In the 1930s, the Jake Walk referred to a strange, stiff-legged gait that plagued drinkers of a toxic bootlegged version of Jamaican ginger extract (known as Jake). Today, The JakeWalk is an inviting gastropub on the corner of Smith and Sackett streets that ambles with ease, toasting patrons' freedom to drink and eat what they like.

"It's all about choice here," said Kati Nicholaou, 31, who lives in Prospect Heights and has been a server at The JakeWalk for two years. "There's something for everyone, from the drink list to the cheese and meat samplers to the plates of food. You feel freed by all the choices, not limited by your options."

Like a true gastropub, The JakeWalk takes food just as seriously as booze.

The drink menu seduces with an expansive list of cocktails, 130+ aged whiskies and other "brown stuff," craft ales, globally-sourced glasses and bottles of wine and thoughtfully-curated wine and spirit flights grouped by taste and geography, like "White Wine: Around the World" and "French Brandy."

Reasonably-priced food plates fly far above standard bar snacks, with headliners like housemade pork rillette, tarte flambée and oxtail a la ballentine. But those $3 bar snacks are also above the bar: roasted shishito peppers, candied pecans, cornichon, country olives, marcona almonds or honey and fennel-pollen popcorn that Nicholaou said tastes "like a field of flowers." Rounding out the menu are cuts of meat and chunks of cheeses for $5 each from champion cows, goats and sheep hailing from California to Australia, Brooklyn to Holland.

Nicholaou also said fondue for two ($12 - $16) is a "real favorite at JakeWalk." The five-year cheddar/cave-aged Swiss cheese fondue comes with apples, salami and bread for dipping. The chocolate fondue smells like something out of Willy Wonka's factory and comes with fresh-cut strawberries and apples, graham crackers and marshmallows. 

"I came here for the cheese plates, but I'm staying for the cheese fondue," said Jennifer Hanley, 27, of Long Island. "It's mind-blowingly good. Also, terrific selection of wines."

The owners of JakeWalk also own the cheese spot Stinky Bklyn and the neighboring wine store Smith & Vine. It is no wonder this venture knows its cheese and wine. 

Ari Form, 33, is one of JakeWalk's operating managers and co-owners. He described the bar as "a pluralist drinking spot. It's relaxed, but at the same time, precise." Form is one of four owners of JakeWalk, which opened three years ago at this site when the martini bar Quench closed.

"The JakeWalk went from an idea to a functioning bar in two months, with a year of tweaks to get it where it is at now," said Form. "There is a brick wall here that was also at Quench. Otherwise, we changed most everything."

Those changes included upgrading the décor to reflect a dark and stately Prohibition-inspired aesthetic and color palate and installing a garage-door sized panel on one of the walls that opens up in warm weather to shower patrons with fresh air.   

"It feels upscale in here, but unpretentious. Polished, but cozy," said Tom Dugdale, 29, of East Williamsburg, as he sipped on the Improved Rye Cocktail. "My drink has rye, Maraschino liqueur, absinthe and Angostura bitters. But I love that you can also order a beer and a sausage sandwich here."

Nicholaou said The JakeWalk has a ton of regulars. "It's a great place to warm up or wind down. Or stay all night."

We can all drink to that.