Press Club. 1506 19th St., NW.
Two bartenders with Michelin-starred resumes are opening a subterranean cocktail lounge and vinyl record bar in Dupont Circle. Will Patton is the beverage director for Hive Hospitality, the group behind chef Ryan Ratino’s fine-dining Jônt and Bresca. And DC native Devin Kennedy has spent the past eight years in New York, working at top spots like (now-closed) Pouring Ribbons and Cote. Once “frenemies” on the cocktail competition circuit, the duo are combining forces on the new music-centric bar, set to open in early November.
The menu is styled like a vinyl record with an a la carte “track list” of up to a dozen cocktails, plus a curated “play list” tasting, including four drinks and a few nibbles. Their actual collection of vinyl—spanning from ’70s disco to ’90s rap with some new wave, classic rock, and more in between—will also be a big component of the bar experience. Rather than a DJ mixing tracks, the owners will play full LPs, start to finish. “Our bread and butter is finding those ‘no-skip albums.’ Something that’s as good from front to back,” Kennedy says. “You should be hearing something different every day.”
One of Patton and Kennedy’s favorites on the opening menu is “In a Cadillac”—a set of dueling martinis named after an Outkast song. The bartenders had each created a martini meant for the menu—they decided to serve miniature versions of the drinks together and let customers decide which is better. Patton’s rendition, made with Japanese vodka, sake, and shiso-lime-leaf bitters, leans floral and umami. Kennedy’s version is a little more “boisterous” and citrusy, with gin, sherry, and grapefruit. A side of Marcona almonds with lime zest ties the drinks together.
Kennedy says the cocktails generally fall into two categories: bright, refreshing, and crushable or boozier and complex. In the latter category is a white negroni dubbed “Imaginary Players” with sochu, gin, blanc vermouth, strawberry sherry, and a raspberry eau de vie. A strawberry “paint” in the glass adds a swipe of color and flavor. Patton describes another drink called “Nights Over Egypt” as a deconstructed New York sour “rebuilt back together to taste like and look like a parfait.” Bourbon and Calvados are washed with yogurt and seasonal fruit syrup, then shaken up with Boredeaux and more fruit syrup (strawberry in summer, plums in fall). The frothy drink is served with a granola cookie, just as you would have granola on a parfait. (About half the drinks come with a bite on the side.)
A four-drink tasting menu ($95) will change about every two months and draw inspiration from a different album—whether it’s Prince, Depeche Mode, or Frank Ocean. It will focus on more hyper-seasonal ingredients and lesser-seen spirits or techniques the bartenders want to play around with. Still, none of the cocktails are overly showy in terms of smoke, foams, and other TikTok bait. That said, Patton describes himself as a “glassware nerd” and has assembled a collection of unique vessels, including some handmade in Japan and others custom-made by DC-based ceramicist Material Things. In fact, the bar will be lined with glassware rather than bottles.
Hive Hospitality will prepare an izakaya-style food menu, including a selection of tempura or a katsu sandwich. On the splurgier side: a cheffed up version of Outback Steakhouse’s bloomin’ onion—with ranch and a side of caviar.
The name Press Club references both how vinyl is pressed and the way fruit is pressed to make brandy or other cocktail ingredients. And yes, it’s also a nod to DC via one of its big industries: the news press. (As for potential confusion with the National Press Club? “We had lawyers check it out. We’re good,” Patton says. “We’re not the only Press Club bar in the world.”)
In fact, there will be a riff off a real cocktail called the “Journalist,” which they’re thinking of naming “Meet the Press.” It will be discounted and offered “off the record” (off-menu) exclusively to members of the media (or really, to anyone who claims to be a member of the media since they’re not going to check any press credentials).
“If you’re a journalist, you get a special cocktail at a very cheap price,” Patton says.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
