Stay warm this winter…head outside to Poste’s new seasonal hotspot.
By Kelly A. Magyarics
Poste's patio is the site for a new winter cocktail bar.
It’s January in D.C., which means you may think your chances for a libation al fresco are slim to none. But Poste (555 8th Street NW, 202.783.6060) in Penn Quarter appeals to the cocktail lover who’s not afraid of little nip in the air. The bar and brasserie, adjacent to the Hotel Monaco, has a new winter courtyard bar featuring thoughtful piles of cozy blankets to use to snuggle up close to someone, warming patio heaters and crackling fire pits. Chef Dennis Marron has whipped together a small but fun menu of winter warmers like Virginia Apple and Parsnip Bisque with Duck Confit and Cinnamon Crème Fraîche, gruyère gougères, and an assortment of hand-cut frites. Guests can also indulge in S’mores Fondue, with melted milk chocolate with graham crackers and marshmallows; Classic Cheese Fondue, where melted comté cheese is served with cubed bread, apples and sausage; and Dark Chocolate Fondue served with fruit.
Of course, Sommelier Daniel Lobsenz and Lead Bartender Jason Wiles mix up both cold and warm beverages to wrap your hands around, like the classic Old Tom gin based Martinez, and the smoky, bacon Bourbon-infused This Little Piggy with spicy cayenne chocolate, milk and toasted marshmallow–definitely a grown-up version of hot chocolate.
Here is the full winter patio cocktail menu:
Warm Cocktails:
- This Little Piggy: Bacon-infused Bulleit bourbon, spicy cayenne chocolate, milk, toasted marshmallow
- I Can’t Believe It’s Not Buttered Rum: Bacardi Select, compound butterscotch, gingerbread
- Mull This Over: Red wine, Port, almond, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise
- Roy Toddy: Dewar’s Scotch, Allspice Dram, Drambuie, Earl Grey tea
- Classic Toddy: Germain-Robin brandy, lemon, honey, cloves
- Mother’s Warmth: Mulled apple cider, Pyrat Rum, brandied cranberries
Cold Cocktails:
- Sazer-Sanquin: High West Rye, Vieux Carré Absinthe, blood orange, Peychaud’s Bitters
- Flip You For Real: Maker’s Mark, apple cider, caramel, whole egg
- 51st State (Coquito): Bacardi, coconut milk, egg, milk, clove, cinnamon
(FYI, Poste also released a brand new cocktail list for inside as well, including pre- and post-Prohibition sips. Jason shared with me the recipe for the Washington Mule, his take on the Moscow Mule, a cocktail that started the vodka craze in the 1940s. The addition of apple in three forms: cider, bitters and vinegar lends a fall/winter vibe to the ginger and vodka libation.)
Vodka, apple and ginger based Washington Mule cocktail at Poste.
Washington Mule
Courtesy of Jason Wiles, Poste Brasserie, Washington, DC
1 ½ oz. Hangar One vodka
½ oz. apple cider
3 dashes Bar Code Baked Apple Bitters (order online. You can substitute another flavor of bitters (like lemon), but it will alter the flavor a bit)
1 dash apple cider vinegar
Fentiman’s Ginger Beer
Lemon wedge, for garnish
Add first three ingredients to a highball glass filled with ice. Top with ginger beer, and garnish with a lemon wedge.
Kelly Magyarics is a wine and spirits writer, and wine educator, in the Washington, D.C. area. She can be reached through her website, www.kellymagyarics.com, or on www.twitter.com/kmagyarics.
