the Williamsburg Bridge, Dram is marked only by a small orange light bulb with the word “BAR” printed on it. Inside, oversized bamboo lanterns hang from the wood-paneled ceiling, casting a soft glow over the cedar walls, two-top tables and seating alcoves, which are lined with thick, cream-colored cushions. The effect here is minimalist ski lodge-meets-refined tiki lounge. The walls are bare, save for a vintage-looking choking-support poster that illustrates a stylized couple dining beneath palm trees—and then administering the Heimlich, comic book-style, on a fellow guest.
Behind the long, candlelit bar, the cedar shelves are still accumulating bric-a-brac—an antique punch bowl here, a tiki mug there. A well-worn vinyl collection rests above an old turntable. The bartender, wearing a tailored vest and a silk scarf tied around her neck, cranks up some T. Rex and chats with a bar-back about how to organize the mixology library—by spirit, rather than by author, seems the most appropriate solution. The man running the show is Tom Chadwick, who crafted some of the signature cocktails at nearby Rye. He also has a hand in an underground supper club and has future plans for some serious bar snacks—crispy chicken confit nuggets with spicy mayo were served at an opening party a few weeks back—but for now, Dram’s focus is on cocktails.
Read More: http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/no-more-dram-a/Content?oid=1591911
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Dram: Way back in the winter of Aught Seven, cocktail maker Tom Chadwick (you’ll know his work from the menu at Rye) told us that he’d soon be opening a bar called Dram in the Southside Williamsburg space formerly occupied by Zak Pelaccio’s Chickenbone. Well, the seasons changed, America elected a black president, and the world forgot all about Chadwick’s dream. But not Chadwick! Earlier this month he finally quietly opened his charming little lounge, just across the street from the new Pies ‘n’ Thighs, and blocks from Pelaccio’s return to the neighborhood with Fatty ‘Cue.
During a recent visit, the place was almost completely packed with merry imbibers, and the unassuming Chadwick told us about his idea for Dram, which features a different cocktail menu every few days and a rotating staff of bartenders who do time at other cocktail hotspots like Death & Co., Clover Club, and Flatiron Lounge. Chadwick sees his role as “curating” the talent behind the bar, and a tiny kitchen area in the corner will soon serve as a “sort of DJ booth” for a variety of rotating chefs.
Read More: http://gothamist.com/2010/04/08/new_restaurant_and_bar_radar_5.php
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Set up with rustic wood panels on the ceiling, Edison bulb lighting, a handmade kayak floating over a brown lacquered bar, and large paneled windows, this no-frills watering hole features seasonal local brews (Kelso, Old Yankee, Six Point…) and three kinds of ice for daily-rotating cocktails running from turn-of-the-century classics, to tikis, to house spesh’s like the Catalan Daisy (Cointreau/gin/lemon/housemade Demerera syrup/Vichy water) and the Lillet Rouge/Cognac/orange blossom water/honey “Signor Spielbergo”, noted for his breakaway hit Jalisco Park.
Read More: http://www.thrillist.com/brooklyn/dram
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Lowdown:
Earth-toned, wood-paneled, exposed-bulb booze hole keeps in step with the zeitgeist. Vested barkeeps dispense classic cocktails from a menu that changes nightly. New York drafts, international vintages, champagne from New Mexico. Housemade ginger beer joins rye and citrus in the “Knuck If You Buck” Buck cocktail, housemade orgeat syrup mixed with rum for riding the Jet Pilot. Artisanal, throwback, and so very now.***
If you’re an employed, thirty-something living in Williamsburg, chances are you have struggled to find a bar that fits your cocktail needs. Enter Dram Bar, a place that retains a decidedly Brooklyn vibe (minimalist décor, tattooed bartenders, indie rock) but caters to a crowd no longer interested in the three dollar jack-and-cokes from The Turkey’s Nest. In fact, you won’t find Jack (or Budweiser for that matter) anywhere on the menu: The cocktail list is classic, refined and okay, a little snooty (though the service, thankfully, is not). The “Knuck If You Buck” Buck, for example, is a refreshing combo of rye, lemon, lime, housemade ginger beer and bitters.
Read More: http://www.sheckysnightlife.com/newyorkcity/search/dram_bar_1_9957.asp
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