Shania's Max Bet

Gowanus's Shania’s Max Bet feels like a bartender's bar. And that's because it is: co-owners Jericho Davidson and Robinson Daily met bartending at Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club while Michael Brown, the third partner, was once their dedicated regular. They created a bar that is both Shania Twain-themed (the first part of the name) and Atlantic City-themed, as the latter part harkens back to their shared group chat that made the trek to "America's Playground." It's maximalist as hell, with mirrored ceilings, cushioned walls, and a massive disco ball whose lights bounce off shiny, cherry-red walls. Behind the bar—laid with thousands of dice in resin—you'll find a mural of revelers dancing, which is likely what you'll be here for too: jiggling under the disco lights is customary, and you can do it until 4am.

And to sustain such levels of partying, Shania's has plenty of ways to get you liquored up. Several drinks here feel a little like a bartender's dare, and they kind of are. Take the big dirty under the "Minderasers" part of the menu: a tall Diet Coke with a pour of olive brine and gin. It was once a punishment drink given to staff and newbies, who turned out to actually kind of like it. We do too, as the drink is briny and just on the edge of good salt. Some are a little less palatable, like the blueberry (blueberry vodka, coffee liqueur, and seltzer), which's too sweet and tastes a little like a melted Dum Dum sitting in a coffee cup.

But if you aren't looking for a mind-bender of a night, you can find a good time over the ice-cold frozen mezcal pornstar, whose sweet combo of passionfruit and vanilla smooths out the scotch for easy drinking—even easier with a sidecar of bubbles. Meanwhile, the amaro espresso martini reps that it is "better than cocaine...just kidding." We wouldn't know anything about that, but it is better than many of the mid martinis out there, as it is as coffee as coffee gets, with cold brew and coffee liqueur, plus a frothy and nutty head of amaro. There's also a selection of wines, all of them natty, beers that hit in the range of $8-10, or pick and choose a beer and shot for $10. Let's just say that we can bet that you'll have a good night here.