Photo by Laura Padgett.
Drink of the Week: Vegetable-based cocktails
Where: 2 Birds 1 Stone, Bar Pilar, Lincoln, Poste
Don’t like eating your vegetables? Increasingly, you can drink them in boozy form as bartenders push the limits of the traditional cocktail mixer. Bloody Marys are a bar staple (the tomato’s dubious status as fruit notwithstanding), but the lowly carrot, celery stalk, and earthy beet have been steadily making their way into local drink scene. The results are surprisingly refreshing and varied enough to appeal to even skeptical palates.
If you just want to dip a toe (or tongue) into vegetable-laced waters, a cucumber-based drink is a good place to start. Cucumbers are mostly water, and their mild, grassy flavor is pretty inoffensive. Try it in Bar Pilar’s (1833 14th Street NW) Dreadlock Mullet, which pairs cucumber and lemon with scotch and hum, a liqueur flavored with cardamom, ginger, and hibiscus. The Brit Meaw at 2 Birds 1 Stone (1800 14th Street NW) is similarly accessible and remarkably delicious. House made sweet-savory carrot soda is a revelation when mixed with rye whiskey. For the home bartenders, you can even find a recipe in the latest issue of Edible DC. 2 Birds 1 Stone’s menu is on a bit of a vegetable kick; the bar also crafts their own celery cordial, and mixes it with tequila and gentiane (a bitter French apertif) in the Leaving Home.
Adventurous drinkers may want to seek out a more assertive vegetable cocktail (veggietail?). Enter beet juice. With its unmistakable sweet, soil-esque flavor and blood red color, there’s no question about what you’re imbibing. Poste’s (555 8th Street NW) Keep the Beet is a riff on a margarita, swapping roasted beet juice in for the lime and infusing the tequila with thyme. A smoked paprika salted rim completes the presentation. For something less savory, there’s the Gettysburg Address at Lincoln (1110 Vermont Avenue NW), which pairs beet puree, ginger, and lemon with acai berry liqueur and Square One Botanical, a gin-like spirit.
Small Bites
A carnival of hoppy and malty delights
Stop by Jack Rose (2007 18th Street NW) tomorrow for their “Tour de Fall Carnival”, a celebration of beer and carnival kitsch. Sip on $5 seasonal New Belgium drafts while playing ring toss or getting your fortune read by a psychic. Corn dogs, cotton candy, and beer floats will also be on hand for the full nostalgia effect. The carnival runs from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Hey, hey, it’s Food Day
Celebrate national Food Day with National Geographic’s (1145 17th Street NW) Harvest Festival from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Activities include cooking demonstrations, food tastings, and craft and gardening activities for kids and adults.
For the love of feet
The Pig (1320 14th Street NW) is giving new meaning to the phrase “whole hog” with their “Head to Toe” dinner series. Each of the four dinners features a different animal part presented in five courses for $70 (including drink pairings). You can now sign up for their feet-themed dinner occurring on Monday at 7 p.m. The menu features all manner of lower extremities: jellied calves foot with fermented beets, lamb trotter curry, pig trotter stuffed with rabbit and lobster, and chocolate-covered chicken feet. Call 202-290-2821 to reserve a spot.
Merrily we roll along
Sample all that D.C.’s burgeoning brewery scene has to offer without worrying about the transportation. Newly launched DC Brew Tours will ferry you to a variety of local breweries, including Port City, Three Stars, Chocolate City, Bardo, Bluejacket, Atlas Brew Works, and Right Proper. The tours include a van, tour guide, meeting with the brewer, tastings, and lunch or dinner for $85.
Pepita pops up
Preview Mexican dishes from Mike Isabella’s upcoming restaurant, Pepita (400 Wilson Boulevard), during a series of pop-up dinners at G Sandwich Shop (2201 14th Street NW). Selections from the four-course tasting menu include fried avocado tacos, lamb barbacoa, and chocolate tres leches cake. The Pepita pop-up is scheduled for October 30-31, November 1, 4-5, and 7-8 from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Reserve by calling 202-234-5015.
Drinking like José
Learn how to mix a cocktail fit for José Andrés. Barmini (855 E Street NW), Andrés’ experimental cocktail laboratory, will be offering three classes on November 4, 5, and 6 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Classes are $95 per person and include drinks and snacks. Reserve a spot by emailing barmini@minibarbyjoseandres.com or calling 202-393-0812.
