A Jigger of Blog

Last night I went to the bar at Bourbon Steak in the Georgetown Four Seasons for the first time. Kevin Diedrich, formerly of Bourbon & Branch, is now running the bar program there and Derek Brown of The Gibson had highly recommended that I stop by.

Kerouac Cocktail

I didn’t sit at the bar, which was packed with a lot of loud businessmen, but got a table in the lounge area. I primarily came for dinner, so I didn’t get to really delve into the fairly expansive cocktail menu. I did get to try two great drinks named for great American writers: the Kerouac Cocktail and the Hemingway Daiquiri.

Diedrich’s Kerouac is made with Partida Reposado tequila, Aperol, fresh grapefruit juice, Cointreau, fresh lemon juice, and agave nectar. It was garnished with the longest, thinnest orange peel I’ve ever seen. It was a fantastic drink, with the grapefruit and lemon juices balancing well with the bitter orange from the Aperol and sweet orange from the Cointreau. The tequila works great with the citrus and I’m also a fan of the tequila and potable orange bitters combination (the Rosita comes to mind).

I had actually planned on ordering another original cocktail after the Keroauc, but it seemed so fitting to follow one writer with another, so I went with the Papa Doble, aka Hemingway Daiquiri. It’s a great cocktail, famed for being the creation of Ernest Hemingway. It’s made with rhum agricole, maraschino, grapefruit juice, and lime juice. The Bourbon Steak menu didn’t mention the inclusion of any sugar or syrup, which worked great for me, as I like the drink a bit tart and find the sweetness from the juice to be sufficient for my tastes. This was also Hemingway’s preferred way to have his daiquiri.

I look forward to going  back to Bourbon Steak, hopefully at a time when it isn’t so loud and crowded, and getting a seat at the bar. The menu has many more drinks that I didn’t get to try and I’m excited about having another great cocktail bartender in DC.