Union Pub. 201 Massachusetts Ave., NE.
As sure as you can count on chaos in Congress, you can count on Union Pub to turn it into a drink special. Last week, the Capitol Hill bar was preparing for shutdown specials, including a $5 “McCarthy’s Dilemma” shot. Patrons flipped a coin: heads for “You’re FIREballeD,” tails for “you get a blowJOB shot.” And today, following McCarthy’s ouster as Speaker of the House, they’re offering up a “Speaker of the Pub” gavel—with $218 worth of booze and food (218 is the number of votes McCarthy needed to be elected Speaker).
Amazingly, this is the second time in a year that the Hill hangout has offered the deal, which includes two buckets of beer, eight shots of whiskey, a bottle of wine, a bottle of bubbly, a totchos (tater tot nachos) platter, and of course, your very own gavel. Bonus: Matt Gaetz can’t take it away.
The promotion was first born in January when the House had to hold 15 votes before electing McCarthy as its Speaker. In the same time, Union Pub racked up 23 of its own Speakers. Publicist Sam Sanchez says they weren’t expecting to run the special again so soon and rushed to order 32 more gavels for tonight (they’ll order more if they run out). The promotion will last until there is an actual Speaker of the House, and the bar will televise Congressional proceedings with sound next week.
Much like the elected position, this speakership could go to literally anyone.
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.
