Make the Perfect Whiskey Drink, Courtesy of Greenpoint’s Moonlight Mile
What with Tørst and the recently opened Dirck the Norseman, prudent business owners should probably steer clear from launching beer bars in Greenpoint for quite a while. Authentic Kentucky bourbon bars on the other hand? All we can say is, bring it on.
Bluegrass State native Garry Embry abandoned his cushy corporate job to try his luck in the hospitality industry, opening The Moonlight Mile on Franklin Street (he and former IT guy Paulie Gee must have a lot to commiserate about). The slim space is just as attractive as it needs to be, with rotating displays of local artwork and elevated two tops set alongside floor to ceiling windows, but the main focus is the assortment of 100+ Kentucky bourbons and American whiskeys, arranged behind the custom wood and tile bar.
Don’t know your George Dickel from your Buffalo Trace? Brown liquor neophytes are well served by a number of approachably priced flights, from the “Difference in Proof” for $12 (a side-by-side tasting of high rye Old Granddad 80, spicy Old Granddad bonded 100, and syrupy Old Granddad 114), to the “New York Flight” for $21, which showcases local tipples like Van Brunt Stillhouse’s floral American Whiskey, Pine Barrens’ heady Single Malt, and Widow Jane’s buttery Straight 7 Year Bourbon.
Caramel-colored cocktails give the barkeeps a chance to show off a bit; there’s an easy-drinking Schubert Smash with bourbon, homemade syrup and mint, but we prefer get-down-to-business concoctions like the Bushel and Barrel with straight corn whiskey, Campari and Brut cider. Keeping with the all-brown theme, there’s also a decent selection of beer, but you know, Tørst. Dirck. Let The Moonlight Mile do what it does best and make it your go-to spot in Greenpoint for vanilla-scented shots of Wild Turkey and oaky, full-bodied tumblers of High West Rendezvous Rye.
200 Franklin St., (718) 389-3904
Old Dirt Road
(Serve in a chilled Martini glass with orange zest rubbed over the top)
Mix the following in a shaker with ice (10 second shake)
2 oz of wheated whiskey Makers or Rebel Reserve
2 oz of Cardamaro
2 oz of Carpano