Cotton & Reed‘s rum distillery and tasting room are already up and running near Union Market, but that doesn’t mean the team will stop hosting pop-ups.
The distillery plants to take over the Adams Morgan space slated to become Rosario Italian restaurant from Dec. 15 to 17, and Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. (The opening of Rosario at 2435 18th St., Northwest has been pushed back to mid-January.)
Cotton & Reed bartender Lukas Smith explains that the distillery’s liquor license doesn’t allow them to stay open past midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. “On Friday nights, right when things start to pop off is when we have to close,” he says. “[Distiller Chas Jefferson] and I aren’t getting our fix—the long-burn, big-shift throw down.”
Plus, Smith explains, the distillery’s “out of the way” location means a lot of people don’t know about them, or haven’t visited them yet. “It’s a fun way for us to show ourselves to a new part of town,” he says. He hopes to do continue organizing other pop-ups in the future.
Smith will be joined by a rotating cast of guest bartenders. On Dec. 20, he’ll reunite with his team from Dram & Grain, the basement cocktail bar at Jack Rose Dining Saloon.
They’ll outfit the bar with Hawaiian Christmas decor, although the theme doesn’t really extend to the drinks. They’ll serve three rum cocktails on draft for $10 each, including the “Rum G&T,” which mimics a gin and tonic with botanical-infused tonic and white rum. A couple of punches will be available for $8, and shots of the spiced rum will go for $5. Smith has also come up with a shot called the “mezcalado” that’s half mezcal, half spiced rum. “It’s very good,” he swears.
People are welcome to bring their own food.
Meanwhile, Cotton & Reed has begun distributing its rum to a handful of restaurants and bars, including Compass Rose, the Passenger, the Dabney, Boundary Road, and the Tavern at Ivy City Smokehouse.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
