Dirty Precious — A Girl's Guide to Drinking Alone

317 3rd Ave at 1st St, Gowanus

The Place: A casual, woman-owned cocktail bar in Gowanus whose motto is: “life is short, take big gulps.”

The Time: Thursday June 2, 6:15pm. It’s humid AF outside and I could use a refreshing cocktail and some A/C. Summer in New York has officially begun.

The Vibe: The bar is bigger than I thought it would be but then I remember I’m in Gowanus where space is its one virtue. The ceiling is high, the lamps have Edison bulbs, there’s a long brass bar with wooden bar stools that have backs. One person is sitting outside, and the only person in here besides me is a woman all the way at the other end of the bar. The back bar is beautiful, with lots of vintage-looking glassware and decanters on the top shelf. There’s an espresso machine, because I guess espresso martinis are required everywhere now. Easy indie pop is playing, which is my favorite chill bar music. The elected spokesperson for a group of three sitting outside comes in and orders for them. I’m impressed as she responsibly brings out the water, then comes back to wait for the drinks, then doesn’t try to carry all three drinks at once. You know my life is thrilling when I’m admiring a stranger for their sensible choices at a bar.

The Bartender: A blonde woman with super cute glasses makes me my drink. Then it becomes clear that the other woman who was sitting at the bar works here and she seems important. Together they’re R&Ding a drink with gin and Italicus, or genepy, or Salers, and upon further inspection there’s evidence of cocktail experimentation scattered around. At one point, the woman pulls a bottle down, and the other bartender goes “oooh” and the woman with the bottle goes “mayyybeeee.” I love the sweet sounds of R&D at a bar, it fills me with longing.

The Drank: I think pisco is an underrated spirit, and a pisco sour is an underrated classic cocktail so when I see a pisco sour riff on a menu, I always get it. Theirs is the Snowbird, with pisco, hibiscus, grapefruit, lime and an egg white. It plays off pisco’s floral notes really well and I have to work hard not to drink it so quickly. I also get olives and they’re those delicious green Castelvetrano olives that are usually reserved for garnishing dirty martinis. I’m in love with these olives, because the summer I turned 21, I thought I was a dirty martini drinker, but then I realized I was actually just hungry.

Was I Hit On?: No. There’s someone else who comes in to sit at a table who looks exactly like a friend of mine, and if I didn’t know she was isolating with COVID right now, I might’ve waved so luckily I avoid that embarrassment. After I ask for my check, a guy comes in and sits in the middle of the bar. The bartender asks him “are you here to fix something?” He looks surprised and says he’s just here for a Negroni. She then shrugs and says “you walked in with a lot of purpose.” May we all enter spaces with such conviction that people think we’re repairwomen.

Should You Drink Here Alone?: Yes! Dirty Precious is such a lovely, relaxed place for a cocktail. Come with a book, or with some friends, or with a date. As they say, life is short, so take big gulps over at Dirty Precious.