We know D.C. Get our free newsletter to stay in the know.
Bartenders have a knack for one-upping each other with weirder, more ridiculous drinking gimmicks. Blame it on all that booze, but it seems no ingredient or concept is off limits. We’ve rated these trends on a scale of quirky to utterly absurd, represented by the number of curly bartender mustaches. (More mustaches equals more ridiculous.)
Lip Balm Pairings
Where: Trummer’s on Main, 7134 Main St., Clifton, Va.
Huh? Homemade lip balms are paired with cocktails to enhance the flavors. Current pairings include a strawberry cocktail with basil lip balm and the Hemingway cocktail with mint lip balm.
Rating:





Dumpling Shooters
Where: Chaplin’s Restaurant & Bar, 1501 9th St. NW
Huh? Instead of oysters, the restaurant floats dumplings in booze. A pork-filled wrapper is paired with Japanese whiskey and lemon, while a shrimp variety accompanies a gin drink.
Rating:




Ice Cream Luge
Where: Pop’s SeaBar, 1817 Columbia Road NW
Huh? Using their tongues or a small spoon, guests carve a channel into a mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich, then pour a shot of amaro from one end into their months.
Rating:




Real Bloody Mary
Where: Range, 5335 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Suite 201
Huh? This literal translation of a bloody mary comes with pig’s blood consommé. It looks like iced tea.
Rating:



The Stepdad
Where: Bar Charley, 1825 18th St. NW
Huh? After blowtorching a cedar plank, a bartender turns a glass upside down to trap the smoke, then fills it with a big ice cube and a mix of cognac, cynar, and tobacco bitters—for $18.
Rating:



Cotton Candy Old Fashioned
Where: Barmini, 855 E St. NW
Huh? The whiskey drink is poured over a fluff of angostura bitters-flavored cotton candy, dissolving it into the liquid.
Rating:


Teapot Punch
Where: Soi 38, 2101 L St. NW
Read more Food stories
Huh? The Emperor’s Punch ($35 for two to four people) includes whiskey, lemon, tamarind syrup, Thai herbal tea, and chili bitters served in a teapot.
Rating:

This isn't a paywall.
We don't have one. Readers like you keep our work free for everyone to read. If you think that it's important to have high quality local reporting we hope you'll support our work with a monthly contribution.