Shania’s Max Bet Brings ’80s-Inspired Cocktails, Natural Wine, and Disco Balls to Gowanus

By Ian Browning

Doing a shot with the bartenders is a bit of a hallowed experience: You get a peek into what they’re into behind the stick, which is oftentimes playing with obscure stuff on the back bar. At Shania’s Max Bet, which recently opened in Gowanus, you can get into that sort of fun without having to put the hours in to be a regular.

Co-owners Jericho Davidson, Robinson Daily, and Michael Brown met in the neighborhood a decade ago, while Davidson and Daily bartended at Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club, where Brown was a regular. The three did ample research and development together before Davidson left for Left Hand Path in Bushwick and Daily went to Greenpoint’s Lise and Vito. Last year, over lunch at Kellogg’s Diner in Williamsburg, they resolved it was time to do it themselves.

Photo by Ian Browning

“We’ve always been pairing weird shit together,” Daily says. “Like the bottle in your hometown bar that you’ve never seen move once. That type of stuff.” It’s evident across the menu: smart tweaks on modern classics like the Amaro Espresso Martini ($18) (fortified with the richness of reposado tequila) mingle with Midori Sours on draft ($16), and a well-curated natural wine list that mostly stays below $15 a glass.

Midori Sour ($16). Photo by Ian Browning

Guinness ($10), a Threes IPA ($8), and Carlsberg ($8) are on tap, along with $10 classic beer-and-shot combos. A house specials section on the menu is perhaps the most esoteric, including a $10 Wray and Nephew-powered riff on the 99 Bananas schnapps you see in plastic bottles by the register at a liquor store, and the sublime SuperFUNd Spritz, a spaghett made with Midori and Bud Light Lime ($13). Speaking of the artificially citrusy lager, if you show up after being outside in the sun for a while, take the advice on the menu and get one over ice for $7. It’s refreshment beyond belief. There are also several non-alcoholic beers and cocktails for those who aren’t trying to have too much fun. Food, both in-house and chef popups, will be available after the almost-finished kitchen is fully operational.

Frozen Mezcal Pornstar Martini, which comes with a prosecco chaser ($16). Photo by Ian Browning

The space is a radical departure from its last tenant, the late Dirty Precious. Walk in and you’ll be met with fire-engine-red banquettes under the crimson glow of mirrored ceilings and a disco ball. Past the bar area, which has plenty of high seats for a date night, the back room is a purple fever dream with reflective tiled walls and a wraparound banquette underneath a cluster of reflective globes. 

Night owls and industry heads can expect a reliable 4 a.m. close every night of the week: “When we were in this neighborhood years before the pandemic, the late-night vibe was awesome,” Davidson says. “I just feel like since COVID, that, like, went away. And in New York, it’s kind of going away in general. But we were grandfathered a 4 a.m. license. We might as well use it.”

SuperFUNd Spritz ($13). Photo by Ian Browning

DJs spin uptempo soul and mellow techno on the weekend, which is an excellent opportunity to dance in the back room. If you’re looking for a mellower activity, a vending machine by the bathrooms has mini-crossword puzzles, vintage tarot cards, temporary tattoos, and more for $0.50 each.

“I was really nervous that maybe we went over the top,” he says. “I don’t know if you know it was here before, like, Dirty Precious. It was a great bar, but it was a minimalist bar. And we were like, we’re gonna go fucking maximalist. Bars are supposed to be fun. I saw a couple making out in the hallway and I was like, ‘We’ve done it, boys.’”

A tart, dry German blend of chardonnay and riesling ($13). Photo by Ian Browning

Shania’s Max Bet is located at 317 3rd Avenue, between Carroll Street & First Street, and is open seven days a week from 5:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.