Brew diligence

The cocktail hound

Curse the simple screwdriver: You adore drinking—and bragging about—mixed revelations from pedigreed barkeeps. You prefer to sip the eponymous gin concoction at Pegu Club (77 W Houston St between West Broadway and Wooster St, 212-473-7348), or the jalapeño-tequila-spiked Fresa Brava at drinks temple Death & Company (433 E 6th St between First Ave and Ave A, 212-388-0882), thank you very much.

Southern Tier Unearthly IPA at Spitzer’s Corner

Photo: Beth Levendis

VISIT: Spitzer’s Corner (101 Rivington St at Ludlow St, 212-228-0027), a rustically elegant, wood-paneled Lower East Side gastropub, eschews PBR and Bud in favor of primo hooch, perfect for high-minded boozers like yourself. Order a bowl of popcorn drizzled with heart-stopping (and lethally trendy) pork fat to prime your palate for esoteric brews from France, Italy and Belgium, plus 40 seasonal drafts that are head-spinning in every sense—alcohol percentages are printed on the menu. That courtesy is also extended at artsy ReBar (147 Front St between Jay and Pearl Sts, Dumbo, Brooklyn; 718-797-2322), cloistered behind an iron gate on a former factory mezzanine. Pair Spanish boccadillos with 15 tongue-wowing tipples on draft and dozens more by the bottle.

DRINK: Get the hoppy knockout punch—11 percent alcohol!—of the Southern Tier Unearthly Imperial India Pale Ale at Spitzer’s. At ReBar, you can’t go wrong with Belgium’s Cantillon Geuze—a blend of one-, two- and three-year-old lambics that’s a tart, fizzy mixologistworthy libation.

The gamester

Your nightly goal involves getting your game on (or watching one) and drinking until dawn, whether that includes dominating the bocce court at Union Hall (702 Union St between Fifth and Sixth Aves, Park Slope, Brooklyn; 718-638-4400) or commandeering the Skee-Ball machines and pool tables at sprawling downtown dive Ace Bar (531 E 5th St between Aves A and B, 212-979-8476).

Draft beers at The Gutter

Photo: Beth Levendis

VISIT: Partake in a gaming-and-imbibing extravaganza at The Gutter (200 North 14th St between Berry St and Wythe Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-387-3585), a 10,000-square-foot former sweatshop that’s now an eight-lane bowling alley and lounge. Though the vintage signage touts lowbrow quaffs like Schmidt’s and Genesee Cream Ale, potables include 12 choice drafts available by the pitcher, so you won’t run dry midframe. Pacific Standard (82 Fourth Ave between Bergen St and St. Marks Pl, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn; 718-858-1951) dispenses 16 mostly West Coast microbrews from standout producers such as Anderson Valley, while broadcasting Cali sports on its projection-screen TV. Still wanna play? Challenge a coin-operated, beer-guzzling robot, which arrives next month, to a drinking contest.

DRINK: At Pacific Standard, splurge on a pint of hoppy Stone India Pale Ale or brawny Lagunitas Imperial Red; the Gutter’s winners are the fantastic, floral Allagash White and pleasingly bitter Sly Fox IPA.