Capitoline Rosé Cordial ($34.99)
Skeptical of sipping vermouth? Try this citrusy, subtly herbaceous fortified rosé, a collaboration between Etto’s Peter Pastan and Kat Hamidi and New Columbia Distillers. It’s called a cordial because under federal law, only wineries can make “vermouth.”
Drink it: In a Negroni or over ice.
Find it at: Cordial Fine Wine & Spirits, Union Market, 1309 Fifth St., NE; 202-548-2450.
Virginia Highland Malt Whisky ($57.49)
Washington’s local-whiskey trend is still young, so many of the best, properly aged spirits result from collaborations between new distilleries and established producers. Case in point: this Highland malt, which Virginia Distillery Company sources from Scotland, then ages in port-style wine casks from a nearby vineyard.
Drink it: Neat.
Find it at: Selected ABC stores in Virginia (visit vadistillery.com for locations).
Don Ciccio & Figli Amaro Delle Sirene ($40.99)
Francesco Amodeo draws from his family’s century-old distilling history for his line of DC-made Italian-style liqueurs. This savory amaro, inspired by a 1930s recipe from the Amalfi Coast, is rounded out by a two-month stay in French oak barrels. A knockout.
Drink it: With sparkling wine and a citrus peel.
Find it at: Ace Beverage, 3301 New Mexico Ave., NW; 202-966-4444.
This article appears in the April 2016 issue of Washingtonian.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
