By DCist Contributor Nathan Wilkinson

With the classic cocktail revival in full swing, it’s easy to imagine that the next new thing in the beverage scene can only be the rediscovery of something old. But just when you thought you’d tasted the final iteration of the Manhattan or Old Fashioned, along comes a new drink concept that takes you completely by surprise. Spring is the perfect season for experimenting with fresh produce and light-flavored spirits. But it turns out that a few original concoctions that were intended for al-fresco sipping are also unlike anything you have ever tasted before.

John Kilkenney and Thomas Kahoe are the brains behind a spring series of cocktails named after precious stones at Nage Bistro (1600 Rhode Island Avenue NW). “The restaurant (pronounced “na-jay”) is independently owned but located in a hotel,” says manager Kilkenney. “We are sort of hidden here, so the theme is ‘hidden gems.”

I tried a few, and one after another took my breath away. Each was either a flavor I’d never tasted before or an infusion combination that had to be wholly original. The result was an entire series of cocktails that held my interest from the nose to the finish.

First, there’s the Sapphire Spray with blueberries muddled in vanilla simple syrup, vodka and a garnish of skewered blueberries and cheddar cheese cubes. “We like keeping it a bit of a surprise too,” says Kilkenny, referring to the cheese, which is not listed on the menu description. While some cocktails are “twists on classics,” like Kilkenny says of the Smoky Topaz—a barrel-aged Manhattan with house smoked cherries that remind me of hickory-smoke barbecue—most are the result of the collaboration between Kilkenny and Kahoe.

“At first I was against the idea of making a drink fit a gem because it was blue,” says Kahoe. “But this was about taking time to experiment and find a flavor profile that works—and something that’s appealing works.”

Take the Cucumber Circonium, with Damrak gin, lime juice, cucumber and cilantro. The produce is muddled before straining over fresh ice, giving the drink an amazing cilantro nose and a zippy lime gimlet taste on the tongue. Then there’s the Stormy Garnet, made with an infusion of Svedka vodka, strawberries, basil, and black peppercorn, topped with ginger beer and cranberry juice. It’s surprisingly refreshing and it prickles with heat and fruit. I kept thinking that it was made with gin because of the pepper bite and basil fug.

My favorite drink was the Fahrenheit 451, a jalapeno-infused Svedka Martini with fresh ginger, cucumber and lemongrass simple syrup. I couldn’t stop examining the interplay of herbal flavors, at once inviting and dominating.

“I’ve been to a lot of places where the drinks are tortured, a little overworked,” says Kahoe. “We keep ours approachable.” Some of these are worth approaching more than once. There’s a whole jewelry box of treasures to try here.

Farther east on Massachusetts Avenue I found another gem: Matthew Allred, beverage manager at Zentan (1155 14th Street NW). He’s the brainchild behind the Wasabi Hypotenuse, a Milagro tequila cocktail made with Japanese yuzu, red beet juice, ginger syrup, and wasabi foam. Spicy Milagro peeks out of this red triangle of a cocktail smothered in creamy wasabi goodness. Pair this one with cured salmon or a mixed greens salad.

Allred’s Waiting For The Milkman is a similar departure from the norm. It’s served in a wine carafe and includes 8000 Generations sochu, Calpis (a Japanese uncarbonated milky yogurt drink), Hendrick’s gin, egg white, and cherry blossom water. It’s tangy with yogurt and grain spirit backbite from sochu with a floral nose. This unique cocktail manages the careful balance between kitsch and homage to Japanese potations.

The Jack Rose is not an original cocktail but it was declared dead by the Washington Post in 2003 after reporters were unable to find a bartender who could make it at a bar that stocked applejack. Get some Laird’s so you can make this citrusy classic.

• 2 oz. applejack
• ½ oz. lime juice
• 1 tsp. grenadine

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.