Published Feb 9, 2025
With the help of social media crowd-sourcing, here’s a listing of ten of DC’s iconic cocktails on menus today. This doesn’t mean the best cocktails but ones that spots are known for.

Pics by Barred in DC unless otherwise stated. Ingredients italicized if Barred in DC never imbibed.

The Green Zone – Mint Lemonade

$15. Fresh mint, lemon, and blended frostiness with vodka, gin, or rum

The Round Robin Bar at the Willard – Mint Julep

$26. Woodinville “Willard InterContinental” Bourbon, Mint, Turbinado Sugar

Cotton & Reed – Cocomotion

$14. White Rum, Coconut, Piña, Pandan, frozen

Busboys and Poets – DC Tap Water

$11. Vodka, Peach Schnapps, Blue Curaçao, Black Razz, Pineapple Juice, Sour Mix, Starry

Lauriol Plaza/Cactus Cantina – Swirl margaritas

$11, $29/half pitcher, $57.50 pitcher. frozen lime + strawberry margaritas. On special Monday’s at Lauriol Plaza

Little Miss Whiskey – Awesomeness

$10 or $11?. Peach sweet tea slushee (possibly peach schnapps & sweet tea vodka?)

Dan’s Cafe – Squeeze/Squirt Bottles

~$27 including $5 deposit. Anything you want in 16 oz squeeze bottles (200 ml or 6.8 oz of liquor/cocktail)

El Presidente – Wolf Spritzer

$15. aperol, mezcal, lemon, cava

Capo Deli – Fauci Pouchy (now called The Original Capo Cooler)

$14. vodka, elderflower, capo mint lemonade, grapefruit

Stan’s – The Obama

$18.75. all flavors of Ciroq + pineapple juice. Stan’s classic style (one glass with liquor and one carafe of pineapple juice)

Others mentioned

Oyamel (Salt Foam Margarita), All Souls (No. 2 or The All Souls), Showtime (Dreamsicle), 801 (Giant Mule), The Salt Line (Frozen Del’s shandy) , Lyman’s Tavern (crushes), Jack Rose (Manhattan), Snappy’s (Frozen Irish Coffee drink), Electric Cool-Aid (Disney on Ice), TikiTnt (Rum in Coke), Walter’s (Painkiller), Jimmy Valentine’s (Mr. Lethal)

DC’s Official Cocktail

Rickey is DC”s official cocktail (bourbon version originated in 1880s at a bar at the site of current JW Marriott hotel at 14th and E NW). Not sure if any spot in DC has an iconic gin rickey though today.

Other iconic cocktails originated in DC:

Adam Bernbach (Bar Pilar) Darkside cocktail

Derek Brown (The Columbia Room) The Getaway