DC has had a lot to brag about regarding our noteworthy achievements in the dining scene this year . But somehow , our drinks vista actually manage to get even more telling this year , as well . The city ’s cocktail dynasty is n’t just keep pace with our notably prospering dining scenery – it ’s pull in its own as glowing and well - merit reputation .
Choosing leaders from a camp of superstars was no easy feat , but these four movers and ( literal ) shakers have entrust their mark on the city ’s drink culture this yr . They ’ve impart fresh spirit to the mix , hone the graphics of cocktail making , and fake new paths in strong drink entrepreneurship . Their honour talk for themselves – so without further ado , here are DC ’s barkeeper of the year .
Megan Barnes
Espita Mezcaleria
Mezcal , the smoky , oft - misunderstood Mexican agave spirit , was in desperate need of a whiz in the DC region , and that star is Megan Barnes . As the beverage director at Espita Mezcaleria , Barnes is tasked with make mezcal approachable and gratifying for diners and imbiber who may not have ever tried it before . Within the walls of her mezcal mecca , she can teach even the most effected agave nut something new about thebeloved spirit . We interviewed Megan Barnes about her striking year ( and mezcal , of row ) .
JP Fetherston
Columbia Room
consider his two maestro ’s degrees in account , you could say JP Fetherston call for an academic approaching to bartending . He ’s not only the head bartender at the new reopen Columbia Room , but he also oversees all the breeding and educational curriculum for the bar ’s parent fellowship , Drink Company , which owns Southern Efficiency , Eat the Rich , and Mockingbird Hill . He ’s a partner in the company , along with streak celebs Derek Brown and Angie Fetherston . Before conduce the reopening of Columbia Room , Fetherston was the bar manager at Southern Efficiency , which earn multiple accolades during his tenure . Make no error : JP uses his learned powers for good . He ’s the farthermost affair from a hard drink prig , though he could easily flaunt his 27 - distillery bike tour of Scotland while mixing you a stiff Scotch whiskey beverage . Even being named one ofFood & Winemagazine ’s " Best New Mixologists " this year did n’t go to his straits . Behind the bar in the smack elbow room , Fetherston seriously shares the weird and fantastic tales of inspiration and tradition behind each meticulously craft cocktail . We interviewed JP Fetherston about Columbia Room and the chop-chop changing DC cocktail scene .
Tim Prendergast
ANXO Cidery & Pintxos Bar
The DC booze roll has made way for a few fresh big businessman players this year , and one of the most exciting neophyte is cider . That ’s for the most part thanks to Tim Prendergast , the drink director at ANXO Cidery & Pintxos Bar . When ANXO open up in July , it made DC history – not just as the first cider legal community , but also as the city ’s first wine maker . Prendergast and his team did n’t stop there , though ; ANXO has a truly telling selection of traditional ciders , and a draft system so complicated it ’ll make your head whirl . Prendergast designed the system to turn in 24 ciders by the glass at the optimal level of carbonation and temperature ( 48 degrees , if you ’re wondering).In add-on to his handiwork , Prendergast also spent months doing research to devise the DC boozing scene for the arrival of cider . He categorized the ciders on ANXO ’s menu ( burnished , structured , fruit - forward , and countrified ) to demystify the flavors and make traditional cider styles more approachable to uninitiated roof of the mouth . He drop a line a 30 - page staff breeding manual on the history , science , production , and serving of cyder ( which will be write as a playscript next year ) . Then there ’s the actual cyder making : ANXO has join forces on seven dissimilar ciders with renowned US cider makers , and they ’re currently litigate this year ’s Malus pumila harvest for the first hatful of cider that ’s exclusively theirs . Next year , they plan to open a cyder production facility . spill the beans about a full dental plate . We interviewed Tim Prendergast about making wine-colored from apples , among other things .
Carlie Steiner
Himitsu; Stir Bartending Co; RedEye Menus
After getting burn by the cocktail hemipteran at José Andrés ’ barmini , Carlie Steiner embraced her entrepreneurial spirit ( pun intended ) and started Stir Bartending Co. in 2015 . Through Stir , Steiner hosts individual events and classes , as well as offers consulting for area restaurant , include Indique , Timber Pizza Co , and Bullfrog Bagels . In addition , Steiner and fellow sherry devotees Chantal Tseng and Holly Barzyk launched RedEye Menus , a supper guild that married sherry wine with the feeling of Asian cuisine . Steiner has also host quirky pop - ups for Tseng at Petworth Citizen and Reading Room , playing off motif like Mean Girls , Nickelodeon in the ‘ 90s , and more . Now , she ’s breaking new terra firma with a eatery of her own . Along with Kevin Tien , Steiner opened Himitsu in early November . The concept will have new Nipponese culinary art and , of course , Steiner ’s playful and inventive cocktails . Since she ’s a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America , Steiner also be after to turn over the tables on traditional dining roles : She ’ll produce one food for thought bag , and her partner will make one cocktail . We question Carlie Steiner about her singular career – and what ’s on the horizon .
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Columbia Room|Brian Oh/Thrillist
Courtesy of Megan Barnes
Courtesy of JP Fetherston
Farrah Skeiky
Farrah Skeiky
