Raul Castro had been president of Cuba for three days before Nicole Davis named a drink after him. Made with 10 Cane rum and whiskey-soaked bitters, the “Raul Libre” was one of two drinks being served on Feb. 27 when Davis, who runs BrooklynBased.net, hosted “The Cocktail Club,” a monthly mixer aimed at getting her readers away from their computers and in front of one another.
“It’s so common to know people over e-mail and not meet them face to face,” said Davis (pictured). “So the point, for me, was to meet these people I send these e-mails to.”
The bar will change each month — March’s event will be at Sidecar in Park Slope — but that night at Huckleberry Bar, a swanky cocktail lounge in Williamsburg, 40 readers showed up to mix, mingle and network.
“It seemed to be a place where people got to talk about their own projects in Brooklyn,” said Davis. In addition to monthly meetings of “The Cocktail Club,” Davis’s site, which has been sending a borough-centric e-mail newsletter three times a week since May 2007, is also offering “Cocktail Club” membership cards, which entitle the bearer to discounts at bars across the borough.
“My goal in doing this is that we read about these places but had never made it there,” said Davis. “Basically, this is an incentive to check out these bars you’re hearing about but have no reason to trek to.”
“The Cocktail Club” will meet again at 6:30 pm on March 26 at Sidecar (560 Fifth Ave. at 15th Street in Park Slope). For more information, visit www.brooklynbased.net.
