Those Dry Days Are Over: TheListAreYouOnIt.com’s Weekly Roundup of Things to Drink

The winter chill is here, and the drinks are flowing with plenty of festive flavors.  We're diving into DC's buzzing bar scene, where seasonal sips steal the spotlight. From spiced and spirited to rich and cozy, we've got the scoop on winter-inspired cocktails. We’re ready to raise a coup to the season.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Coquito Wars: Serenata presents Coquito Wars 2024 – The Ultimate Coquito Showdown on Monday, February 24, from 6:30 PM to midnight EST at the vibrant La Cosecha located at 1280 4th St NE, Washington, DC 20002. Watch Coquito connoisseurs from across the DMV region battle it out for the People’s Choice Award for Best Coquito of 2025.

Enter the Cherry Blossom Cocktail Competition: Think you know how to make a great cocktail? This is your chance to win. This event is sponsored by OKA BRAND , a family of distinctive Japanese spirits that specialize in unique ingredients and time-honored production methods. OKA blends these traditions with a modern flair across its diverse range of products. Create a cocktail using at least 2oz of Japanese, Oka Brand Spirits or Sakes. The top 3 finalists will be selected and notified by April 2, 2025. Submit here. 

NEW & NOTEWORTHY: 

Duke’s Bamboo Bar: Duke's Grocery's sister restaurant, Duke's Counter in Woodley Park, is going all in for the return of pandas to Washington, D.C. with the introduction of "The Bamboo Bar," a panda-themed pop-up. You can enjoy drinks served in an assortment of panda drinkware furnished with edible garnishes and sustainable bamboo straws, with alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, as well as hot beverages, and kid- friendly offerings. Featured drinks include the “Panda-Colada”, a piña colada riff made with silver rum, coconut, and pineapple, topped with chocolate shavings, served in a tall panda-branded glass with green bamboo straws, the “Bao-zy Hot Chocolate”, a hot chocolate with amaretto, cayenne, and cinnamon, served in a color-changing panda mug, and more. More info here. 

RdV Has a New Hospitality Director: Rdv welcomes Jeff Turok as our new Hospitality Director. With a deep passion for wine and an impressive background, Jeff is a fantastic addition to the RdV family. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and an Advanced Sommelier, Jeff is one of just 26 recipients of the esteemed Leslie Rudd Award for Advanced Sommeliers worldwide. Before joining RdV, he led the celebrated wine program at Congressional Country Club and honed his expertise with the prestigious Union Square Hospitality Group. 2550 Delaplane Grade Rd,  Delaplane, VA; 

This Happy Hour Starts at 3 PM (Happy Hour Alert) : Corso Italian in Shirlington is launching a brand new happy hour on Monday, February 3rd.  Now 3 - 7 PM, seven days a week! (Only at the bar.)Get deals on hh bites, beers, wines and cocktails. 4024 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, Virginia 22206; corsoitalian.com

2025 Churchkey Beer Academy: The ChurchKey 2025 Beer Academy is a quarterly guided tasting and class program curated by Beverage Director Greg Engert. With four 1.5-hour classes throughout the year, each session is accompanied by eight carefully selected bottles and cans that tie into the course’s theme.As a member, you’ll also enjoy i perks like 10% off ChurchKey's Advent Box offering and Bluejacket's Officers' Club. You'll also get early access to and 10% off of annual beer dinners and tastings, as well as special events like Snallygaster. Join here. 

This Makes Us Happy (Happy Hour Alert): Cozy up in acclaimed Chef Jeremiah Langhorne’s The Dabney Cellar for $24 cellar combo pairings featuring half Dozen Oysters with a glass of wine or a cocktail. 1222 9th Street; thedabneycellar.com

Putting the Club in Wine Club: Tail Up Goat & Reveler's Hour are both featuring exciting dry January offerings like the - Xiao Ye's Salted Yuzu Lemonade, Chicha Chilcano (a playful riff on Peru's national cocktail proudly featuring the chicha morada - purple corn-based punch), and many more. Get a reservation here. 

Ski Lodge Cocktails: Show of Hands has new Alpine-inspired holiday cocktail menu. Step into a snowy, pine-covered wonderland as the Show of Hands bar transforms into a warm, winter retreat for one festive night. Indulge in eight handcrafted cocktails designed to transport you straight to the Alps, featuring flavors like Scotch, alpine liqueurs, and warm spices. Cocktails include the Spruce with the Fir - Reposado, Alpine Amaro, Coconut Cream, Lime; Federal Snowday - Pear Brandy, Alta Verde, Lime; and more. 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue; theroostsedc.com

NOT NEW, BUT NOTEWORTHY: 

How Precious:  Atlas Brew Works is celebrating their new release, The Precious One. The apricot-infused IPA will be available in all three taprooms and throughout the market on Saturday, February 1. 1201 Half Street SE; atlasbrewworks.com

LTO Flight: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams has created a new Sugar Plum Brittle Parfait. Bringing you the Sugar Plum Fairy in delicious ice cream dessert form, this one is all about the jam. Specifically: a vibrant, puckery plum jam that’s as gorgeous as it is delicious. Paired with Brown Butter Almond Brittle and Pistachio Macaron, it tastes like a nutty, buttery, sweet-tart jam cookie. jenis.com

Happy Hour is All Set (Happy Hour Alert): All Set Restaurant and Bar, the contemporary New-England inspired restaurant has extended Happy Hour in the restaurant’s bar and lounge area Mondays through Saturdays from 3PM until close (9PM Monday through Thursday, 10PM Friday & Saturday), and offering Happy Hourthroughout the entire restaurant from 3PM to 6PM Mondays through Saturdays. All Set’s updated Happy Hour menu also features specialty cocktail options available for $10, in addition to a selection of classic cocktails available for $7. The bar serves up vodka-based cocktails including The Provincetown with cranberry-infused vodka, cucumber, basil, and mint, and the Boston Tea Party made with tea-infused vodka and lemonade. 8630 Fenton St; allsetrestaurant.com

Make Mine a Mini: All-Purpose Shaw has shrunk its popular freezer Gin Martini, Black Manhattan, and Negroni cocktails to offer half-sized portions during happy hour, available Monday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. and Sunday all night long at the bar only. All mini cocktails are just $6 and include: Mini Gini with Old Tom Gin, Dolin Dry, Dolin Blanc Mini Black Manhattan with Rye, Averna, Sweet Vermouth; and Mini 'Groni with Gin, Campari, Sweet Vermouth. 1250 9th St. NW; allpurposedc.com