By DCist Contributor Nathan Wilkinson

Despite the current string of nice, breezy weather, the dog days of summer are not over. On the most humid of days, strong cocktails lose their appeal. And forget about Martinis on the sunbaked patio—that’s a recipe for disaster. This past week I’ve holed-up in a few basement bars and cave-like places that put the focus back on rich, flavorful cocktails. Below are some spots ideal for district drinkers looking for a cold, dark place to get back to the business of downing stiff drinks.

Brick & Mortar (918 F Street NW) in the basement of Prequel, the pop-up restaurant complex, has been getting rave reviews for their Prohibition-style cocktails. It’s not a speakeasy—even though you have to make several turns down dark hallways and descend a dimly lit staircase to find it—but it is chilly and dungeon-chic with black painted walls and brick archways.

I tried the King’s Old Fashioned that bartender William Sexton makes using Rittenhouse rye, bitters, lemon juice, and coriander syrup. “We make the syrup with coriander seeds in a light simple syrup that has one-third the sugar,” says Sexton. And it is the syrup that makes Brick & Mortar’s contribution to the Old Fashioned cocktail memorable with hints of autumnal spice.

“The Three To Get Ready is on the opposite end of the spectrum,” says Sexton. With ten-year-old Eagle Rare bourbon, Dolin blanc vermouth, and Liqueur de Sapins (a French liqueur flavored with young pine cones) this coupe cocktail has fresh pine forest scent and soft oak notes. “It’s like a dry lumberjack Manhattan,” Sexton quips.

Get downstairs to the 201 Bar (201 Massachusetts Avenue NE) before it fills up with Congressional interns. Their cocktail menu is full of thirst quenchers like Falkor’s Lemonade with Bacardi Dragonberry and fresh basil and strawberries, or the Cucumber Rickey that is really like a gin and ginger beer Mojito. I recommend going straight to the bourbon menu and trying the bourbon barrel aged infusions. These go for $5 dollars at happy hour and include strawberry and thyme, fig, cherry, and blackberry flavors.

I was very impressed with cocktail menu at Stanton & Greene (319 Pennsylvania Avenue SE), which is not a basement bar, but it’s dim even at noon and the assistant general manager, Mitzi Taylor, keeps the thermostat set at a chilly 68 degrees. “Our beverage manager, Woong Chang, wanted the space to have a ‘no-branding’ look and a bar geared toward craft cocktails,” says Taylor.

I was unsure which drink to try first, but the name of the Rochambeau decided for me. It’s a Negroni-like drink with Leopold’s gin and Michigan Tart Cherry, Bonal Gentaine-Quina, and Dolin rouge that has an undoubtedly spicy and alcoholic kick. Bartender Anson Dement explains that it used to be made with Maurin Quina and almost disappeared when the bitter liqueur became unavailable. “Woong [Chang] and I went through a lot of trials late at night to come up with Bonal as the sufficient replacement,” he said.

It’s nice to see a menu so devoted to creating unique flavor experiences. After The Duel is a perfect example. With Corsair triple-smoked whiskey, green Chartreuse, Gentiaine Quina, and crème de violette It’s a mouthful of flavors that evolve, from smoke and anise, to herbal bitters and floral aromas. The drink is an unappealing dark gray color with no garnish, but tasting it proves that a good cocktail is more than artful presentation.

My favorite was Tell’s Target: a Laird’s applejack drink with Leopold’s sour apple liqueur and Belle de Paire, with a teaspoon of absinthe atop a chip of green apple as a garnish. Dement says, “I like the interplay of anise and absinthe here. Leopold’s sour apple has so much flavor that you don’t have to soak your drink with it when you only have so many ounces that fit in the glass.”

I used the same apple chip absinthe float technique when making the Grand Apple, in an attempt to make applejack taste more like apples. (For gin drinkers I also have the Union League Club, which is best consumed in a well air-conditioned room.)

Cut an apple chip off an apple and put a dash of Pernod or absinthe on the cut side. This will float under your nose and give you a spicy scent with every sip.

• 2 oz. Calvados or apple brandy
• 1 oz. cognac
• 1 oz. Grand Marnier

apple chip, optional

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with apple chip float with a dash of Pernod or absinthe on top.