The brand new whiskey bar at DCity Smokehouse. {Photograph} by Deb Lindsey.
SouthEast Restaurant Group enterprise companions Melvin Hines and Charese John have liked whiskey since their school days. “He was Jack and coke, I used to be Jack and ginger,” John says. So it’s becoming that the 2 are bringing a whiskey bar to the Anacostia location of their beloved barbecue joint, DCity Smokehouse.
The barbecue spot—a by-product of the Northwest DC unique—has lengthy featured whiskey at its catering occasions. By day, it’ll nonetheless serve mostly-takeout barbecue. Beginning on Friday, April 25, the nighttime focus will shift to the bar—additionally open Sundays beginning at midday—although you may nonetheless seize some ‘cue.
“We’ve curated a sort of speakeasy really feel,” says John. “But it surely’s nonetheless meant to be the neighborhood watering gap,” provides cocktail creator Ashley McPherson.
The trio—Hines, John, and McPherson—have curated a various number of whiskey, starting from crowd-pleasers like Johnnie Walker to newer Black-owned labels like Uncle Nearest and Brough Brothers. Hines will commonly showcase his favorites, such because the top-shelf Sinatra Choose. “That’s a Christmas, a New Yr’s drink to carry out,” says John.
The shortlist of cocktails features a “Marion Barry Smash”—DCity Smokehouse sits on Marion Barry Avenue—with bourbon, blackberry, crème de cassis, and mint easy syrup. The “DCity Mambo Bitter,” with selfmade basil lemonade, bourbon, and mumbo sauce (sure, the precise stuff). Urged pairing: wings, clearly. Any drink, even a vodka soda, could be smoked upon request.
The bar plans to host a ladies’s whiskey membership with a month-to-month bourbon choice. “I believe lots of people, particularly ladies particularly, draw back from heavy, darker spirits as a result of there’s such a powerful, heavy chunk to them,” says John. “Ashley and I’ll simply sort of discuss by way of the [featured bourbons] in a female voice, versus generally it will get a bit of masculine.”
The bar can be accessible to lease for occasions like birthdays and group conferences, and Hines and John are hoping that folks will make the most of the house for celebrations. “This place was constructed—all of it was constructed—on celebrating life,” says John.
Hines has lived in Anacostia for 14 years, and opening the bar within the neighborhood, the place there aren’t many areas prefer it, was essential to the trio. “I really feel like Anacostia is the cultural middle of town. However this facet of city is historically left behind by way of improvement,” he says. “We wished to supply one thing you may’t get inside a mile radius.”
