News & Politics

Drinking With the Jack Rose Team

The group behind the 1,400 bottle Adams Morgan bar tells us their favorite drinks

Photograph by Sean McCormick

Jack Rose is an Adams Morgan bar/tavern set to open in a couple of weeks. Owner Bill Thomas, who also has two locations of the bar Bourbon, as well as Breadsoda in Glover Park, envisions the place as a monument to the craft-cocktail movement and will have 1,400 bottles on hand on opening night. When the team behind the bar isn't serving their customers, here's what they like to drink.

1. Roberto Cofino
Single-malt-whisky adviser
Cofino likes Ardbeg “Provenance,” second release, distilled in 1974 and bottled May 19, 1998, at 54.7-percent alcohol by volume: “The most complex nose and palate of any whisky I’ve ever tasted, with a finish that’s like a roller coaster without brakes—it’s all over the place and just won’t stop.”

2. Rachel Sergi
Beverage director
Sergi likes a Negroni made with Beefeater, Campari, and Martini & Rossi served “up” with an orange-peel garnish: “An exceptional balance of spirits. Bitterly beautiful.”

3. Harvey Fry
Single-malt-whisky adviser
“At the moment, any single-malt Scotch from these distilleries in this order—Springbank, Talisker, Laphroaig, Highland Park.”

4. Bill Thomas
Proprietor
Thomas likes Amrut single malt from India and Abraham Bowman Pioneer Spirit ten-year-old limited-edition Virginia rye, released in 2011; both are cask strength and complex: “It’s not where it comes from; it’s what’s in the bottle.”

5. Steve King
Operating partner
King likes Willett “The Iron Fist,” a 23-year-old 137.1-proof single-barrel rye whiskey with two drops of water: “A rich nose, layered palette, and powerhouse finish make this whiskey truly unforgettable.”

6. Michael Hartzer
Chef/partner
George “Hansen Vineyard” 2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. “This Pinot expresses the Northern California land and its neighboring dairy farm. A perfect pair with red meat.”

This article appears in the June 2011 issue of The Washingtonian. 

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