Maybe vacation days are too tight to go to Bourbon Street for Mardi Gras this year. Enter Service Bar DC, which is morphing into a New Orleans cocktail bar on Fat Tuesday (Feb. 28). It’s the start of the still-new drink den’s plan to showcase a different region every two months.
Expect a cocktail menu replete with classic NoLa recipes like the Sazerac, Vieux Carre, and Ramos Gin Fizz, plus some original drinks from the bartending team that includes co-owner Glendon Hartley and Christine Kim. Such drinks include:
Crescent Sour
Yellow Chartreuse, lemon, salt, egg white, Peychaud Bitters
New Square
Spanish brandy, Sazerac Rye, Benedictine, sweet vermouth, bitters
Beads and Boobies
Cognac, Yellow Chartreuse, golden raisin, citrus, Peychaud Bitters
Additionally, the bar’s so-called “snug room” will feature a cocktail-tasting menu also inspired by the Big Easy. It’s possible to reserve the private room in advance by stopping by in person or emailing Chad@ServiceBarDC.com.
To pair, Service Bar DC’s kitchen will expand beyond its fried-chicken-based menu to serve dishes inspired by Cajun and Creole styles of cooking. Beignets are a very real possibility.
The New Orleans theme will carry through the end of April when a new region will be introduced and new drinks will be introduced every two weeks.
Service Bar DC is open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. weekdays and 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. on weekends.
Service Bar DC, 928 U Street NW; servicebardc.com