I wrote a few weeks ago about Petworth Citizen’s great Reading Room Bar and its awesome weekly literary cocktail series. Craving that magic combination of good books and drink, I headed over for the “Arabian Night” celebration, superbly mc’ed by Ms. Chantal Tseng. Now I had almost no knowledge of the Arabian Nights stories beyond the… Read More Arabian Nights at Petworth Citizen
The grand-daddy of DC-area speakeasies, PX provides the perfect setting for serious, dimly-lit dates spiced up with some good drinks. Ambiance: ****1/2 Decor: ****1/2 Service **** Cocktails: **** Overall score: 4.25 The famous and secret speakeasy PX has been in operation almost as long as I’ve lived in DC. Marked only by a pirate flag and ghastly… Read More Hello Darkness My Old Friend – PX
One of the best cocktail experience I’ve ever had, Franklin Bar’s subterranean hideaway provides the perfect setting for out –of-this-world drinks. Ambiance: ***** Decor: ***** Service: ***** Cocktails: ***** Overall Rating: 5 I found myself in Philadelphia for a brief pre-Thanksgiving sojourn. Per my standard approach, I nosed around a bit to find the best cocktail… Read More Philly’s Finest – Franklin Bar
Room 11 is a charming neighborhood cocktail bar with a cozy warm décor and friendly bar staff. Ambiance: **** Decor: **** Service: **** Cocktails: **** Overall Rating: 4 After an appointment in Columbia Heights fell through, I was stuck meandering around on a rainy evening. Firing up the smart phone, I searched for nearby cocktail bars and… Read More Amidst Friendly Surroundings – Room 11
Any casual follower of my blog knows of my affinity for my home bar Copperwood Tavern in Shirlington and its exceptional cocktails (read my previous dispatches here, here, and here) So when the seasons turn, I’m always a bit excited to see what Copperwood turns out; as usual, they did not disappoint! With newly-hung Christmas ornaments… Read More Winter Drinks at Copperwood
A top-flight cocktail bar tucked into a fun distillery, Jos. A. Magnus and its Murray Hill Club is a perfect spot for a lazy Saturday. Ambiance: **** Decor: **** Service: **** Cocktails: ****1/2 Overall Rating: 4.25 It took eleven years of living in the DC area before I set foot in Ivy City, the sprawling industrial… Read More Cocktail Field Trip – Jos. A. Magnus Distillery
While reading David Jaher’s fantastic new book about spiritualism and Houdini, I thought it’d be an easy task to find cocktails named after the master illusionist. To my surprise, Houdini drinks are far and few between, but I did come upon a recipe discussed in the the Cocktail Virgin blog. This yellow-hued mix uses three… Read More Magical Cocktails and Houdini’s Duel
When I read via the Washington Post that Petworth Citizen was running a series of literary-themed cocktail events including a Sherlock Holmes night, I felt duty bound to attend given my alcohol-fueled march through the classic detective stories. If there is a heaven, and if it’s architected according to our truest desires, mine would resemble the… Read More Literary Cocktails at Petworth Citizen – Drinking with Sherlock Part VI
While carousing through Boston this week I made time to read “Symphony of the City of the Dead,” a dual biography of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich and Leningrad written by MT Anderson. Related–if you want to read the epic story of Leningrad’s founding as St. Petersburg, you can do no better than Robert K, Massie’s… Read More Cocktails and Peter’s City
A great, great Cambridge hang, Trina’s is where the neighborhoods fun folks stop by for a beer and a good cocktail. Ambiance: ****1/2 Decor: ****1/2 Service: **** Cocktails: ***1/2 Overall Rating: 4 After two nights at some of the finer cocktail bars in Boston, I decided to shed my fancy clothes and take the blog back… Read More Boston Cocktail Crawl – Trina’s Starlite Lounge
Hello Cocktails! 