In Celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day, Beloved Brooklyn Bar Dram Shop Reopens

Local Patrons Join for a Happy Hour to Toast the Bar’s Memories 

Assemblymember Robert Carroll, Justin Krebs and friends

After a year of shut down, the Brooklyn bar Dram Shop reopened its doors this Saint Patrick’s Day. Dram Shop, located on 339 9th street between 5th and 6th ave, has served Brooklyn residents for over 15 years. The bar’s revitalization includes new outdoor seating and limited indoor capacity. All waiters are required to wear masks. Regular patron Justin Krebs, founder of Drinking Liberally and candidate for City Council, toasted the reopening with friends at an outside happy hour to christen the new seating and welcome back the neighborhood water hole.

“Two weeks before Dram Shop closed, we hosted a Super Tuesday watch party there. It’s a place I’ve gone with friends—and where, at the bar, I’ve made friends. .So many neighborhood bars got hit by the pandemic—I’ve missed my ice cold Sweet Action, the familiar staff, the friendly regulars.”

Dram Shop Owner Laura Kleinman and Justin Krebs

In May 2003, Krebs co-founded the political and social network Drinking Liberally, which provides opportunities for progressives all across the country to connect and talk about politics in the comfort of their local bars. Krebs, himself, hosted many Drinking Liberally events at Dram Shop including watch parties for the 2020 presidential debates and Super Tuesday results. 

Wade Hagenbart, proprietor of Dram Shop as well as the 20-year establishment Angry Wade's which closed during the pandemic said, “Our neighborhoods need our bars. It's been heartbreaking to be shuttered for a year, hard on our customers and harder on our staff. It'll be a long while before we're fully back, but as of St. Patrick's Day, we're ready to welcome folks inside and outside, safely and jubilantly.”