Dani Brand

Dani Brand is InsideHook's Nightlife Editor, as well as an adjunct journalism professor and bartender who slings drinks and occasional wisdom. Many of her patrons use her as a therapist.

All Articles From Dani Brand
Young woman in a crown and white sweatshirt poses in front of a bar with bottles of liquor.

Halloween Bar Etiquette, From a Bartender

Gentlemen: How to order, flirt and get home in one piece this Halloween, from the woman pouring your drinks.

A woman in a dark cardigan and gold necklace, and a woman in a light blue shawl against a landscape painting.

Take It From a Woman: A Professional Stylist’s Holiday Gifting Cheat Sheet

NYC Stylist Kat Brown’s rule for gifting: make her feel seen. Here’s how.

A small statue of a child sits in a niche above the shadow of "CAFE GITANE" on a textured wall.

NYC’s Beloved Cafe Gitane Is Back. A Former Waitress Wonders If It Can Escape Its Shady Past.

The Nolita bistro has reopened on East Broadway under a new partnership. A one-time employee returns to find the same banquettes, the same couscous and some unfinished business.

Eight diverse people, illustrated in a black outline style with minimal color, holding various alcoholic beverages.

I’m a Bartender. Here’s What Your Drink Order Says About You.

Dirty Martini? Beer and a shot? Long Island Iced Tea? Turns out, you are what you drink.

A woman with dark hair and bangs in a black top looks at the viewer, with two blurred models behind her.

Take It From a Woman: Date-Night Outfits That Actually Hit

The Mall shopping app founder Sreya Halder is here to deliver a little effort (but not too much) to your wardrobe

A blonde woman in a "Music is a Blessing" tank top plays a blue glitter bass guitar, flanked by a smiling DJ and a man in a beret.

The Private Club Courting Gen Z With … Ping-Pong?

They say Gen Z can’t interact without an icebreaker. That’s not exactly what I discovered at Blu DeTiger’s exclusive ping-pong tournament.

A man in a baseball cap looks at his phone while a woman next to him drinks from a glass. Other people are in the background.

Field Report: Observing Men Hitting on Women IRL

In this age of dating apps and male loneliness, can guys still close the deal in person? We dispatched one woman to find out…

SZA, with voluminous red curly hair and a cropped sweater, smiles while a DJ works the turntables in a dimly lit club.

Hanging With SZA at New York’s Hottest New Nightclub

With its impossible door, is BC the new Bungalow 8?

A woman standing behind a bar

How to Hit on a Woman at a Bar

Our resident female bartender dispenses crucial tips that just might improve your real-life love life