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Inside Ridgewood's First Craft Cocktail Bar
By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 8, 2014
Modified Dec 8, 2014
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 8, 2014
Modified Dec 8, 2014
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Ridgewood, QueensBrooklyn Quooklyn — It's All Happening. Ridgewood, a neighborhood recently crowned The New Brooklynburg by The Grey Lady, has gotten its first craft cocktail bar. Outdoing the hipsters in neighboring Jefftown, these guys don't even put liquor in their craft cocktails. That's right, there's no liquor in this bar—this bar is post-liquor.
Damn, these Ridgewood hipsters mean business.
Instead of spirits, the cocktails at Onderdonk & Sons are based around a foundation of beer or wine. This is really just a clever way of getting around liquor license red tape, of course, and it works well. The drinks are pleasant, and at $7 a pop ($5 during happy hour), they're a lot less than your average craft cocktail bar is gonna charge you.
Their menu features drinks like the Negroni Incorrect (Cappelletti, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, Sparkling Wine), the Lillet Glogg (Lillet Rouge, Angostura Bitters, Cloves, Nutmeg, Peppercorns), the Sweet Pick Me Up (Coffee-infused Red Wine, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, Star Anise, Aztec Bitters). They've also got red, white, and beer served straight up ($4 to $7), as well as cider.
The bar was opened by Brian Taylor, who also owns The Pencil Factory bar in Greenpoint. Prior to opening, in their "Quooklyn" piece, he told the Times, “People are saying ‘Ridgewood, that’s the hottest place ever.’” Cooler than a $2 bill, which, incidentally, is what you'll get when given change at the bar. When pressed about the bills, the bartender was unable to give us a real explanation.
The place has been packed since opening recently, which makes us wonder if the new residents of Ridgewood are going to turn their back on Gottscheer Hall, a neighborhood mainstay recently adopted by this new generation, which is just four blocks away.
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new restaurant and bar radar
onderdonk and sons
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quooklyn
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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