Fort Defiance

The rattle of a Boston shaker filled with ice and a carefully calibrated cocktail is a familiar sound in certain parts of Brooklyn. But the serious take on tippling offered at Fort Defiance is rare in isolated Red Hook. The well-stocked bar, fresh mixers and meticulously researched cocktails are a booze writer’s dream. Which makes sense: The establishment comes to us from St. John Frizell, an alcohol columnist for Edible Brooklyn magazine and a former Pegu Club bartender. His drinks are among the best in the borough (there’s even a virgin selection, including custom-carbonated seltzer and homemade pineapple soda). Their quirky names are listed alongside the year they debuted: The Journalist (1930), made with gin and vermouth, is clean and crisp as a classic Manhattan. The Prescription Julep (1857) is an extra-potent mint julep featuring cognac and rye, poured over ice hand-crushed to order. Complementing the alcohol is chef Sam Filloramo’s food. The short menu, which changes weekly, is both homey and polished. On one recent evening, an iced rum-and-ginger Barbados Buck (1930) was an easy match for bluefish cakes—assertive and creamy—followed by hanger steak in rich shallot-wine gravy. If you live in the ’hood, Fort Defiance has the makings of your new local spot (it opens at 7am on weekdays, serving coffee and breakfast). The frontier pricing—most drinks are under $10 and the food maxes out in the high teens—helps justify the trek for the rest of us.—TONY

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