Their bourbon Manhattan is great. They also house both a peacock and a wolfdog next door. Be sure to ask your server about it.

This place looks stunning, like somewhere tropical. We got there around 11pm on a Friday, there was only one other couple and when they left we had the place to ourselves. The woman serving the cocktails talked me through them, then when I found the one she made too bitter, did a fine job of adding citrus/sweetness to make it to my taste. read more

This review is only pertaining to cocktails. Upon entering Botanica my party of 5 was immediately seated. The waitress was very kind and offered her suggestion on some awesome cocktails. The cocktails are about $11 each and are on the smaller side. The good news is that Botanica uses fresh ingredients and their cocktails pack a punch. They also have freshly made carbonated cocktails as well. They seal them on site in these cute glass bottles. This is a very open outdoorsy place. It is not air conditioned but I enjoyed that. The setting is nice and even though you are in a huge city it felt very quaint. If you are in the Red Hook area and want a cool place to sit down and sip a cocktail made with absinthe, try Botanica! read more

Sadly, this place is open so irregularly that I hardly try to go anymore. I don't understand why they can't run a successful bar in this location because it has all the basics: good location, nice atmosphere, decent drinks and service. If they would just OPEN, and STAY open on a REGULAR schedule, like every other bar or restaurant, I am sure they would do well. Memorial Day has come and gone and several more beautiful weekends, but it's still not open. This weekend there will be hundreds if not 1000's of people walking around the neighborhood, but I guarantee you they will not be open. It so frustrating because it's one of my favorite places...when it's open. read more

This is a solid place. I showed up here at 2:30 am on a Friday night, and all of the curtains were closed. (The facade is consists of floor-to-ceiling windows). I knocked persistently for a good 2 - 3 minutes, and finally the curtains parted and I was ushered inside. Fast-forward an hour: well-plied with liquor, supplied in generous amounts by the extremely agreeable manager and bartender, and having cavorted with two upstanding Iadies - one a burlesque dancer! - I was on my happy way. Cool vibe, friendly people, good music, strong drinks. read more

Creative and delicious cocktails in a tranquil setting. The bartender was very attentive. However, I would not recommend ordering food here. I passed by the kitchen which is located next to the bathroom. The kitchen door was opened and unattended. There were mosquitos flying around and open containers of hummus, pretzels and strawberries. Nothing was refrigerated. read more

Great place, fantastic staff, cool atmosphere. Only reason I only give 4 stars is there is NO food on weekdays. None at all not even a chip ... All that alcohol at least some snacks or nuts would be great...Still we love it and its a great addition to our neighborhood. read more

I'll admit I have a soft spot for Red Hook establishments, and without that bias this place might only get three stars. But I kind of enjoyed the "diamond in the rough" aspect of the joint, not to mention the tasty cocktails and jovial barkeep. read more

Great cocktails, pleasant service and the multiple opening french doors to the outside are amazing. Great place.

Great little cocktail joint. Service was overly laissez faire but the libations were spot on. Our favorites included the Aztec (cocoa infused vodka with a spicy chili wine) and the Amber Jack (Tequila-based Manhattan of sorts). read more

Watery drinks. Little and Weird food. HORRIBLE service as in we had to ask multiple times to get service and multiple times to get the check. All around awful. read more

New favorite Red Hook place for drinks! Of course, I didn't have a former favorite, so take that for what its worth. Went here the other night in between dinner and party for a couple of drinks with the wife. Really cool drinks and beer list. Nice atmosphere, good music, good drinks - these are a few of my favorite things... If you're in the neighborhood and want a cool drink in a nice atmosphere, this is your place. read more

For us, this was just what the doctor ordered. We popped in around 8:30 on a Saturday night before dinner. A few cocktails and a game of Scrabble later, we were happy campers. The drinks were very good (blueberry gimlets, dark and stormy, and some sort of tequila and mango concoction), each seemed lovingly made and was filled to the brim with boozy goodness. The decor is minimal, it's just a nice corner spot to sit outside and have a yummy cocktail. Oh, and don't forget - cash only. read more

Blah! Horrible whiskey and to top it off, bad service. Don't let the fancy old decor fool you!

Took a date on a Sunday late afternoon - everything was perfect, from the drinks, the music, the staff, and the ambiance. Huge windows, sunset light streaming in, great drinks and a nice crowd. This place is officially on my list. read more

Stopped by on an early Saturday evening and the place already had two group of friends drinking and playing some board games....employees greeted us with a big smile as we walked in and their service was great...place is small but cozy...felt like a private bar hidden in the depths of Brooklyn....a real gem....we only stayed for 1 round of drinks which were tasty and full of alcohol....I had some mango drink with tequila....at first I thought there was not much alcohol in my drink but by the time I finished my drink I had a buzz going....my friend had a strawberry basil martini which she fell in love with....also had some olives to share which were extremely big and tasty....would like to go back and try their other drinks as well as their selection of beers read more

Great. I mean I gave it 5 stars. Great cocktails and a wolf dog lives next door. The waiter laughed at all of my jokes, which made feel at home (because I know not all or them were hilarious). But seriously, my friends and I (all from NY) really had a genuine good time. read more

Aaaamazing place and drinks!!!!! You get the best bartenders everrr... and you don't only get one bartender but 3 and an awesome manager!!!! If you haven't visit this place you are missing out!!! The drinks are amazing and they will make up something to your taste if you request it!!!love this place and will be back really soon!!! read more

I like this place a lot. I've gone 3/4 times throughout the last year and it's always been a nice time. I've never come at night, I'll stop by when I'm biking around the hood. I like the strawberry basil martini, and the hemingway is really refreshing these summer days. It's a great hot weather place, I love the wide open doors and the corner location. read more

I went here on a Saturday night and enjoyed the great live jazz band and that the space was open to the outdoors. The cocktails were pretty good, but for a cocktail bar, I was surprised that they didn't have big ice. The service was terrible. They have table service, and after giving our order and waiting a long time, the server brought out our cocktails with a solid five minutes in between each drink. When I asked if they have wine, the server listed a couple red wines, had to check if they had white wine, (hello - it's summer, that's what people want!) and then came back saying their white is a "Notre Dame." Which is not a type of white wine. However, it was cheap and decent so I ordered it. After the band left, they played some nice music via pandora, but there were commercials, which totally disrupted the vibe. The bathroom could also use some cleaning. read more

Hands down my new favorite cocktail spot! Between the inventive drinks, friendly service and chill ambiance, Botanica is the perfect escape from Manhattan any day of the week. Filled with neighborhood regulars and curious passersby, this place is filled with inviting charm, starting with the open-air set up where you have the option to sip your drink al fresco or at the bar while chatting with the lovely bartenders. The new movie screenings they project in the bar (think Fellini, Antonioni..) is an awesome new touch. Bottom line: a must-try for everyone! read more

Fabulous- the new Botanica held a graduation dinner for us recently. (15 guests). The staff , including the chef were expert, helpful and responsive in designing a wonderful tapas style menu with market fresh, ingredients/seafood. The meal was awesome- included a divine panne cotta with rhubarb-strawberry coulis. The space is "euro-industrial" with those great wall of windows out to the Brooklyn sky; everybody loved the atmosphere. The service was perfectly balanced between attentive and unobtrusive. We couldn't have picked a better location for a special event. read more

A very pleasant spot i'd heartily recommend. Look: A very airy and bright street side situation bathed in light with soaring windows. Channels well the turn of the century mod look of so many "speakeasy"ish bars these days. Do be be careful of the stepin/over as you enter through the massive window/doors. The food: Well, drink in this case. I sipped one of the two punches and something pretty earthy. This we fairly well into a day with more than a few refreshments throughout Red Hook, but i found the punch strong but not cloying and a good nuanced drink. The cocktail was quite good as well. I know coupe's are popular these days, but so spill prone. Experience: i found the service jovial and more than tolerant of the antics of my well served group. the other patrons were similarly jovial and this made for a quite pleasant way to spend the better part of two hours at dusk. read more

Latin music returns to Coffey St ! The wonderful Conjunto Guantanamo made their Red Hook debut this Sunday afternoon. We were among the passersby drawn in by the music. There was dancing. I hope the tip jar (basket) was filled. Management take note. Quibble: with plenty of servers the service was not what it should have been. The doggies got water before we did ! Water with the menus guys! read more

I found Botanica to be a laid-back, upscale bar that has a unique drink menu with moderate prices. Great beer and wine selection as well, so long as you're not looking for the generic beers you can find at a bodega. It's a big space with a romantic/classy ambiance, and the staff is really friendly. It would be nice if they had some munchies though. read more

I just had the best afternoon - a drink at Botanica followed by lunch at Fairway on the water and a quick grocery run. The first thing I noticed there was a row of martini glasses along the bar, each filled with beautiful fruit (raspberries, sliced plums, halved cherries, blueberries, etc.) - the smell was delicious and, not surprisingly, the menu boasted a yummy list of super fresh drinks most of which include fresh fruit. But not fruity girly cocktails in a bad way, just fresh and simple. I ended up having a beer (a white beer from Japan!) and my mother-in-law had a strawberry basil martini. The feeling in there was open and breezy and comfy. High ceiling and open wall-windows. Seems like it would be a really great place to go in the evening with a bunch of people, but also perfect in the afternoon. Could have sat there all day enjoying the Red Hook breeze. read more

This place is gorgeous and when I think of cocktails on a warm Summer night, I think of Botanica. Too bad I can rarely get someone to trek to Red Hook for drinks. ;-( One time I was desperate for a strawberry basil martini so I went on a Saturday afternoon by myself and ordered one at a sidewalk table. No one made me feel like a loser for being there alone and, in fact, I ended up talking to the cool couple next to me who were trying the place for the first time (they loved it). We exchanged notes on great Brooklyn restaurants. Fun! The last time I was there, I dragged a mutual acquaintance from SF to Red Hook (she had no idea how remote Red Hook is - yay!) to Sunny's bluegrass jam and then to Botanica. At Botanica, there was an art show in the back room and a singer playing guitar downstairs. The singer was great until she took a "smoking break". When she came back, she flitted about the room talking to random strangers, told us she was going to lay down on the floor for a nap (which she did for about 30 seconds) and then said and did a few incoherent things. We wondered what she had smoked during her smoking break and quickly realized it was time to go as she seemed to have no intention of singing, again, that night. The bartender cautioned us about not taking a random livery cab home as there had been some scamming going on and called us a cab (which took forever to show up). The SFer said that everyone we had met in Red Hook was "so eccentric". This was funny coming from someone who lives in San Francisco. I took off a star because I think the drink prices are high for such small portions (and for Red Hook) and I once waited 15-20 minutes for a drink when there was absolutely no one standing at the bar. I got up from my table about 3 times to inquire about my drink (I have no idea what they were doing but they certainly weren't making my drink). I still highly recommend this place. You can have a delicious drink in a gorgeous space and then go look at the beautiful Manhattan skyline on the Valentino Pier. read more

GOOD GOD! The Pesco Punch prepared by Adam behind the bar couldn't have been more perfect. Sublime, really. If time travel existed (and I'm mostly relieved it does not because too many would manipulate the stock market and outcome of famous sporting events -- fuckers!), I would eagerly venture back 30 minutes earlier to change my otherwise delicious green negroni to a Pesco Punch. read more

This was my number one watering hole over the summer months! I would cycle from my home in Gowanas and relax with a refreshing cocktail. They would always make me something new and interesting if I asked! As far as it being open... I have only once missed it and that was for a private party! Well done Botanica! read more

This locale is absolutely splendid. I was here on a Thursday evening and the vibe is perfect. Diana is an AMAZING bartender! She is attentive, friendly and vibrant. This is the place to be. read more

Gorgeous + delicious. I felt like I was in a fairy tale. Try the shortbread cookies. I also enjoyed the Antilles and Incan ruin cocktails. Lovely staff all night-- offered our choice of seating, recommended drinks, didn't rush us, and called us a car service at the end of the night in the rain. read more

liked the drinks and the space but eleven dollars for a nutella (in the menu as chocolate) crepe is pushing it. if they sold them for seven I would have two. read more