Grand Army is part of a series of tidbits from the chapters of my book Bars, Taverns and Dives New Yorkers Love, published by Rizzoli. You can order it from Powell’s, Amazon, Rizzoli, and Barnes & Noble. Signed prints of all the bars in the book are available here.
When they were opening their new bar, Grand Army, co-owner Damon Boelte and company had a clear vision, and it started with the name. “We wanted to reference the historic Brooklyn, for sure,” Boelte told me, “And a name that sounded sturdy and strong. Strong drinks, a sturdy bar, a strong place.”
They found inspiration for the name a mile to the southeast: Grand Army Plaza, the main entrance to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Grand Army. Named for the Grand Army of the Republic. Strong name.
“I like strong stuff,” Boelte tells me. “I like old cars, old motorcycles, and big old bars. We had to have a big, old, strong bar.”
It’s a treat to watch Boelte work. He’s a total pro. A good host who works fast, paying attention to detail, and making every drink look and taste great. He’s got that lanky, longhair-outlaw-cowboy look, with Willie Nelson braids dropping out from under an immaculate Stetson. Voice is deep as a well. Welcoming, enthusiastic, eccentric, seasoned, Oklahoman.
Like a machine, he makes a drink then sets it on fire. Puts it down in front of a giddy young woman, already pulling out her phone and opening Instagram. He hunches slightly, looks her in the eye and uses the deep voice, gesturing with the long fingers, all serious. “Here’s what you do: ‘Gram that shit, blow it out, then drink it, in that order. Don’t want you getting hurt.”
Best Time to Visit Grand Army
“Probably Thursday evenings,” says Boelte. “Thursday is the ‘new Friday!’” That’s a good night to see Grand Army all revved up and full of energy, but not swamped by the weekend crush. Bonus if you get there early, around 5 p.m., when they open, and enjoy the place bathed in the last remnants of daylight, before the crowd hits, and take advantage of oyster happy hour. “It’s a great place to day-drink,” according to Boelte. Yes, it is.
What to Drink at Grand Army
• Start with a classic Daiquiri. When made right, they’re marvelous, crowd-pleasing drinks. Far too many of us have only had those sugary, slushy travesties that give the drink a bad name. (Think Bourbon Street in New Orleans or Duval in Key West.) Grand Army restores the Daiquiri’s dignity in a variety of ways, using different rums and variations on sweeteners, for instance, and you’re always sure to get a right-proper version from any of the bar staff.
• “Finish with a Hard Start,” Boelte suggests. We make a lot of those around here.” Whatever you have to eat or drink during your visit to Grand Army, this minty, herbaceous little shot glass digestif assures you finish on a good note, and it was first concocted by Boelte himself when he was bar manager at Prime Meats, in Brooklyn’s nearby Carroll Gardens neighborhood.
Grand Army Recipes:
Damon’s Go-To Daiquiri:
1.5 oz. Caña Brava rum
.5 oz. La Favorite rhum agricole blanc
75 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
.75 oz. simple syrup (1:1 sugar and water)
1 lime wedge
Add first four ingredients to a shaker tin with ice. Squeeze the lime wedge over it and drop it in. “That gets you all those good lime oils!” says Boelte. Shake with mucho gusto, strain into a chilled coupe glass, and garnish with a lime wheel.
Hard Start:
Combine equal parts Fernet Branca and Branca Mente in a shot glass, knock it back fast, then smack the empty glass down on the bar with a purposeful thunk, and go MMM!!