BROOKLYN BARS

Brooklyn Ale House
Remember when you were 15, stealing shots of Jack in your parents’ den? This spot will bring you back—it’s a warm but dingy hovel that reeks of incense, wet dog and blueberry ale. (We assume your parents were hippies.) A selection of odd vodkas (tomato, espresso, green apple) and aperitifs (Starbucks Coffee Liqueur) contrast sharply with the bottom-dollar drink specials, such as a liter mug for $10. Darts and a pool table keep the kids occupied, while old-timers pass the hours with chatty, nose-ringed bartenders. Anything goes here—BAH is cool with holiday parties, chili cook-offs, free bagels and pets accompanying lonely tipplers in for a nightcap or three. 103 Berry St at North 8th St (718-302-9811, brooklynalehouse.net)

Huckleberry Bar
This cavernous space is painted a fugly taupe and filled with dorm-grade furnishings, but damn if you won’t get wasted on $10 cocktails. Harvey Wallbangers and Pisco Sours complement seasonal favorites like hot buttered rum and spiked hot chocolate, all expertly shaken by funereal bartenders (though the sober shtick clashes with the hand-clapping hip-hop DJs and funksters breaking it down in the enclosed backyard). Delish sandwiches are prepared right behind the bar—good luck resisting the scent of bacon when you’re tossin’ back the Beefeater—and brunch lasts till 6pm on Sundays. 588 Grand St at Lorimer St (718-218-8555, huckleberrybar.com)

Rosemary’s Greenpoint Tavern
Don’t you dare call this neighborhood institution a dive. Although the dark, bare-bones interior has changed little since the joint opened in 1954, it is spotlessly clean and lovingly decorated to the nines for holidays. Alas, owner Rosemary Bleday doesn’t bartend anymore, but Peggy—“one of the new girls” (she came on board 28 years ago)—makes a mean Bloody Mary on Saturday afternoons. The jukebox suits the old guard and ironic imbibers alike with its selection of classics such as Diana Ross’s “Touch Me in the Morning.” 188 Bedford Ave between North 6th and 7th Sts (718-384-9539)

Spuyten Duyvil
You’d never guess this homey little tasting room, furnished with flea-market treasures, is one of the top beer bars in the country (so say the 150,000 hops geeks on beeradvocate.com). Chalkboards list unusual foreign brews; there are more than 200 in bottles and just six are on tap at a time. Ask the sociable suds guru on staff for a personalized recommendation, then settle in with small plates of meats, cheeses and other tasty accompaniments. Better still, try the seasonal spiced mulled wine, glühwein, and grab some takeout from the owners’ other establishment across the boulevard, meat mecca Fette Sau. NB: It’s pronounced “SPITE-en DIE-vil.” Besides being an area in the southern Bronx, it’s also the Belgian term for the town bar that takes all your money.359 Metropolitan Ave at Havemeyer St (718-963-4140, spuytenduyvilnyc.com)

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