It was on a freakishly balmy early January evening in Blagden Alley that we headed to the Columbia Room to sip through their fall tasting menu; temperature wise, it was eerily reminiscent of the last time I’d visited the bar in August. But we cast off our global warming concerns and threw ourselves into the 5-cocktail… Read More High Art at the Columbia Room
DC’s favorite laboratory for the cocktailian sciences, Barmini is the epitome of innovation, style, and taste. Ambiance: ***** Decor: ***** Cocktails: ***** Service: ***** Overall: 5 My failure to visit Barmini is a bit of a scarlet letter. I mean, I’ve visited hundreds of other bars including dozens in the DC area – but not one… Read More The Sweet Science – Barmini
A beautiful new gem of a seafood restaurant in southeast DC, Salt Line offers a relaxed riverfront setting and a surprisingly strong battery of cocktails. Ambiance: **** Decor: ****1/2 Cocktails: ****1/2 Service: **** Overall: 4.25 Perhaps it was the bright summer sun, perhaps it was the good company, perhaps it was the river breeze, but memories… Read More Cocktails Along the Anacostia – The Salt Line
This week I’m reviewing Spain in Our Hearts, Adam Hochschild’s history of foreign volunteers in the Spanish Civil War. Hochschild’s description of the idyllic Spanish countryside, along with DC’s customary stifling heat, got me thinking about simple cocktails that both refresh and evoke visions of olive groves and green foothills. First up was the “Marianito” a simple three-part… Read More Spanish Anarchism and Cocktails
A wonderfully sedate and honest neighborhood bar, Union Drinkery is a good spot for relaxation and solid drinks. Ambiance: **** Decor: **** Cocktails: **** Service: ****1/2 Overall: 4 Georgia Avenue is growing on me: eclectic and ramshackle, the area retains a bit of genuine DC character, still untouched by commercial blanding. Oh, and Alfie’s is there.… Read More Cocktail Chill – Union Drinkery
This week I’m reviewing Michelle DeRusha’s biography of the marriage of Martin and Katharina Luther. Now, most of my knowledge of Lutherans comes from listening to A Prairie Home Companion where they are usually characterized as hard-working, quiet, and simple folk. Here’s Garrison Keillor: “And I don’t like to generalize about Lutherans, but one thing that’s true… Read More Reformation Cocktails
This week I’m reviewing Robert Gaudi’s book “African Kaiser,” a marvelous little history of German’s forgotten African colonies during World War I. I’ve dabbled a bit in Germanic cocktail-ology previously but never explored imbibing during the Wilhemine Period. Unfortunately for me and all of Europe, Kaiser Wilhelm II–the last and dumbest Kaiser–was a bit of a teetotaler… Read More How to Drink Like the Kaiser
A mellow tiki outpost amidst the colonial atmosphere of Old Town, Hi-Tide Lounge is a nice refuge from the crowds and tourists. Ambiance: **** Decor: ***1/2 Cocktails: **** Service: ****1/2 Overall: 4 On a recent stroll down King Street, I got a little down. Don’t get me wrong, the quaint, gorgeous historic streets of Old Town have… Read More Old Town Tiki – Hi-Tide Lounge
Clarity is a cozy fine-dining restaurant tucked away in Vienna with a lively atmosphere, excellent food, and good drinks. Ambiance: **** Decor: **** Cocktails: ***1/2 Service: ****1/2 Overall: 4 Vienna and I have never quite clicked. One of the richest towns in the country, Vienna is certainly beautiful and choc-full of well-bred folks, but I’ve yet to be invited… Read More Among My Betters – Clarity
Situated amidst the busy slots and tables MGM National Harbor, Felt offers visitors an impossibly sophisticated and chic atmosphere and a stylish bar. Ambiance: **** Decor: ****1/2 Service: ***1/2 Cocktails: ***1/2 Overall Rating: 3.75 It had been a long while since I last visited National Harbor. And boy, things have changed – driving in on a snowy… Read More Glitz and Glamour – Felt
