Photo by collectmoments.
Drink of the Week: Daiquiri
Where: Farmers Fishers Bakers, Eat the Rich, Menu MBK, Bar Pilar
Ernest Hemingway is famous for his drinking habit. The author frequently wrote his favored drinks into his stories and has been famously associated with a number of different cocktails, including the mojito, the martini and the daiquiri. This week, the Weekly Feed is dedicated to one of Hemingway’s under appreciated tipples, the much maligned daiquiri. No, we’re not talking about that frozen strawberry abomination that you can order out of a slushy machine at Red Lobster. Daiquiris actually used to be respectable, not just the stuff of spring break and wincing hangovers. The daiquiri, as Hemingway would have enjoyed it, was a simple concoction of rum, citrus and sugar.
While the original daiquiri recipe yields a bracing, tart cocktail, I think the beverage is best imbibed in true literary fashion. Hemingway, as it turns out, was diabetic, which meant he took his drinks without sugar. According to Philip Greene, author of To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion, the Havana bar Floridita created a sugarless version just for Papa using grapefruit juice, maraschino liqueur, and double the rum. Today, it’s known alternatively as the Hemingway daiquiri or Papa Doble.
D.C. has a special relationship with the daiquiri, which was first popularized by the local Army and Navy Club during the early part of the century. A few years ago, news broke that the Cuban Interests Section (the Cuban equivalent of an embassy) was planning to open up a Hemingway-themed bar. Today, their website contains nary a mention of the establishment, so you’ll have to try drinking a daiquiri on American soil. Farmers Fishers Bakers (3000 K Street NW) is a great place to try your first non-slushy daiquiri; the restaurant offers five different versions on their menu, including the classic and Hemingway. Eat the Rich (1839 7th Street NW) also features a classic Hemingway daiquiri on their cocktail menu, along with a slushy version, blended to order, just for summer. For something a bit more stylized, try Hemingway’s Last Call at Menu MBK (405 8th Street NW), a sweeter, floral twist on the classic featuring grapefruit-infused rum, lychee and lemon juice. And if you’re in a hurry, there’s the Snaquiri at Bar Pilar (1833 14th Street NW), a daiquiri shot and a beer.
Small Bites
Our national Chinese food nightmare is coming to a close
Exciting news for those hungering for some authentic Chinese food: Chef Peter Chang, whose devoted followers will chase him halfway across Virginia just to get a whiff of Sichuan peppercorn, is opening a restaurant in Rockville. The former Chinese embassy chef’s latest outpost will be in the Rockville Town Square development, with an anticipated January opening date. The Post has a preview of the menu here.
Rogue 24 goes a la carte
Rogue 24 (922 N Street NW) is perhaps best known for its inventive 24-course, multi-hour tasting menu dubbed “The Journey.” But if you don’t have $135 and three hours to spare, you can now dine a la carte. The restaurant launched a “Back to Basics” menu on Wednesday, with dishes priced between $10 and $36. The food still promises to push your gustatory boundaries, with offerings like squab with abalone mushroom, pine nut milk, and blueberry, and bone marrow flan with sea urchin and mustard greens.
Amsterdam Falafelshop: now with 100 percent more beer
Amsterdam Falafelshop (2425 18th Street NW and 1830 14th Street NW), that a classic post-drinking spot, is now serving beer. Like the mayonnaise, the beers are Dutch. Wash down your overstuffed falafel and fries with an Amstel, Amstel radler or Oranjeboom.
