Capitol Hill has an eye-catching new gin-centric speakeasy, The Wells. Designed by HapstakDemetriou, the space is stunning. A brilliant shade of teal dominates most walls, while intimate seating alcoves rim the room, which is floored with honeycomb tiles. The four-seat bar at the end is backed with a wall of gins housed in charming glass-fronted cabinets.

“I wanted to create something unlike anything in D.C.,” says Hollis Silverman, former COO of José Andrés’s ThinkFoodGroup and founder of Eastern Point Collective, which also owns casual Italian osteria La Collina and New American restaurant The Duck & The Peach next door. “I wanted to create something that felt like you stepped into another world.”

Silverman lives in the neighborhood and spent a lot of time canvassing it to figure out what she thought was missing. Even though the gin-focused Betsy is just a few blocks away, “I thought there was a good opportunity for a speakeasy, something that was a little bit more of an elevated cocktail situation,” says Silverman, who loves gin and was inspired by travels to Spain and London. “You have to have a passion for something in order to make it something you want to be at that hopefully guests want to be at, too.”

Currently, there are approximately 40 gins on hand, but “our collection is growing every day,” says bar manager Ashley Havens, a Rose’s Luxury veteran who also oversees the bars at La Collina and The Duck & The Peach. The list includes gins from around the world – German Monkey 47, Cotswolds from England, and upstate New York’s Neversink made with apples – though she is constantly badgering her spirits purveyors to bring in new options to sample.

She wants to amass a broad collection that will help the team at The Wells overcome drinkers’ misconceptions about the spirit. “People sometimes have this thought process that gin is something your grandmother drinks, it’s really Christmas tree [tasting], and it’s not for you,” said Havens. “People don’t realize gin is one of the only infused base spirits, so there can be really a huge array of different styles.”

The cocktail list starts with the Patio, which Havens describes as “dipping your toes into the gin world.” Ingredients like orange-thyme shrub and bitter aperitivo — not the underlying gin — dominate its flavor profile. From there, the cocktail list gradually brings gin more and more to the forefront. The last on the list is the house martini.

In between you’ll find the Garden – featuring plum tomatoes pureed with Leopold’s Navy Strength gin, along with Dolin dry vermouth and Castelvetrano olive brine – and the After Work: an esoteric riff on a Japanese whiskey highball with Lagunitas IPA reduction for sweetness, Amontillado sherry to add a slight salty tone, and effervescence courtesy of club soda. “It’s what you drink after a long day at work when you want something that’s easy to drink, but will get the job done,” says Havens of the latter.

Though bartenders have flair and fun when crafting the cocktails, it’s not intended to be performative art. “It’s more about what’s in the glass and the conversation that follows,” says Havens. “We don’t want it to be pretentious. We don’t want guests to be scared to ask us questions. It’s about talking to guests and getting them excited about this spirit that’s sometimes a little misunderstood.”

Executive chef Katarina Petonito, an alum of St. Anselm and Kapnos Kouzina in Bethesda, oversees the short menu of finger foods, working out of the shared kitchen where she also services The Duck & the Peach and La Collina. Petonito’s mother’s Filipino roots shine through with the inclusion of lumpia and vegetable fritters. For those seeking something splurgier, caviar service is also available.

Another splurge is the recently launched monthly Gin Society. Each kit includes everything needed to make 6 or 12 cocktails ($98 or $170 a month), as well as a piece of essential cocktail equipment, such as a strainer or jigger. Membership comes with a few other perks, including priority reservations at The Wells.

“This is just scratching the surface,” says Havens, who would like to put together gin flights, host gin-centric classes, and create a reserve list with rarer and more expensive gin varietals.

Reservations are required for a two-hour-ish session, as are proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test. A 22% living wage fee is added to all checks, so no gratuity is necessary.

The Wells is located at 727 C St. SE. Open by reservation only Wednesday and Thursday 5 p.m.-10 p.m.