Basquiat’s Bottle
“The bar and restaurant are here to, I suppose, pay the bills,” says Kristen Amendola, co-owner of Basquiat’s Bottle, a cocktail bar and art space in Bed-Stuy. “Our focus is really on exploring art and creativity, and providing a platform for artists and entrepreneurs to launch themselves to their next level.”
You’ll find weekend DJ sets coupled with live painting or horn players; pop-ups by clothing designers and guest mixologists; a Sunday-night open mic backed by a full house band; and Freeda Tuesdays, a networking night spotlighting women artists, entrepreneurs and civic leaders (two weeks ago, the featured guest was New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon, on the first leg of a statewide tour to meet with Black women about their concerns).
Amendola, who opened Basquiat’s Bottle seven months ago with business partners Reginald Lucas and George McGann, says the venue’s name, in honor of Brooklyn’s own Jean-Michel Basquiat, further underscores their mission of elevating others. “He was about making sure he wasn’t the only Black face in the room, she says. “And that other people were coming up with him.”
“Our focus is really on exploring art and creativity, and providing a platform for artists and entrepreneurs to launch themselves to their next level.”
In addition to cocktails and bar bites, Basquiat’s Bottle serves weekend brunch and doubles as an art gallery unto itself. The space is both whimsical and industrial: walls painted in comic book motifs (the team had artists run with a theme they call “Superhero Masquerade”), contrasted with exposed brick and jewel-toned furnishings. Rotating exhibits (also for sale) are on display.
“Next year we’ll close for about a week and redo it all under a new theme, so the art will be completely different and fresh,” says Amendola. “This is very much a DIY thing.”
1198 Fulton Street, 347-533-8288, Basquiat’s Bottle on Instagram
