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Borisal Liquor & Wine
Category: Food Beer, Wine & Spirits Beer, Wine & Spirits [Edit]
468 4th Ave(between 10th St & 11th St)
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Neighborhoods: Park Slope, Gowanus
(718) 788-8214
- Nearest Transit:
-
4 Av (F, G)
9 St (D, N, R)
Prospect Av (D, N, R)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 4:30 pm - 10 pm
Fri 4:30 pm - 12 am
Sat 3 pm - 12 am
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
About This Business:
Our store as well as our website, citywinecellar.com is your place for the widest selection of wine and liquor with great prices!
13 reviews for Borisal Liquor & Wine
13 reviews in English
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Review from Fo b.
Fayetteville, NY
5/11/2012
These guys have made a lifetime customer this week.
I used their website, http://drinkupny.com, to order a couple bottles of booze.
First, their selection is terrific. I wanted a particular cachaca and a particular mezcal, and they had them both in stock. So go here if you can't find stuff locally.
Second, their customer service is unbelievably good. One of the bottles arrived broken. I emailed them with a picture of the broken goods, and within 24 hours a replacement was on its way overnight express.
These guys take their customer satisfaction commitment seriously. I am now a lifetime customer and you should be too. -
Review from Steven O.
Brooklyn, NY
2/29/2012
Interesting selection, higher prices, and an extremely unfriendly staff. For customers, Borisol is an exercise in masochism.
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Review from Elizabeth B.
Brooklyn, NY
10/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
It looks like a typical Ghetto liquor store with a bullet-proof glass surround, but at some point this shop evolved with the 'hood -- they opened the door to the barrier and put a whole high-quality wine store in the back. I'm a huge fan of the sparkling cider they stock, and the narrow shelves provide a nice tour of the Old World and the New. They stock a great selection of liquor as well, including my new fancy vodka favorite, Dry Fly Distillery.
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Review from Peter D.
12/21/2009 1 photo
A couple weeks ago, I received an invitation to a holiday party.* I RSVP'd in the affirmative, and promptly forgot about the whole thing. The day of, about an hour after I should've left, I was reminded I had to go to this thing, and I realized I was obligated to bring some booze. So on the way out, I grabbed a bottle of wine that was laying around.
The snowstorm of the century** decided to hit that evening. It was miserable out, with flurries flying sideways into my face, and I quickly realized I needed three things:
1. To keep the snot from freezing to my cheeks.
2. To get some liquor, because wine wasn't going to cut it in this mess.
3. To buy a scarf.
Conveniently located next to the 4th Ave F stop, Borisal was the answer to all my problems.
1. The place is heated. The snot thawed, and I wiped it on the back of my girlfriend's coat. Don't worry, she never noticed. Let's hope she doesn't read this.
2. They sell Tito's Handmade Vodka! It was $21, but worth it (especially considering the crap they had for higher prices) because I love Tito's. Also, it allowed me to get drunk very quickly, and I didn't have to resort to wine and/or 40s of OE.
3. Well, I guess Borisal didn't solve all my problems. They don't sell scarves, which I really find inexcusable in a liquor store. I hope they get their act together soon.
And in case you were wondering: Tito's, snow, and pomegranate cider is quite the festive cocktail. However, I would recommend sharing the wealth, because if you drink the whole bottle, you might end up losing your motor skills, and subsequently, snowball fights. And you might fall down. But once you're down there, you can make a snow angel, and that's always fun.
________
*Only because people like my girlfriend and for some reason, she likes me.
**OK, it was more like the snowstorm of...December '09.Listed in: F Train All-Stars., buying booze: liquor stores,…
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Review from Kate B.
Brooklyn, NY
5/13/2009
From the outside, it looks like any of the humble Brooklyn wine shops in the neighborhood. Inside, the shelves are stocked with above average spirits.
Haus Alpenz is well represented. They've got the Plymouth gin, allspice dram, Zirbenz (the scandinavian pine liqueur), Rothman's fruit eau de vies, the walnut liqueur and when it hasn't sold out, creme de violette.
St. Germain. Bols Genever. Boudier's saffron infused gin. Scarlet Ibis , the Trinidadian blend rum commissioned by Death & Company. Tuthilltown whiskies and Heart of the Hudson apple vodka -- the double AND the triple distilled. Mathilde eau de vies. Luxardo liqueurs and amaros. And they have a crapload of Absinthes, which I'm less knowledgeable about but recognize names that get good write-ups by other spirits reviewers -- like Vieux Carré. That one's dressed in a strikingly beautiful decanter, and made by the Philly distillerie that produces Bluecoat Gin, which I can wholeheartedly vouch for.
A trick I wish that I'd known before showing up is that Borisal is the liquor store behind http://DrinkUpNY.com . And the website prices are lower -- so I could've saved a few bucks tonight if we'd logged on & scheduled a pickup instead of walking straight there and manhandling bottles in person. But now I know for next time, and so do you.
This store is claustrophobically tiny. I strongly advise you not to browse if you've just come off the subway with even a moderately large bag, lest you inadvertantly knock over a dozen $40 bottles of something. -
Review from Abigail M.
Brooklyn, NY
9/3/2008
Borisal is a lesson in location.
Elsewhere, like Bay River on 5th Ave., a bottle of Yellow Tail Shiraz is something like $6.99 or $7.99. Here it's about a dollar or more expensive. Now, sure, you're saying... it's a dollar more, who cares. But still, I think they get away with charging more because they're the first liquor store outside of the subway station. They attract the after work, buy a bottle of wine to go with dinner, on the way home crowd.
This is not to say I won't buy from there. Just that if I'm buying more than a bottle I'll go somewhere else. -
Review from Maria F.
Brooklyn, NY
8/3/2010
I am so happy I found a place that sells Titos! Yes its my new obsession with hand made vodka...it's YUM!! After my terrible experience at Jobby's i in my hood Kensington I now resort to getting my booze post work-out in the south slope! I know so not healthy-but listen you have to live a little!
They have some really nice unique liquors here! Even Arak which I was surprised to see! I picked up a 160proof vodka last night-don't ask my why-i feel adventurous! It's called Devil's Spring from Clifton NY! I'm super excited to try some of my cocktail concoctions this weekend with it! My favorite summer drink...fresh watermelon with vodka and splash of seltzer! divine! you need nothing more! I believe that they also have delivery! http://www.drinkupny.com/ check out their site...
Just like to shop here because it's something different from the ordinary wine shop! -
Review from Ingrid C.
6/24/2008
I may be slightly biased because my friend is the wine buyer here. But, he loves wine, and if this store is any indication, he knows what he's doing.
They have a really good selection of inexpensive wines - perfect for going home and chilling out. You could definitely fool a lot of people into thinking you spend a lot more. There's a good selection of spirits, too, even some hard-to-find liqueurs.
P.S. This place is fka Martinez and Sons Liquors, but has been under new ownership (and a new name), for over a year now.Listed in: Park Slope Wine Shops
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Review from Danny P.
12/10/2008
Ever wondered what it would be like to go behind the bulletproof glass of a liquor store?
Me either, but you can have the experience at Borisal, on the corner of 4th and 10th St. in Brooklyn.
Much like what Abigail M. already said, they get a lot of their traffic from people getting off the train at the subway stop there, or from me, who's on his way to an event in Manhattan but forgot to buy a bottle of wine for the event.
There's wine, there's liquor, and it's not the cheapest place on the planet but they take credit cards, so at least you can get drunk on all the money you don't have. -
Review from Ayumi Y.
San Francisco, CA
5/6/2010
This review is for their online shop, http://DrinkUpNY.com.
First impressions: Good website, good prices. Annoying that you must select a combo option (such as, "add this $20 useless item to my order") to add things to your cart. Shipping pricing was okay, I paid $40 because I needed my order asap.
Here's where things went a bit awry. I was notified the next day an hour before they close that one of the items I ordered was out of stock. I requested to have a slightly pricier ($11) item get sent, because I would have ordered that one if their website had shown the stock and because ordering that pricier one would have put me over the $99 Free Ground Shipping and I figured upgrading to overnight shouldn't still be $40 on top of it.
I got a "no" and "order will be shipped tomorrow and arrive on Monday". I ended up calling them and getting charged the $11 extra, and my package was shipped that day.
They really need a better "Out of Stock" system because I am left from this whole experience quite annoyed - I could have purchased from Absinthe Classics in the UK for example and had my order within a week as well, for approximately the same price of overnight shipping. DrinkUpNY/Borisal made no attempt at sincerity or understanding and didn't offer any concessions, and when I suggested out they ought to show the status of stock they simply pointed out that orders could 4 days to ship as listed on the website and it's not their fault.
Good selection of quality stuff, average customer service. You may want to look at other vendors before you make an order here. -
Review from Ben C.
Brooklyn, NY
10/14/2008
This place does have a nice varied wine selection and an interesting assortment of liqueurs you might not find elsewhere. And if they can get away with charging an extra dollar for the same booze because they're right next to the subway, then good for them.
But why do they have to shut their doors to cheaper brands? You won't find a plastic bottle in there. I live right around the corner, yet I wind up going blocks further, either to a shop on 5th Ave or to Big J's in the Pathmark on 12th St because I just can't afford to throw a party with pricey liquor. I definitely appreciate the taste difference in better brands and believe me, I'd drink them all the time if I could. But life isn't perfect and I, and I imagine plenty of my neighbors in Gowanus, would appreciate a selection that caters better to my more modest price range. -
Review from Poops M.
Brooklyn, NY
3/4/2011
This place has a great selection of quality booze. The wine is priced on the high side, with not a lot of interesting choices below 20 dollars. All in all a great little store right next to the subway. Also, there are frequent tastings and they do a BOOMING Internet business.
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Review from Jackie J.
Brooklyn, NY
1/23/2010
They have a nice selection of interesting spirits and wines, especially for a smaller store, but the representation of their pricing on their website, http://drinkupny.com, irks me. For example, I bought a bottle as a gift for someone on the way home this week for $25. Afterwards, I did some internet research to see how it was priced at other stores in the area, and it was $20-21 on average. Drinkupny offers an online price of $21.99 on this bottle, and do offer lower prices for anything you order online with them. On their website, they quote a "list price" of $29.99 for this wine and tell you that by ordering from them online, "You save $8.00!" Seems kind of misleading to me.
That said, it is convenient and has some tasty wines.
