The Top 16 Cocktail Bars in Brooklyn
The best cocktail bars in Brooklyn, by the professional record: Difford's Guide, 50 Best, and Time Out have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Maison Premiere comes out on top.
Bar Madonna and The Long Island Bar hold the next two places. Spirited Awards shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with Difford's Guide close behind.
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Rank 1. Maison Premiere
New Orleans-Style Cocktail Bar
A four-tap absinthe drip at the center of the bar is a replica of the one at the Absinthe House in New Orleans, and that tells you most of what you need to know. Maison Premiere is a cocktail and oyster bar in Williamsburg that commits fully to the bit: dim golden light, mock antique everything, marble bar top, the faint sense that you've wandered into another city and century. It landed on North America's 50 Best Bars list, which tracks.
- Difford's Guide 5 stars · Difford's Guide
- 50 Best #40 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- Time Out #7 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
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Rank 2. Bar Madonna
Italian Cocktail Bar
- 50 Best #36 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- Time Out #20 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar
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- VinePair Industry Icon of the Year · The Next Wave Awards
- Time Out #11 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
- The Infatuation The Best Cocktail Bars in NYC
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Rank 4. The Sunken Harbor Club
Tropical Cocktail Bar
- VinePair Bartender of the Year · The Next Wave Awards · Garret Richard
- Time Out #2 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. East
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Rank 5. Bar Americano
Spanish/Northern Italian Wine Bar
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Greenpoint
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. East
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide
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- Vogue The 25 Best Restaurants in Brooklyn, According to Vogue Staff
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. East
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Rank 8. Bar Goto
Japanese Cocktail Bar
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Bar Team – U.S. East
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide
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Rank 8. Pitt's
Southern
- Food & Wine Pancake Soufflé · Best Dishes Our Editors Ate This Year
- Punch Rosie Martini · Our Favorite Cocktails
- Punch Best New Bartenders · Ben Hopkins
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Rank 10. Frijoleros
Mexican
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Rank 11. Bodega Nights
Iberian Cocktail Bar
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Rank 11. Echo Lake
Rum Cocktail Bar
The $12 daily daiquiri sets the tone at this Williamsburg rum bar, where the menu runs from a lager-and-rum shot combo to oysters with tepache mignonette. The couple behind it know their way around spirits, one having run the editorial side of Punch, the other having shaped Chicago's beloved tropical bar scene. A basement rum bar called Undercurrent adds another layer for anyone who shows up and doesn't want to leave.
- Eater The Best New Bars in New York City
- Eater The Best New Cocktail Bars in New York City
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide
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Rank 11. FOLK
Indian Cocktail Bar
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Rank 11. Peek Inn
Cocktail Bar
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Rank 15. Kinda Nice
Cocktail Bar
A Greek Salad martini built with Tomato Crop vodka and piparra brine should probably not work, and yet here we are. Kinda Nice is a Williamsburg cocktail bar from two Grand Army veterans who describe the vibe as late-night diner meets dive bar, which mostly means the drinks lean savory and strange in satisfying ways. A downstairs dive called Shenanigans is coming, if you need somewhere to spiral afterward.
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Rank 16. Hotel Delmano
New Orleans-Inspired Cocktail Bar