Drinking wine with mom: the best way to celebrate on Sunday. Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock.
If you’re doing it right, buying a bottle of wine for someone is a highly personal gesture. You have to know what your giftee likes—Chardonnay, sparkling wine, dry South African varietals, etc.—and offer something that will fit their tastes while also presenting the chance to try something new. For the wine-drinking mother, a well-chosen bottle is a no-brainer gift. Mom feels special, then buzzed; siblings—petals falling from the sad little bouquets clutched in their fists—shrink in the certain knowledge of your new status as favorite kid forever. (Okay maybe not forever, but certainly through Sunday.)
Great news: This moment of M-Day glory can be achieved by even the most novice of wine purchasers, thanks to this mère-minded list of white and rosé options selected by wine experts around town. The best part? They’re all under $25—less than it costs to order a dozen daffodils to Mom’s door.
Use Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to try great tequila cocktails all over Washington. Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock.
By sheer coincidence of the calendar, Cinco de Mayo happens to fall on a Sunday Funday this year. In años past, we’ve focused on special deals honoring the occasion, but this time around, we’re letting our pals at After Hours take care of that, opting instead to outfit you with a list of very good tequila-based drinks appearing on lists at our favorite bars.
Some riff directly on the classic margarita cocktail—a combination of tequila, triple sec, simple syrup (or agave nectar), and lime—while others resemble the ’rita less. Don’t get hung up on technicalities—they’re all going to make you happy, and, consumed voraciously enough, hungover on Monday. Hey, no one ever said Seis de Mayo was a day designed for celebration.
Where to get your mint julep fix around town. Image via iStock.
The “greatest two minutes in sports” goes down this Saturday, May 4. It might be the shortest race in the Triple Crown, but the Kentucky Derby always inspires festivities that include free-flowing booze, elaborate hats, and swanky fetes. Plenty of Washington bars and restaurants are celebrating, and we found a party for (almost) every mood.
Photograph via Shutterstock.
When attending a Passover Seder, we like the idea of bringing a kosher wine to the party so our kosher-keeping friends can partake. However, by reputation many kosher wines aren’t among the tastiest. To help us find some good options, we hit up the obliging Michael Dumas, a serious vino geek to whom this blogger regularly turns for excellent value-driven bottle selections. Dumas can be found assisting customers at Cleveland Park Wines, a neighborhood wine shop that stocks a lot of good cocktail stuff, too—Dolin vermouth, Fever-Tree tonics, Scrappy’s Bitters, and the like.
Here are Dumas’s choices for kosher bottles. Handily, he also offers advice on which wines pair well with traditional Passover dishes such as maror (bitter herbs), charoset (apple-walnut relish), karpas (green leafy vegetables), beitzah (hardboiled egg), and zeroah (roasted lamb shanks).
The big value:
“There is a good, inexpensive brand from Chile—Terra Vega—that is kosher. Terra Vega has a whole line of affordable Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Carménère that sell for $8.99 each. Out of those, my favorite is the Sauvignon Blanc; it has good acidity, good minerality, and a nice fruity mid-palate followed by a slightly spicy, clean, crisp finish perfect for cheeses, grilled chicken, or fish and light salads. Out of the red, I like the Carménère—a light body red wine with nice dark-berry aromas, soft tannins, and a spicy finish that is easy to pair with a variety of foods and is really good with roasted lamb dishes.”
Cocktail accoutrements at Salt & Sundry, where you'll find the best products for producing a whiskey and ginger cocktail. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, we have Irish whiskey on the brain. So we asked local spirits gurus to share some ideas on how to drink it. Read on for cocktail recipes, special drinks, and more. Sorry in advance about your Monday morning hangover.
1) Go on a flight.
Here’s an idea: If you’re having a St. Paddy’s party, why not offer guests the opportunity to try a flight of Irish whiskeys? We asked Bill Thomas, who keeps an enormous collection of whiskeys at Jack Rose Dining Saloon (where he is planning a blowout rooftop party on St. Paddy’s), to pick three bottles that would work well. “I chose these three because they represent three different styles and ages,” says Thomas. He likes to finish with the Jameson 18-Year since the brand is familiar to people. “The 18-Year has a richer palate,” he explains. Check out his tasting notes below.
Irish Whiskey Flight
Bushmills Black Bush, a blended Irish whiskey
Nose: malt, spice, toffee
Palate: oak, spices, raisins
Redbreast 12-Year-Old
Nose: fruity and oaky
Palate: vanilla, spices, oak
Jameson 18-Year-Old Limited Reserve
Nose: oak, honey, leather
Palate: cereal, vanilla, caramel
It may be heresy to feature a St. Patrick’s Day drink recipe without Jameson, but we’re choosing to honor another tradition of the holiday: boozing in the morning. As if there isn’t enough incentive to consume more alcohol than usual on Sunday, many local watering holes are opening their doors as early as 8 AM, meaning one thing: Breakfast is a must. Fortunately, Star & Shamrock co-owner Jason Feldman dreamed up a shooter that combines sustenance and whiskey, setting the stage nicely for your St. Paddy’s revelry.
You won’t necessarily see the off-menu Mac’Griddle shot at the H Street pub, but order one at the bar and you’ll be faced with a hearty dose of maple-flavored Crown Royal whiskey garnished with fried pork belly and a miniature house-made potato latke (the bar is half-Irish, half-Jewish, after all). The sweet-salty flavors recall McDonald’s McGriddle sandwich, though the alcohol might help you hate yourself a little less afterward. Who will hate you: the bartenders if you order it during the height of the St. Paddy’s festivities. Either get there when the doors open at 10 AM (and ask nicely), or concoct one yourself at home.
Given that you’re drinking too early for heavy cooking, we’ve pared things down to the basics. Instead of pork belly, use good old-fashioned bacon. And instead of fresh latkes, you’ll find frozen hash brown mix. Still too complicated? Just buy premade hash browns and fry them up. The ingredient that really pulls it all together is a maple-flavored whiskey, which is a little like drinking boozy syrup (in a good, non-cough-medicine way). Sláinte!
Restaurants are breaking out the pretty red cocktails in honor of this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival. Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock.
This year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival season kicks off March 20. And you know what that means: plenty of cocktail and food specials to celebrate the occasion. Read on for drinks and eats making use of the pretty pink fruit. Offers are available throughout the festival—from March 20 through April 14—unless otherwise noted.
The deal: This Balkan-inspired Barracks Row restaurant will offer a special dessert prepared by pastry chef Danilo Bucan: a cherry and Valrhona chocolate cake made with cherry foam and served with micro basil, for $5.
The deal: Take a break from Assaggi’s exceptional mozzarella platter and instead try fresh new dishes and desserts created by chef and owner Domenico Cornacchia. They include fresh oysters with frisée salad and cherry vinaigrette; beef carpaccio with watercress salad, mascarpone cheese, and candied cherry; tagliatelline pasta with braised venison ragout and crumbled cherries; pan-seared duck breast over parsnip purée and cherry demiglace; and poached Atlantic salmon with rainbow cauliflower and cherry tapenade. Dishes range for $11 to $31. For dessert, there’s cherry cheesecake with pineapple salad and salted caramel sauce.
Toast the 101st anniversary with the Assaggi Jubilee ($13), made from a combination of cherry vodka, triple sec, and crushed fresh cherries and topped with Prosecco.
Pub crawls and emerald-hued Mad Hatter hats are fun for awhile, but there comes a time in every drinking life when a rowdy St. Patrick’s Day no long appeals. While the first instinct of the grown-up drinker may be to sit out the riots on the 17th, we have a better idea: Head to your low-key neighborhood bar and order yourself a beer back.
Never braved a beer-and-whiskey pairing before? Good news: Kindly Quarry House Tavern bar manager Gordon Banks, along with two of his trusty ’tenders—Baback Salimi and Joe Polson—created this pairing guide to Irish whiskey beer backs exclusively for us. Via blind tasting, they paired whiskies from the bar’s 30-bottle collection with some of its fine brews. So go ahead and try one—we guarantee it will go down a lot easier than a cheap green lager. If you can’t find the recommended beers below, Banks suggesting opting for another of the same style.
Psst: Can’t handle the straight stuff? Stay tuned—we’ve got many more things to do with Irish whiskey this St. Paddy’s coming your way soon.
Some people think about what beer and wines to pair with their food every day. Others think about it, like, once a year—on Valentine’s Day, for instance. Whichever side you fall on, this list should help you find something to drink alongside that extravagant home-cooked feast.
We dreamed up eight Valentine’s Day menus—all of which, given a little preparation and patience, are totally doable at home. Then we challenged Greg Engert and Brent Kroll—the lead beer and wine experts at the Neighborhood Restaurant Group (Birch & Barley, Evening Star Cafe, Vermilion, and more)—to come up with suitable pairings for each. They went above and beyond with some inspired choices to ensure your February 14 dinner really stands out. Call the fine wine and beer store near you to find out if they stock the selections below—then get cooking.
You’re cooking: A classic beef bourguignon.
Greg suggests: Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien, Brasserie Franches-Montagnes, Switzerland
This annually released ale is composed of strong, soured red ales aged in countless wine and spirit barrels, then masterfully blended. What results is a vinous brew, one that dovetails with the red wine braising liquid. The acidity of Bon-Chien—which digs into the stew—is balanced by toasty, oaky sweetness that mellows the tang of the garlic and herbs while complementing the rich flavors of the braised beef.
Brent suggests: 2003 Chateau Musar, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
With a dish like this, it’s easy to lean toward Rhone or Bordeaux varietals. This wine is a blend of both that has bottle age, earth, very ripe fruit, and spice. Although the dish originates from Burgundy, it’s a little strong for most Pinot Noirs. The Musar is tailor-made for the weight and secondary notes of mushrooms, onions, and garlic usually found in the dish.
You’re cooking: Filet mignon with mashed potatoes and braised greens.
Greg suggests: Ayinger Celebrator, Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer, Germany
As filet mignon is a lean cut with restrained flavor intensity, I like a brew that is potent yet composed, bold without being big. Doppelbocks, like Celebrator, offer just the right amount of dark bread, toffee, and candied fruit to simultaneously sauce the dish and echo the caramelized (i.e., seared) exterior of the steak.
Smoke & Barrel welcomes New Year's with lots of meat and whiskey...but no cover charge. Photograph by Scott Suchman.
New Year’s Eve is a day of resolution, reflection . . . and drinking. But the last need not involved a packed, expensive, and sweaty scene. For those drinkers among us who prefer a less insane evening, a smattering of spots are planning low-key New Year’s Eve experiences. So relax, there’s no rule that says you have to fight it out at an open bar this year.
Boundary Stone, a wing-lover’s paradise, will continue its golden tradition of doing absolutely nothing special for New Year’s Eve. (Well, we’ve been told there might be a toast at midnight, but that’s a sort of whim-of-the-evening type thing.)
If smoked meats and whiskey are more your style, then Dupont Circle’s Smoke & Barrel has you covered. The only thing it’s doing to ring in the New Year is keeping a steady supply of succulent barbecue at the ready.
Maddy’s Bar & Grille, which recently added a Logan Circle location, will have a fairly basic night, as well: no cover but a few drink specials.
Glover Park’s game-and-sandwich filled Breadsoda won’t make anyone pay upon entry, but it’s not ignoring the holiday altogether: There will be free games all night, plus a complimentary Champagne toast at midnight.
Columbia Heights favorite Meridian Pint offers a normal night at the bar and a twist in the dining room: Diners can enjoy a three-course prix-fixe meal for $45. After dinner, sidle up to the bar and try not to get overwhelmed by the extensive beer list.
The haven for lovers of Belgian beers and mussels, Granville Moore’s, is doing “absolutely nothing” to ring in the New Year—save, of course, offering a fantastically eclectic beer menu and some of the best mussels in this city.
Georgetown classic Clyde’s welcomes the New Year with its usual food, drinks, and good times. It closes when the ball drops, but that just leaves all of Georgetown at your disposal.
Dupont beer bar the Big Hunt has no cover as usual. The only difference during New Year’s Eve is the deejays that’ll be spinning tracks for all its brew sippers.
One of the newcomers on this list, Central, plans to keep serving its cheese puffs, bacon-and-onion tarts, and the rest of its regular menu for the New Year.
The triple-leveled Black Squirrel is still deciding what to do for the big day, but one thing’s certain: At least two levels will be experiencing a normal evening. A caveat: The bar may instate a cover at around 11:30 to deter those seeking nothing but the free Champagne at the midnight toast.
The Tune Inn, home of stuffed deer heads, PBR, and cheese fries, is closed on Christmas, but is serving up its lowbrow delicacies on New Year’s Eve.
Off the Record, the politico favorite nestled in the Hay-Adams Hotel, will be following standard operating procedure to ring in 2013. As will the Jefferson Hotel’s bar, Quill. The Willard InterContinental’s bar, Round Robin, will also keep on keeping on with its normal service throughout New Year’s Eve.
The perpetually packed Old Ebbitt Grill will be doing what it always does: catering to the hungry and the thirsty late into the evening, long after most restaurants have closed their doors.
If you’re looking for a decent meal but don’t want to decide between a prix-fixe menu and à la carte, Poste will be offering an à-la-carte version of its New Year's Eve tasting menu—along with signature burgers—at the bar.
Dickson Wine Bar is taking things up a notch without taking too heavy a toll on your wallet. You’ll find food and drink specials, music, and a projection screen showing the ball drop—all for no cover.
Every World War I-obsessed writer’s favorite haunt, the Hemingway-inspired Bar Pilar, will have its usual blend of well-made cocktails and tasty small plates, plus tunes from a deejay
Know of other great places to spend a quiet New Year’s Eve? Let us know in the comments section!
