Happy winter, D.C.! The sidewalks are encrusted with ice, the temperature is stubbornly stuck below 30 degrees, and we’ve already got summer on the brain. You may not be able to enjoy a drink on a patio for some time, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to escape from the dark, cold days ahead. Below we round up our favorite bars to drink away the winter blues and dream of warmer, stickier days.
Mai Tai punch at Farmers Fishers Bakers (photo courtesy of the restaurant’s Facebook page).
BAR CHARLEY: You may not be able to enjoy their outdoor patio to its fullest until the breeze turns warm, but Bar Charley will keep your spirit on the beach all winter with their on-tap tiki cocktails. Try the Suffering Bastard, with bourbon, gin, housemade ginger beer, lime, and angostura bitters, or the citrusy Molokai Mule, with light and dark rum, brandy, almond-y orgeat syrup, fresh lime and orange juice, and bitters. They’re just $5 on happy hour (which runs all night on Mondays) and $8 the rest of the time. Keep up the illusion with snacks that belong on a boardwalk, like fish tacos with jicama and Thai-inspired mussels with lemongrass and coconut milk. —Jenny Holm
Bar Charley is located at 1825 18th Street NW.
DOI MOI: If you can’t travel to a warmer place, you might as well enjoy the food and drink native to a more southerly locale. Thankfully, the tropical-inspired drink menu at Doi Moi&mdashthink pineapples, ginger, and tamarind&mdashtastes good enough to evoke the hot, humid climate of Vietnam. And the restaurant’s sleek white interior and floor-to-ceiling windows almost makes it feel like you’re in an open-air cafe. —Alicia Mazzara
Doi Moi is located at 1800 14th Street NW.
EL REY: El Rey, that bar made out of colorful shipping containers, is the perfect place to throw back a few pitchers of margaritas, Tecates, or Coronas on a hot day. But thanks to a retractable roof deck, you can get the full Mexico experience year-round. —Alicia Mazzara
El Rey is located at 919 U Street NW.
FARMERS FISHERS BAKERS: With the closing of Hogo, there are fewer and fewer bars that do the tiki cocktail justice in D.C. And nothing says summer like a flaming bowl of rum punch, amirite? Luckily, Farmers Fishers Bakers is serious about their tiki drinks, offering over a dozen tropical cocktails, everything from swizzles and suffering bastards to zombies and mai tais. Don the Beachcomber would be proud.—Alicia Mazzara
Farmers Fishers Bakers is located at 3000 K Street NW.
FIREFLY: Recall greener days at Firefly’s small bar, tucked inside the Hotel Madera. There is a giant tree growing out of the center of the restaurant, and while it may not be real, it looks awfully life-like. A birch tree trunk-lined wall behind the bar adds to the naturalistic atmosphere, while an extensive domestic wine list will help transport you to California’s Napa or Sonoma Valley. —Alicia Mazzara
Firefly is located at 1310 New Hampshire Avenue NW.
Mini golf at H St Country Club (photo courtesy of the bar’s Facebook page).
GRANVILLE MOORE’S: According to owner Joe Englert, Granville Moore’s was conceived to be reminiscent of Bourbon Street Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar near his vacation home in New Orleans. And, well, yeah, it feels pretty damn New Orleans-y. Complete with a menu that features a plethora of delicious Frittes-Ales-Moules, even if it’s the dead of winter, a step into Granville Moore’s will transport you into a sticky, sweltering New Orleans summer environment. — Matt Cohen
Granville Moore’s is located at 1238 H Street NE.
H STREET COUNTRY CLUB: Surely one way to trick yourself into forgetting that it’s cold out is by doing something you’d normally do when it’s warm. H Street Country Club’s indoor miniature golf course is a great example. Sign up to play and then warm up with surprisingly decent Mexican food and drinks. On Sunday and Monday, an entree gets you a free round of golf, and there’s also happy hour specials like $5 classic margaritas. Still cold? Choose from over 25 tequilas to help send blood to your extremities.—Josh Kramer
H Street Country Club is located at 1335 H Street NE.
PATTY BOOM BOOM: Nestled in the buzzing U St. corridor, this Jamaican enclave is the place to go for tropical, laid-back vibes any time of the year. The cocktails here are strong enough that you’ll soon forget about the frigid weather. Along with three varieties of rum punch (white, gold and dark) and tropical drinks, the bar also serves a variety of traditional meat patties, including goat. On the weekends, a live DJ takes over the upstairs dance floor with a reggae-inspired playlist. You can expect to pay a small cover charge once the dancing starts, but it’s cheaper than any flight to the Caribbean.—Travis Mitchell
Patty Boom Boom is located at 1359 U Street NW.
POP’S SEABAR: Pop’s SeaBar is one giant send-up to the Jersey Shore, from it’s selection of fried seafood snacks to drinks to an adult ice cream “luge”, which involves pouring a shot of Amaro down the side of a mint chocolate ice cream sandwich. The cocktails are fun riffs on warm weather classics like the gin rickey, orange crush, and mint julep, and beers come in a koozie, regardless of the season. It’s almost enough to make you feel like you’re at the beach.—Alicia Mazzara
Pop’s SeaBar is located at 1817 Columbia Road NW.
Photo by Rob Kunzig.
SATELLITE ROOM: Nothing says complete disregard for seasonally appropriate beverages like an alcoholic milkshake in January. Boozy shakes are the specialty of the house at Satellite Room, no matter how low the temperature dips. We recommend settling into a dark booth and sipping on one while imagining yourself seated in their semi-enclosed patio bar in July. —Alicia Mazzara
Satellite Room is located at 2047 9th Street NW.
