D.C. Is Obsessed With These Nightlife Trends

Ten years ago (or at least that time you interned here for Congressman Soundbite), D.C.’s warm-weather nightlife probably meant happy-hour drinks at a packed-to-the-wood paneling K Street bar or grooving to a band at the 9:30 Club. You can still do those things, but a bar cart’s worth of new after-five trends offer more ways to spend summer nights in the capital. From serene and healthful (mocktails, anyone?) to downright medieval (ax throwing, yes really), here are a trio of activities we’ll raise a glass to.

Columbia Room

©Scott Suchman

NO-BOOZE BAR DRINKS

“When I first moved to Washington, D.C., in 2017, I was overwhelmed by how much alcohol fueled the city,” says Nikki Blank, founder of local Sip City Switchel (www.sipcitydc.com). Switchel, a fizzy blend of apple cider vinegar, ginger, honey and citrus, has been around since colonial times (ancient Greeks gulped it, too). Blank updated it for modern palates via ingredients like turmeric and pomegranate. While the quaff can be mixed into cocktails, spots like Petworth Japanese temple Himitsu (828 Upshur St. NW, www.himitsudc.com) and The Line Hotel (1770 Euclid St. NW, www.thelinedc.com) pour switchel as mocktails.

Those spots are among a rising number of drinking dens that are slinging more non-alcoholic highballs these days, driven both by health-conscious millennials and the popularity of non-hoochy drinks like kombuchas, shrubs and tonics. Local chain Circa Bistro (www.circabistros. com) puts out a Grapefruit Rose Fizz (bubbly citrus, simple syrup and rosemary). Celebrated mixologist Derek Brown’s “No Proof” menu at the Columbia Room (124 Blagden Alley NW, www.columbiaroomdc.com) uses tinctures, bitters, juices and wild ingredients like aquafaba (chickpea liquid!) to conjure cocktails with a punch, if not a buzz. “Just don’t call them mocktails,” says Brown. “It’s a misnomer that suggests you aren’t getting something good.”

12 Stories

©Anna Meyer

ROOFTOPS ON STEROIDS

It’s the law: Washington buildings must be shorter than the top of the U.S. Capitol. What might be bad for growth advocates is a boon for rooftop bars, which boast stellar views (monuments, the aforementioned dome) and European vibes. The latest high-minded lounges include Wild Days (1201 K St. NW, www.wild-days-dc. com), a snug indoor-outdoor bôite at the hip Eaton Hotel downtown for DJ spins, tacos and highballs, and the aptly named 12 Stories (75 District Square SW, www.12storiesdc.com) capping the InterContinental Hotel at The Wharf. The latter, a plush indoor/outdoor perch for fresh oysters and house cocktails like the Blue Velvet (tequila, blueberry and lemon juices) stars 13-foot-tall windows with water vistas. ““I’ve taken in that magnificent view, and I’ve come to appreciate even more deeply what makes this city so special,” says Scott Gerber, principal and CEO of Gerber Group, the company who created the bar. And in red-hot restaurant zone Logan Circle, the new Skybox (a part of the Players Club bar, 1400 14th St. NW, www.playersclubdc. com) boasts retro décor, picnic tables and sweeping city views from the seventh floor. Which hey, is pretty high for the nation’s capital.

Bad Axe Throwing

Courtesy Bad Axe Throwing

HATCHET JOBS

Ax throwing, once the fodder of lumberjacks and renaissance fest goers, now headlines at two local entertainment venues. Just hold the surprisingly light hatchets like basement bats, then throw them like soccer balls at a target in an attempt at “Game of Thrones”-style action. Punnily named indoor spots to work out aggression include Bad Axe in Northeast (2419 Evarts St. NE, www. badaxethrowing.com) and Kraken Axes (840 E St. NW, www.krakenaxes.com) in Penn Quarter. Both offer drop-in or group throwing sessions, and coaches keep things safe. No booze or food are served at either location (maybe a good thing?), but you can bring your own snacks. “When the axes hit the wall, they make a really satisfying thud,” says local suit designer Sim Kahn, who recently hurled a few rounds at Kraken with a client. “I felt like Thor, or maybe, since I was in a suit, Patrick Bateman. It was wholesome and fun.”