The 5: Lauren Maul’s Top 5 Places to Booze in Brooklyn
Lauren Maul was named one of the “50 Funniest People in Brooklyn” by Brooklyn Magazine in 2016. Lauren creates music, films, puppets, stand-up routines and has experience working professionally as a composer and director. Her latest project is Apologies from Men in which she took the words from famous male “apologies” and turned them into songs and animated music videos (the live concert was recommended by the NY Times). She has performed at major NYC comedy venues including UCB and Carolines, Second City in Chicago and has also appeared in several festivals. She produces and hosts the critically acclaimed “Dudes Being Dudes Being Dudes” and “Bitchcraft!” shows in NYC and is a teacher at The Peoples Improv Theater. In 2016, Lauren created a musical web series, Amazon Reviews: The Musical!, which was named one of the best web series of the year by IndieWire. To find out more, please visit laurenmaul.org.
I love a good drink- or as my friends and I call it “Glug Glug Time”- but I’m not a lover of big crowds or loud music. Enter: day drinking! The way to get in your glug-glugs while avoiding the terrors of the night-time bar scene. Here are my favorite places to day drink and explore around Brooklyn. (Also: This is the most important thing I have ever written.)
Salems Hour. Day drinkers know that breakfast drinking is the most important drinking of the day. The morning after a big show I treat myself to Salem’s Hour (1110 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225) which is a restaurant and not a Steven King book. But their Jamaican Coffee with fresh whipped cream and a generous splash of rum is SCARY GOOD.
Prospect Park BYOB. Prospect Park is the closest I can get to frolicking in the woods in the middle of Brooklyn, so I go there with my dog quite often… along with a secret water bottle filled with white wine. Just be discreet and don’t use a clear water bottle lest you get caught- or worse- you might confuse it for one of the many bottles of urine that lurk in the park.
Le Paddock. After walking the dog and drinking your way through Prospect Park, take a short stroll to Le Paddock (1235 Prospect Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11218) a friendly bistro that allows dogs in their outside seating area. My fav drink on the menu is “Out of Thyme” a witchy delicious mixture of gin, thyme-peppercorn syrup, and grapefruit. And my dog can’t stop raving about their “Bowl of Water”- the bartender really nails that one.
Applebees. I’m from Nebraska so sometimes all the fancy dining options in NYC can overwhelm me. I’m just a simple gal with simple tastes- and sometimes those tastes call me to Applebees. (NOT the 2.3 star Atlantic Terminal one, I’m talking about the 3.4 star one on Nostrand Avenue- I’m not a total rube.) The Applebees at 2201 Nostrand Ave. in Brooklyn is the crown jewel of Applebees everywhere. If you haven’t had a pair of the “Pair of Jacks” cocktails (a dangerous blend of many whiskeys) along with a huge app platter, then I’m not sure you have lived. I’m actually concerned for your well-being. So run- flee if you must- get yourself to the good Applebees (not the Atlantic Terminal one you fools) and travel to the Midwest without having to ever leave Brooklyn. (In order to get the full Midwest experience, enjoy a drunk Target run afterwards. Yes, there’s also a Target near the Applebees on Nostrand and it’s a MUCH better Target than the Atlantic Terminal one. You’re welcome.)
The Long Island Bar. When your drunk escapades through Target have run their course, hop on the train and head to The Long Island Bar (110 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201). Quickly, before the sun sets and the bar goers appear and ruin your day-drinking with their night-drinking! But first, an anecdote: In one of my first strolls around Brooklyn I found myself in front of a quaint old-timey restaurant that was closed down and seemed to be frozen in the 1950s. As I gazed in the dusty windows I wished that someone would buy the old place and turn it into a really cool bar and keep all the old booths and vintage vibe. A year later I walked by and there it was- the bar of my dreams!
The Long Island Bar is even better than I could have imagined- with their friendly staff, fried cheese curds, and mouth-watering cocktails. My go-to cocktail is “The Long Island Gimlet” but I’ve also grown quite fond of “The Improved Pendennis Club”- which has a splash of apricot and is named after a southern gentleman’s club. My favorite time to go is right when they open at 5:30- which isn’t technically “day” drinking, but the drinks are so good you won’t mind the neighborhood crowd that fills in later.
Happy boozing! Just remember to hydrate.
