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Finding a drink that screams summer—without it being some frozen monstrosity garnished with a pineapple parrot dressed in flip flops and sunglasses—seems extremely difficult these days. It’s a good thing then that I opted to spend Wednesday afternoon at Circa in Dupont Circle, because I happened upon a fantastic palate-pleasing party in a glass called the “Foggy Bottom.”
Sipping the $9 blend of Citrus vodka, cucumber, rosemary, and house made turbinado simple syrup made the 90-degree day a bit more bearable. Sitting on the patio watching the yuppies hustle and bustle along Connecticut Avenue NW, I half expected to be disappointed with the muddled cucumber concoction that was on its way to my table. At first glance, I was further concerned about the tiny Christmas tree that had sprouted in my cocktail. My first sip washed it all away. The cucumber was a perfectly dainty date for the citrus flavors offered by the vodka, and the rosemary complements turned it into a merry ménage-a-trois that left me smiling and had me ordering a second round.
Admittedly skeptical of anything containing a muddled cuke—I mean, what if a bit of pulp, or a seed became attached to my uvula?—I found that the sweet but not-too-sweet medley of sunshiny characters proves that sometimes the juice is worth the squeeze.
Circa, 1601 Connecticut Ave. NW, (202) 667-1601
Trixie Tamerlane is the author of From The Other Side: Pourings from the Mind of a Bartender
Photo by Trixie Tamerlane