Sophisticated Sipping at Eddie Vs

Fitting right into the new high-class Tyson’s Corner, Eddie V’s is an elegant choice for some after work drinks.

Ambiance: ***1/2

Decor: ****

Service: ****

Cocktails: ***1/2

Overall Rating: 3.75

I’m not what most people would call “sophisticated.” That description is reserved for folks with fashion sense, a polished sedan, and a general appreciation for cleanliness — none of which I have. Still, if I work at it, I can fake it for a few hours; with my disguise on for the evening, I ventured over to the new bar and restaurant in Tyson’s, Eddie Vs.

Before we get to the drinks, let me tell you about Tysons, where the gods of Virginia evidently have decided to build a new city for those just not satisfied with the actual US capitol, 10 miles east. The amount of new restaurants and construction — a lot of which is anchored by Eddie Vs and a few new restaurants near the mall — is really stunning.

Anyway, enough urban planning comment, let’s get to the bar. Beautiful place with live jazz and well-dressed people, so a good environment to impress friends or dates. The bar service was quick and pleasant, even when the Friday happy hour horde hit around 6 or 7. The bar supports about a dozen drinks including six “sparkling cocktails” in honor of summer. All in all, I found most of Eddie Vs drinks on the average side — satisfying, but no huge risks. However, there was one really amazing standout that I’ll highlight.

I started with the Aviator, a fine-looking drink made of gin, lime sour, and maraschino liqueur. The lemon overpowers a bit particularly on the front-end giving it a bit of an odd twist, but the gin smoothes it out for an ok drink. Then I hit the Cuban Night with rum, lime, brut, and mint — surprisingly, with all of these fun ingredients, the drink is a bit boring but very drinkable, and the latent sugar sensation is nice.

The Red Dragon has rum, strawberries, vanilla, lemon, and mint leaves; this was good, full-bodied, measured, with a nice strong strawberry flavor that makes the drink. The highlight of the entire evening though was next with the Coco, made of Ciroc coconut, banana, pineapple, lime, and mango. I’ve struggled to make really satisfying tropical drinks with banana and pineapple — well I need to get the recipe for this baby, because Eddie Vs solved it. Dang this was a money drink, really delicious but not obnoxiously sweet. Handsome too! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

I ended the fancy evening with two sparklers – the 24 Karat with vodka, grand marnier, raspberries, fresh peach, and rose. It was solid with a nice, decent taste and a good fizzy end. However, I was a little disappointed because the mixture sounded really cool, but the final taste was a little ho-hum. Rounding out the night was the citrus sparkler, with fresh orange, aperol, grapefruit bitters, and brut. This sprightly drink peppers the tongue and is somewhat reminiscent of a bolder mimosa.