Farewell to the Neighborhood Whiskey Spot

A neighborhood bar is a necessity - somewhere closes to walk to in a snowstorm or stop by on the way home after a long commute. It should be comfortable enough that one, quick drink easily becomes five, where it’s not unusual to run into neighbors, and where you always leave feeling better than when you came – at least until the next morning.

For the more than five years I have lived off Smith Street in Brooklyn, I was lucky to have my neighborhood bar be Char No. 4. The whiskey collection was extensive and the friendly staff knew their bourbon. They held whiskey classes and smoked their own meats. They paired pies with whiskies. They sold hams at Christmas. They had happy hour bourbon specials and special whiskey tasting menus. The light was an amber coziness that hugged you from the outside and then the whiskey hugged you from the inside and the world felt happy. 

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