Izzy Rose — A Girl's Guide to Drinking Alone

214 Greene Ave btw Cambridge Pl and Grand Ave, Clinton Hill

The Place: A charmingly sweet cocktail bar with vegan Mexican food. (So — a charmingly sweet vegan Mexican cocktail bar, I guess?)

The Time: Tuesday September 10, 7:15pm. It’s one of those rare nights I have free, so I decide to take advantage of it and go somewhere new in my neighborhood. I flagged the recently opened Izzy Rose when I was scrolling through Instagram, because I’m a sucker for bright colors and cocktails, even more so for brightly colored cocktails.

The Vibe: Super cute, relaxed, Brooklyn-neighborhood-bar vibes. There’s white ceramic brick walls, wooden stools that pepper the fairly large bar, a low wooden ceiling, low-hanging lamps, a semi-open kitchen, millennial-pink accents. Plants are everywhere. Wine glass holders also hang down at the same height as the lamps, so I could grab my own glass if I really wanted to, but I won’t because I’m not an asshole. I love sitting at the very corner of bars, so I can get a peek at the behind-the-scenes bartending action. Even their lowboy fridges are wood-paneled! The lights at the bar are a little bright, especially compared to the lighting in the rest of the place. I feel a little like I’m under a spotlight, about to be interrogated, but I can tell no one here would speak to me harshly. There’s only one other guy at the bar, and he’s talking to the bartender almost exclusively about their menu and drinks in general, which makes me think he’s about to train or is already training here. The only other people I see are a couple at a table along the wall of banquettes and a server polishing silverware who has an enviable cool style that I could never pull off. There’s also a garden in the back which is absolutely where I’d be if I wasn’t such a stickler to my own rules of this blog. The guy at the bar asks to close out, so I guess he’s just a very inquisitive human or a newbie in the industry. I did that plenty back in 2015 when I was a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed graduate of 1-800-BARTEND with zero actual experience.

The Bartender: A very nice, easy-going guy who checks in a couple times to make sure I’m enjoying everything, but for the most part leaves me alone so I can read.

The Drank: It’s still happy hour and they have a handful of classics available for $8. But I take a look at the regular cocktail menu and the Xantico is calling my name. Tequila, watermelon, habanero, lime, mole bitters, shaken and served on the rocks with a black salt rim for $14. It’s like summer in a cup; refreshing, fruity, slightly spicy. The entire drinks list looks inspired by the Fort Greene farmers market — there seems to be some sort of produce in every drink: blackberries, pears, cucumbers, strawberries. They’re using Pimms and ginger kombucha in a cocktail which is maybe the most brilliant hipster Pimms Cup I’ve ever seen. And while all the drink names are fun, it’s the names of the three non-alcoholic cocktails that really get me: Co-Op Shift, House Upstate, and Dating Someone Poly. Truly a wink at the neighborhood, giving off a sort of cheeky awareness that tells me they don’t take themselves too seriously. I love. I also get nachos because that’s the perfect complement to a watermelon tequila drink, right? The bartender tells me there’s a wall of hot sauces in the back and, as a hot sauce connoisseur, I’m a bit disappointed to find that they’re bottled, not homemade. And then I’m disappointed in myself because I realize it’s Taco Tuesday and I could’ve gotten 2-for-1 tacos! For shame, Sammi, for shame.

Was I Hit On?: Nope but the effortlessly cool server said he liked my pants! To be clear, they are very cool pants.

Should You Drink Here Alone?: If you live in Clinton Hill or one of its adjacent neighborhoods, sure! Izzy Rose is a lovely addition to the tree-lined streets of this part of Brooklyn. Stop by after your shift at the co-op ;)

***Editor’s Note*** Turns out, Izzy Rose might not be so safe for ladies after all. As of November 2019, new allegations have surfaced that the general manager, Nikki Clyne, has ties to NXVIM, a cult and pyramid scheme, and its submissive subgroup DOS, where women are forced into sexual slavery. You can read more here and here.

* UPDATE on the Editor’s Note * There’s good reason to believe that no one involved with NXVIM still works at Izzy Rose.