By DCist Contributor Nathan Wilkinson

Being a cocktails snob has its drawbacks. I can’t go out for drinks with friends without critiquing the glassware, liquor selection, or preparation of the cocktails. I’ll try dozens of drinks before any make the cut for an article. And, sadly, the threshold barring my disappointment is getting lower. Even if the drinks are good, I won’t order something I’ve had before, which is getting harder to do as the months go by. This disappointment steals a portion of my enjoyment of an evening, and I long for the days when I didn’t overthink my drink selection.

The cure for cocktail ennui, I’ve found, is to go to places that make simple, strong, and interesting drinks that don’t demand all your attention. Bars that make cocktails in jars with little in the way of garnishes—denying all your senses except taste—put the focus back on crafting interesting flavors without the flourish. They give the impression that their drinks aren’t a big deal, when it’s obvious that a lot of thought went into making them. At last I can put down my phone camera and take a sip without the distraction of florid garnishes poking me in the eye.

Ardeo+Bardeo (3311 Connecticut Avenue NW) has a great summer cocktail menu full of spicy and refreshing drinks. I began with their Blue Belle. Served in a pint glass, this rocks drink has a hearty portion of Bluecoat dry gin mixed with grapefruit and lemon juice and sweetened with ginger simple syrup. It’s a good starting point for quenching your thirst and warming you up for some of their richer options. The Arsonist is one example. It’s light color and Old Fashioned glass downplays the smoke of Montelobos mescal, Buffalo Trace, lemon juice and habanero heat. You can taste the habanero in this one, distinct from other peppers, and the fire is perfectly balanced against tartness and mescal smoke.

I really liked Ardeo+Bardeo’s Caliente Cup for the same reason, and with Bluecoat gin, Pimm’s, cucumber, and their house jalapeños ginger beer, it is the first Pimm’s Cup I could stand. Finally, the combinations of flavors in their Garden Party surprised me. I’ve seen a lot of English salad-like gin drinks, but none with the explosive combination of Botanist gin (made with 22 Scottish botanicals) pear-tomato-sage shrub, and muddled tomato and sage. A little too vinegary for my taste, but it paired perfectly with the flavor-forward, American-style small plates menu that the restaurant offers.

Happy hour at A&D Bar (1314 9th Street NW) is a great time to try innovative drinks, which are served in identical jars that understate the spirits within. I enjoyed the Corner Smokey, a simple reminder that yellow Chartreuse and El Silencio mescal are addictive when mixed with lime. There’s also the regulars’ favorite: Millions of Peaches. With Temptation bourbon, peach nectar, lemon juice and ginger beer, it’s a natural evolution of a bourbon cobbler.

I’m looking forward to trying the southern-themed drinks at newly opened Succotash (186 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, Md.) from Chef Edward Lee. I’m told that the Kentucky Winter will be a year-round offering, and it might just be my new favorite adult milkshake. Jim Beam bourbon in vanilla ice cream, coconut and rice milks, cinnamon, cardamom, and almond make this concoction a little more complicated than a bourbon float. Expect to hear more about Succotash and Chef Lee in the coming months.

This edition’s home bartending drink is an old classic that requires quality ingredients but little fuss in the making. The Victor balances the softness of brandy with the intrigue of gin and sweet vermouth. If it sounds boring, consider the richness of my choice of ingredients. I used Antica formula vermouth for its complex bitterness and Bluecoat Barrel Finished Gin to lend the drink more caramel and whiskey flavors. This gin is a new product from the Philadelphia distillery and works perfectly in rich, spicy cocktails.

• 2 oz. gin (Bluecoat Barrel Aged used)
• 1 oz. brandy
• ½ oz. sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica used)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.