Openings

Among Fort Greene Drinkers, the Hideout Won’t Stay Hidden for Long

Knock, and hope they let you in.
Knock, and hope they let you in.

Behind three shiny black garage doors in Fort Greene there’s a signless, pseudo-speakeasy called the Hideout. Ring the bell at a door within a garage door, and a scrutinizing set of eyes peers through a tiny latch. If your entrance is granted, you’ll find a dimly lit, tin-ceilinged throwback. Mixologist Charlotte Voisey, who consulted for the Gramercy Park Hotel and the Dorchester in London, helped create the six-page cocktail menu. Signature drinks include the Poison Rose (gin, elderflower liquor, simple syrup, a rose-petal garnish, and edible gold flakes) and the Snow Mosquito (vodka, tequila, raspberries, blueberries, simple syrup, and fresh mint), along with $50 shots of Pappy Van Winkle and drinks mixed with 150-year-old Grand Marnier starting at $20. Bar snacks include square bowls of goldfish crackers and M&Ms; imprinted with “The Hideout” — “We want to keep things signature,” explains co-owner (and record distributor) Qaseem Muhammad.

Inside, pay $50 a shot. Or get a Poison Rose.

Muhammad has been trying to open the bar since August 2006, he says, but the city Landmarks Commission caused delays. Located behind the Sushi D on Adelphi Street, the Hideout is actually in the stable of a nineteenth-century carriage house. Muhammad and partners WBLS radio host Dahved Levy (also part owner of the Red Bamboo across the street) and Asio Highsmith (a model and actor) agreed to have the building’s door restored in order to open the business. Capacity right now is only 40 people, but expect those doors to open and the crowd to spill out once the weather gets warm. It won’t be so intimate, but you might get a seat. —Pervaiz Shallwani

Among Fort Greene Drinkers, the Hideout Won’t Stay Hidden for Long