Drink Me: What To Order at Our 75 Favorite Bars

Creative Cocktails

• The Columbia Room: Gin martini, named the best in the country by GQ magazine
• The Gibson: The Old Uncle Simon, a warm rum drink that tastes like grown-up hot chocolate.
• PS 7’s: The Sav U’R cereal—cereal milk, rye, and allspice dram—which is like a lighter take on egg nogg.
• PX: A Moscow Mule served in a proper copper mug.
• Sidebar: A grownup “cream soda” with brandy, chocolate bitters, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cola.
• Wisdom: Anything involving Wisdom’s signature liquor, Blue Coat American Dry Gin. The fruity, spicy Summer Fling is especially nice.

Bring a Date

• Degrees: Espresso martini made with Van Gogh Espresso Vodka, Bailey’s Irish Cream, and chilled espresso.
• Napoleon Bistro and Lounge: A Bellini with champagne and peach purée.
• Quill: The Sparkling Clementine, made with Prosecco and freshly squeezed juice.
• St. Regis Bar: Adour Bubbles and Pearls, made with Proseco and Cointreau Pearls.
• Redwood: Cool as a Cuke with Hendrick’s gin, cucumber, and lime.
• Tabard Inn: Hot mulled cider with spiced rum.
• Vermillion: The warm apple pie cocktail, made with a vanilla-citrus liquor called tuaca. It tastes exactly like the dessert—right down to the whipped cream and cobbler-crumb topping.

Eat and Drink

• Bar Pilar: Mulled red wine flavored with orange and cloves.
• Black’s Bar and Kitchen: Cucumber Time, made with Hendrick’s gin and elderflower liqueur and garnished with a slice of cucumber.
• Bourbon Steak: Blood and Sand, made with Johnnie Walker Black, sweet vermouth, luxardo cherry, and fresh orange.
• Central: The tangerita, made with Sauza tequila, tangerine purée, and lime.
• PassionFish: A saketini, made with Three Olives Vodka, Hakkaisan Honjozo sake, passion fruit purée, and pickled ginger garnish.
• The Source: The Hitichino Nest White Ale on tap, a light and refreshing Japanese beer that goes down like candy.

Fine Wine

• Cork: Chateau La Caminade, a beautiful French Malbec.
• Dickson: A high acid number such as a Domaine Jean-Luc Mader Pinot Gris to pair with a pork belly banh mi.
• Evo Bistro: The Steele Pinot Noir is a food-friendly wine with intense fruit and is a staff favorite. We especially like it on Wednesday nights, when the $70 bottle is half price.
• Grapeseed: The Horton Viognier, a nice, full-bodied white, is a deal at $4.50 a glass.
• Proof: Although it’s tough to go wrong with any wine from the glass here, sommelier Adam Bernbach recommends starting with a staff favorite, the “Bitters and Ginger and Stuff,” made with Angostora bitters, rum, cane syrup, egg whites, and ginger beer.
• Ripple: Vietti Barbera D’Asti. “We don’t always have it in house,” says general manager Danny Fisher, “but when we do it sells out fast.”

Drink Al Fresco

• Beacon Bar & Grill Sky Bar: Any of the seasonal martinis.
• Biergarten Haus: A draft of Kostritzer Schwarzbier.
• Cantina Marina: House margarita.
• Marvin: Gouden Carolus Classic.
• Nick’s Riverside Grill: Corona with a lime.
• Poste: Lavender margarita—not always on the menu, but the staff always has the makings on hand in warmer weather.
• The Reef: A rasberry-flavored Kasteel Framboise.
• Tabaq Bistro: Levander martini made with Maker’s Mark, levander, Angustura bitters, lemons, and Champagne.

Cool Throwbacks

• The Fairfax Lounge: The Jockey Club Cocktail, a mixture of Blue Coat American gin, white crème de cacao, and lemon juice.
• Johnny’s Halfshell: Hendricks martini with three olives.
• Off the Record: The timeless, stylish setting calls for a classic: an extra dry martini.
• Old Ebbitt Grill: A dirty martini, straight up.
• Round Robin: A mint julep, which bartender Jim Hewes calls a, “Snow cone for big kids.”

Beer Heaven

• Bierreria Paradiso: Flag Porter.
• Black Squirrel: Frothy liters of Germany’s Hofbrau Dunkel.
• Brasserie Beck: The Antigoon Double Blonde, brewed especially for Brasserie Beck.
• ChurchKey: A Founders Breakfast Stout, a St. Idesbald Blond—or whatever else the knowledgeable servers recommend.
• Franklins: A pint of Golden Opportunity.
• Granville Moore’s: A bottle of St. Feuillien Brune—with fruit, licorice and malty flavors in a single sip, it’s more like Scotch than beer.
• Mad Fox Brewing Company: Festivus Ale, a dark, robust beer brewed in-house during the winter.
• Mussel Bar: You can’t go wrong with the $5.50 Brabo Pils, a fruity, golden lager. It’s $2.75 during happy hour (weekdays 4:30 to 6:30)
• Rustico: Something out of one of the featured authentic cask ales, such as the easy-to-drink Jolly Scot Scottish Ale.

Explore a Liquor

• Againn: The 40-year-old Bunnahabhain from the isle of Islay.
• Bourbon: Buffalo Trace’s Elmer T. Lee bourbon.
• Masa 14: The Margarita Traditional. Non-tequila fans will enjoy the Lemon Lager and the Mojito Traditional.
• Russia House: Mango martini made with house-infused citrus vodka and fresh mango purée.

Good for Games

• Breadsoda: Chocolate Old Fashioned.
• H Street Country Club: Where else but H Street could a Pimm’s Cup be considered ironic?
• Nellie’s Sports Bar: A cold draft microbrew—Starr Hill IPA, if it’s available.
• Spider Kelly’s: A Dirty Golfer, a mix of homemade lemonade and Firefly sweet tea vodka that’s a good complement to an intense game of Golden Tee.
• Toyland: The Martini Royale, a classic gin or vodka martini served with blue cheese-stuffed olives.

Cozy and Casual

• American Ice Co.: A craft beer—such as Goose Island 312 or Old Speckled Hen—served in a mason jar.
• EatBar: The wine menu here is meant for grazing, with more than 50 bottles available in tasting pours, full glasses, and ten-ounce beakers. Try the Zuccardi “Serie A” Mendoza, a Malbec from Argentina.
• The Irish Inn at Glen Echo: Smithwick’s on tap.
• Liberty Tavern: The seasonal beer selection. On tap during our visit was a malty, vanilla-scented Anderson Winter Solstice.
• Looking Glass Lounge: Sunday through Thursday, $5 gets you a shot of Jim Beam and a can of Natty Boh.
• Lyon Hall: Whatever’s in the Lyon Hall featured keg, which contains rare and speciality drafts from around the world.
• Restaurant Eve: Gin and housemade tonic.

Fun Dives

• Hank Dietle’s Tavern: Budweiser pitchers run $8.75 apiece, and that’s not even the happy hour price.
• Quarry House: Ask the staff to recommend something new based on your favorite beers.
• The Red Derby: Upgrade from your Blue Moon to a Wittekerke, or, for something darker, try the Wexford Irish Creme.
• Tune Inn: DC tap water—you’ll thank us tomorrow.
• Vienna Inn: A cold Bud.

Music and Dancing

• Gate 54 at Saint Ex: Bees-in-a-Beer—an easy-to-hold IPA and honeycomb combo.
• Galaxy Hut: The 20 taps change often, but we had a great pint of Starr Hill’s Double IPA.
• Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar: The “Awesomeness,” a spiked slushie served in a mason jar.
• New Vegas Lounge: A biting bourbon and Coke.
• Patty Boom Boom: The boozy rum punches—made with Jamaican spirits—will get you in the tropical mood.
• Rock & Roll Hotel: The $6 “PBR-and-shot-of-crap-whiskey” combo.
• Wonderland Ballroom: Bottles of the hard-to-find Belgian beer Delirium Tremens.