Five Washington watering holes made the long list for Food & Wine‘s newest set of accolades: The People’s Best New Bars 2014. The voter’s-choice awards—a liquid spinoff of the Best New Chef contest held earlier this year—runs through September 30. Local nominees include 2 Birds 1 Stone, Dram & Grain in Jack Rose, the Partisan, Red Light, and Southern Efficiency.
The mix is pretty eclectic, representing underground cocktail dens (2 Birds, Dram), restaurant/bar hybrids (Partisan), sweets spots (Red Light) and bourbon-centric boozers (Southern Efficiency). All face stiff competition in the Northeast category, including from lauded mixology bars such as New York’s Booker and Dax and Hop Sing Laundromat in Philly. All the more reason to vote early and often.
Look for an announcement with the winners on October 2.
Find Anna Spiegel on Twitter at @annaspiegs.