Behind the Bar: Aaron Irwin / Courthaus Social

If you live and drink in Arlington, you probably already know Courthaus Social, its spacious  (dog friendly!) patio, and killer beer selection. You may have spent an evening learning about and enjoying the many craft beers on their menu. But did you know they also have a great cocktail program thanks to industry veteran and mixology heavy hitter Aaron Irwin?

Tell us about yourself…
My name is Aaron Irwin, and I’m the Beverage Director/Bar Manager at Courthaus Social. I’ve been bartending for over 20 years, but sort of fell into it. Once upon a time I was waiting tables and our restaurant’s bartender was a no show. I was put behind the bar for a shift and I’ve been there ever since. 

What do you like to drink?
I am a big fan of Bourbons and whiskeys. My favorite classic cocktail would have to be a Manhattan. I tend to stay away from the less than tasty spirits. 

Tell us about your bar...
We call Courthaus Social an “American Beer Garden.” The concept for the restaurant was borrowed from the traditional German Beer Garden. Lots of space, lots of beers, and a relaxed vibe. Being in Arlington, we see a lot of young working professionals, singles, and families, and Courthaus is set up so they can all have a good time here. 

This really is a great place to work and to make drinks. We have a fantastic staff and the variety of beer, wine, and spirits we carry, along with our menu that includes the Reuben Rolls, which won Best App for Taste of Arlington and our fan favorite, the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. Not to be too cliché, but every night is a good night here thanks to the great guests who come in. Interacting with them, getting to know them, and exposing them to new beers and cocktails is a really fun part of the job.

The Courthaus Mule

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Belle Isle Honey Habanero
• ½ oz. Laird’s Applejack Brandy
• 1 oz. fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
• 1 oz. fresh lime juice
• ½ oz. honey syrup
• 2 oz. Gosling’s Ginger Beer

Preparation:

Combine Honey Habanero, brandy, juice, and syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a Mule Mug and top with ginger beer. Add lime wheel for garnish.

Behind the Bar: Phil Boyle / Greenleaf's Pool Room

It’s impossible to pass the corner of East Franklin and 5th and not see the vast expanses of green felt beckoning from inside Greenleaf’s Pool Room. Owner and real life pool shark “Carpet” Jim Gottier has created a space that both harkens back to the golden days of the pool hall while elevating the game to its proper place in the 21st century by incorporating a sophisticated yet accessible lunch and dinner menu with a top-notch craft cocktail program.

On a recent visit to Greenleaf’s we got a chance to chat with Jim who gave us a few much needed tips on our game and talked to us more about the history and culture of the game he’s dedicated his life - and his establishment too. Meanwhile, Phil Boyle, Greenleaf’s Head Bartender, mixed up a few rounds of cocktails inspired by one of the great pool players.

How did you get into bartending?
My first bar gig was at Wonderland(!) in 2005, so just over 11years. I had been working in restaurants and Hotels for about 5 years, when Chad who was a friend and favorite bartender, called up one day asking if I would want to work for him at Wonderland, which had opened in December of the prior year. I jumped at the opportunity because I had always had a great respect for those behind the bar and was lucky to learn from one of Richmond’s greats. 

What’s your favorite thing to drink?
I went through lots of ‘phases’ as a drinker. Dirty Martinis back in the day. I used to be a sucker for a proper Manhattan before dinner. A Hoppy IPA paired with a single malt scotch after work. Just about anything Mattias Haglund put in front of me. Likewise with the amazing bar staff at Saison! Back in the day, Van Gogh double espresso Vodka-that was my guiltiest pleasure. 

These days if I’m sipping on anything at work, it’s usually a Mexican Coke with a jigger of Orgeat added—cuz Restaurant people can’t just drink normal things!

What’s the vibe/atmosphere at your bar?
Greenleaf’s is like many Richmond places in that each night has its own vibe. During the week it’s pretty chill with a lot of neighborhood regulars. Weekends the cool kids come out either pre-gaming it or to shoot some pool after dinner or with a group of friends, so it’s busy, loud and hyper. Lots of turnover between the bar and the pool tables, so we do our best to make an impression and educate everyone on the cocktails as much as possible in a brief amount of time. 

What’s the neighborhood like?
We’re located at the bottom of the Hotel John Marshall-which is now full of Graduate and Medical students as well as young professionals, much like the other converted buildings in the neighborhood. Pasture, Julep’s and Rappahannock are only a few blocks away, as well as stalwarts like Capital Ale House and Penny Lane Pub and some new additions like Belle and James and the Kabana rooftop bar which just opened. It’s quickly becoming a new destination area to have a great meal, drinks and enjoy some activities all within a 5block radius. 

What makes your bar unique?
The slate bar! Our owner(s?) Jim and Andrea put a great deal of thought and design into this space and my favorite is the repatriated slate from old pool tables to a bar top

What’s your favorite part about working there?
Everyone says the people, right? Well, I have to agree, and we have great customers, but will add that the Motley Crue of a staff that we have is what makes my nights enjoyable. We have people from all over the states, with all sorts of backgrounds, From Jim and Andrea on down. When you truly love the people you work with and trust them wholeheartedly, there’s nothing that can happen during the course of a service that you can’t handle.

What’s a good night look like for you? What are people ordering?
Good nights come often. The customers are curious and easily engaged and in the mood for something different. Since the bar crowd is usually one round and done or to a pool table, it’s our job at the bar to make a first great impression for the Pool Room. I’ll make everyone something they want-assuming we have the ingredients-and do my best to put forth our vibe of an Upscale Pool Room. 

Fridays and Saturday nights our the big nights here and I’ll probably make 50 Old Fashioneds if I’m working the service side of the bar. Lots of classic cocktails on those nights as well as some of our original creations. I really enjoy the variety of those nights where I can make anything from a Negroni with Cynar to a Fernetaboutit to a House Paloma. 

What’s your favorite menu item / cocktail pairing?
I find myself often recommending our House Made Deviled Eggs paired with a Rye Old Fashioned. It sounds weird, I know, but it’s a fantastic combination!

Can you share a Belle Isle creation with us? What inspired it?
We have a lot of fun at Greenleaf's naming our drinks in tribute to pool's lore. Famous historic players, obscure, all but lost to history hustlers, and (of course) long gone Richmond pool halls all find their way onto our menu. Our Belle Isle cocktail is called the "Jersey Red" after Jack Breit, a legendary pool hustler, big money player, and all around cool guy whom I got to see toward the end of his best years in the early 70's.

The staff had a run a couple months ago on Aperol cocktails, so when we first got wind of the Ruby Red Grapefruit Belle Isle, that was one of the first pairings that popped into my head. It being springtime right now and with the resurgence of interest in those types of refreshing Italian cordial drinks, we decided to play around with a variation on the Intro to Aperol. 

The Jersey Red

Ingredients

• 1 oz Belle Isle Ruby Red Grapefruit Moonshine
• 1 oz Aperol
• ½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 dash Angostura Bitters

Preparation
Build in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake and strain into a chilled rocks glass, add ice, garnish with a grapefruit twist

Recipe by Phil Boyle of Greenleaf's Pool Room

Photos by Alexander Kreher

Happy Hour With Blanchard’s Coffee Roasting Company

Blanchard’s Coffee Roasting Co. was founded by David Blanchard in January of 2005. Passionate about great coffee, David saw a need for more of it in Richmond. He started the business by selling his wife’s graduation present - a Toyota 4Runner - to buy a small Ambex coffee roaster and set up in his dad’s garage. His coffee soon got some good press and was picked up by Ukrop's, and the company has been growing ever since. We recently visited Blanchard's ten-person team at the company's Westwood Ave roasting lab where Director of Marketing Stephen Robertson treated us to a tour and some seriously tasty coffee.

What do you do and why?
Blanchard’s is a wholesale craft coffee roaster. We roast thoughtfully sourced coffees from around the world for brewers, retailers, and coffee enthusiasts throughout the U.S. Our goal is to create a vibrant and resilient connection from farm to cup that honors the best qualities of each coffee we roast - and then give each of our customers, from coffee shops to individual brewers, the education and tools they need to brew a great cup of coffee every single time.

Tell us about your space.
We moved into 1903 Westwood Avenue in November of 2015 - our third production space since the company began. For the first time, we were able to plan, design, and build a space that is perfectly suited for our daily production, our client training, and our thriving event schedule.

An open warehouse area houses our two production roasters and sample roaster, as well as our green coffee storage and packaging line. At the head of our production space, we have built a welcoming retail space for walk-in bean customers and visitor welcome. Attached to the open warehouse space is our 1000 sq/ft Training Lab and event space where we have two full coffee shop equipment packages set up in a classroom space to host our existing and potential clients for training, as well as hosting events, both related to coffee and not.

The best part about our space is the abundance of large windows to let in great sunlight and keep the space feeling large and open, even when there are a lot of people inside.
Outside of normal production, we host regular events and guests in our space. Even if only loosely connected to coffee. We strive to create community in everything we do - community that is built on a foundation of good people and good coffee.

If your company was a cocktail, what would the ingredients be?
Tough question. My first inclination would be to say that we are a well aged whiskey, served neat, in a familiar glass and a comfortable chair. We always try to take the pretense out of great coffee. There is a lot of science and artistry in what we do, and we put a lot of passion and experience into roasting the coffee you drink, but most people don’t want to have all that forced down their throat - they just want a great cup of coffee. A warming, soft, smoky whiskey feels to me the way I want people to feel when they open a bag of our coffee.

What does your company do “off the clock?”
We all have our own personal vibe outside of work - but we share a lot of loves as well. Music is a big part of our company culture, both on and off the clock. We always end up seeing each other at shows, or sometimes going together. We all appreciate great food, and most of us are animal lovers of some sort. 

As a company, we try to have some good outings as often as possible - whether it is a baseball game, company trip, dinner out - we all share a great deal of respect for each other.

What’s on your bar?
We don’t keep a full bar, but we often have gifted bar components. So right now, we have a few Belle Isle bottles hiding out. We have lots of friends in the beer world - so there is always a case or two of various beer in our cooler, hiding out with kegs of Hair of the Dog Cold Brew. We also have a strong appreciation for cheap American lager - so you’ll rarely find a time when there isn’t a case of Miller Lite or Coors Lite laying around - that really is the perfect end to a long production day around a hot coffee roaster.

I’m pretty sure if we kept a bottle of bourbon around the office, we’d never get anything done.

Photos by Alexander Kreher

Behind the Bar: Kelsey Ibarrientos / Bellytimber

Since 2010 Bellytimber has held down the corner of Main and Plum serving up brick-oven pizzas, amazing, virtually irresistible wings, and a wide range of other tasty menu items that emphasize local ingredients and big flavors. Famous for its Mug Club and long-running trivia nights, Bellytimber is also a place you can catch a DJ set most Friday and Saturday nights to dance off some of that pizza. And we haven’t even gotten to their regularly rotating roster of craft beers and, under the guidance of Kelsey Ibarrientos and her team, a newly revamped cocktail program. 

How long have you been bartending?
I've been bartending for a little over four years, so I’m still a relative newbie, but you have to learn quickly in this business.

How did you get into it?
I've worked in the hospitality industry since my first job and have also always been into cooking and creating. I started as a barista at a small coffee shop when I was 15, which I absolutely loved. I picked up my first restaurant job at 17 as a hostess, then started serving the second I turned 18.

I worked through college as a server, then bar back, and as soon as I turned 21, I convinced one of my employers to give me a chance behind the bar. It was a really natural progression to bartending from my past experiences.

What’s your favorite classic cocktail?
I’m a sucker for champagne, so French 75s are right up my alley.

What’s your favorite part about working at Bellytimber?
I’ve worked at Bellytimber for a little over 4 years and it’s really become a second home for me. I love the warmth of the decor and love the people here even more. It’s a blessing to be able to walk in and have regulars that are genuinely interested in how you’re doing and a staff that equally cares about each other. It’s approachable and malleable, being both the background for a nice candlelit dinner with family and friends or a fun-fueled night on the town.

What makes the bar unique?
I think Bellytimber is a great big mixing bowl. We serve everyone from families and young professionals to starving artists and college students. 

The building itself has a lot of history, previously being The Border Chophouse and the Texas Wisconsin, so it’s always fun to have guests come in and reminisce about the times they'd spent here.

Cocktail you hope people ask for?
Any of our featured cocktails of the week. We try to do something fun and new each week and for a lot of our clientele, it means stepping out of their comfort zone and trying something new. I like to think that we make the world of craft cocktails extremely approachable for those who have no idea where to start.

Favorite cocktail to sip on when no one is looking?
I love frozen Pina Coladas. Nothing’s better to me than coconut and cream.

Favorite bartender in town?
Marithe Milburn. Not only does she make great drinks, but she’s extremely personable and friendly. I was lucky enough to meet her and she’s been a mentor of sorts for me. Really, though, anyone who can make me laugh and can make an enjoyable cocktail gets an A+ in my book. A smile goes a long way with me.

Favorite menu item and cocktail pairing?
Any of our pizzas or wings with a draft beer. Or our Ahi Cucumber Sandwich with a Moscow Mule. Yum.

Can you share a Belle Isle creation with us? What inspired it?
We’ve had a lot of fun using Belle Isle in our featured cocktails. One of the favorites among them was The Basil on Belle Isle, a light and refreshing drink that reminds me of spring and summer days at the river.

The Basil on Belle Isle

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz. Belle Isle Ruby Red Grapefruit
• .25 oz. Simple Syrup
• 1 oz. Fresh Grapefruit Juice
• 2 Basil Leaves

Preparation
Muddle basil and simple syrup in the bottom of a rocks glass. Add Belle Isle Ruby Red, Ice, Top with fresh grapefruit juice. Garnish with a lemon.

Recipe by Kelsey Ibarrientos

Bar Rules with Beth Dixon

I’ve you’ve been drinking cocktails in Richmond long enough, chances are Beth Dixon has poured one for you. She’s been behind the bar at some of the best spots in town, and is currently wowing diners at Pasture.

Today, Beth shares some tips for all the aspiring home mixologists our there or anyone who enjoys a well-made drink.

Rule 1: Keep it Simple

Aside from your basic spirit-and-mixer-over-ice cocktail, which I love, a “craft cocktail” follows a basic formula: 1.5 oz of base spirit, 1/2 oz of flavoring agent (such as Vermouth or Amaro), and 1/2 ounce of acid, usually in the form of citrus juice.

Rule 2: Seek Balance

Drinks can be sweet, sour, bitter, boozy, spicy… the important thing is to make sure your cocktail doesn’t tip too far into one of these flavors when you’re adding ingredients. A drink that’s too anything isn’t one you’re likely to enjoy.

Rule 3: Practice Makes Perfect

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Most recipes need to be refined until you get them right. Take notes of each version you make so you can continue to tweak your mix until you get it exactly how you want it.

Rule 4: Avoid The Bottom Shelf

Your cocktail is only as good as what it’s built on. Going right for the cheapest stuff will almost guarantee you won’t get the results you want (unless what you want is a headache). Stick to brands in the $15-30 range per 750 mL.

Beth’s Home Bar Essentials

• 1 liter each
  • Neutral Grain Spirit
  • Gin
  • Rum
  • Tequila
  • Rye (for classic cocktails).
  • A nice bottle of bourbon on hand for sipping.
• Campari
• St. Germain (aka bartender’s ketchup)
• Vermouth Sweet and Dry (either Carpano Antica or Ransome)
• Bitters (Angostura, Peychaud's, Orange)

Behind the Bar: Albee Pedone at Oakhart Social

Albee Pedone of Charlottesville’s Oakhart Social has  been tending bar in some form or fashion since he was 11 years old in Brooklyn, NY. His migration south has brought him to a bar that focuses on having fun as much as it does on creating fresh, locally sourced drinks and dinners. Today we talk to Albee about his favorite cocktails, what makes Oakhart unique and life behind the bar. 

What’s the inspiration behind the name Oakhart?

We burn oak in our wood fired oven, the heart (hart) of our restaurant. The social part comes from our desire to be accessible to everyone. We want people to come and enjoy the fun with us, whether they just want to have a beer and pizza in a casual, unpretentious atmosphere without breaking the bank or whether they want to throw down and have it all. Either way, they’ll have a great time.

How is the bar and its cocktails unique?

The combination of a slushie machine, draft wine, beer engine, leg lamp, and bartenders rockin' a pretty tight sock game makes for unique conditions. Our continually changing cocktail menu is classically inspired, yet modernly crafted. We try to think of it like BASF – we didn't make the cocktail, we make the cocktail better.

How does the bar influence the food, and vice versa?

I am fortunate to be working alongside a brilliant and talented Chef, Tristan Wraight, so I generally take cues from the incredible dishes he creates and make drinks that hopefully match their caliber. That being said, we are one restaurant and ultimately influence and inspire each other in order to consistently delight and surprise our guests whether they come in for food, drinks, or both.

What has the evolution of the Charlottesville bar and restaurant scene been like recently and what has your role been?

As with most cities, Charlottesville has seen tremendous growth in farm-to-table restaurants and craft-cocktail driven bar programs, with a focus on local and sustainable products. While it's happening here, the pinnacle hasn't yet been reached, which makes it an exciting and fun ride to be a part of.

What do you drink when no one is looking?

Being a simple man, I usually tend to drink my spirits neat, however my guiltiest pleasure would have to be a White Russian, which, when in the mood for, I will drink whether anyone is looking or not!

What is your go-to cocktail?

This is very mood-determinate. When I want strong, I go Manhattan, when I want something a bit sweeter it's the Old Fashioned, and when I want a refreshing, crisp sipper, it's The Last Word.

What’s your favorite food & cocktail pairing at Oakhart Social?

No question – Hanger Steak and Smokey Rose all day! Other notable mentions, are Shaved Salad and Bramble On, and Pickled Shrimp and The Clever Comeback.

Images by Alex Kreher

The Clever Comeback

Ingredients

• 1 oz. Belle Isle Ruby Red Grapefruit
• 1 oz. Linie Aquavit
• 1 oz. Drambuie
• 1 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Preparation

Combine ingredients in a mixer with ice, shake, and strain into a martini glass.

Happy Hour With: Hourwise

Running a small business is hard. But when you’re in the service industry, running the back end of your company while you’re up on a ladder or under a sink? That’s even harder. In 2012, friends Ethan Wirt and Jon Hill teamed up when Ethan’s house painting business was growing, but he was having trouble finding software to help him manage his business. They realized that what small business owners often needed was a “back office” to help them with administrative tasks they were simply too busy to take care of. Hourwise was born and the two set off to help other service industry businesses experience growth that wasn’t overwhelming. 

Hourwise supplies an on-demand workforce for businesses who need assistance with their administrative tasks but don’t need or want to hire full or even part-time employees. We sat down with Hourwise co-founders, Jon Hill and Ethan Wirt, and COO, Jason Bello, to talk about the rapid growth of their own Richmond-based business and how the startup community works and plays together. 

Who plays what roles at Hourwise?
Jon: Myself and Ethan are the co-founders, but Ethan focuses on sales and marketing partnerships. Jason Bello is our COO that we brought on last year. We convinced him to move out here from San Diego to be our big thinker. He’s a process driven guy who has worked for Accenture as a business analyst. We all met at UVA and we’re happy to be working together again. 

Ethan: I think of the three of us as three legs to a sturdy stool: Sales(Ethan), Process(Jason), and Technology(Jon).

What’s the status of growth at Hourwise?
J:  A year ago we had 10 full time employees. Today we have 25 full timers and 5 part timers. We now have folks we call “pro-assistants” who are exceptional and experienced at helping small business owners and therefore take on a heavier load or larger businesses. The rapid growth we’ve seen is partly due to an exploratory partnership with Thumbtack, which is a lead generator and has been great so far. 

We are really able to pull in some young, fresh talent thanks to our “startup” status. Most employees on the floor are in the 22-26 age range. They have to be tech savvy and excited to help small business owners succeed. 

The youthfulness in the office definitely makes the environment more fun. Everyone hangs out after work, supports each other's bands and creative ventures. In general, everyone respects their peers, and there’s a level of authenticity from that culture. They are motivated to move forward and we are working toward getting them to unlock their creative potential. 

E: I completely agree! Coming out of Lighthouse Labs, we really felt like we had a strong BETA service, but we still hadn’t cracked the nut of how to sell the service to our contractor base. The partnership with Thumbtack drives consumer leads to contractors, so we had a steady supply of fresh consumer leads to PROVE our value to contractors. Once we learned to stop saying, “give me some of your leads and I’ll prove it to you” to “let me introduce you to new clients and prove it to you,” signing up new contractors wasn’t the issue anymore, rather scaling the platform, processes, and people become the new challenge! 

What types of services does Hourwise offer through your pro-assistants?
J: Our clients can redirect inbound leads to us. We will answer their phone calls and white label the service. We can then set up appointments or do follow ups. Follow ups are incredibly important and there are statistics about how many follow ups it takes to get a job. So our platform includes a follow up process that takes a huge amount of work off our clients’ plates.Clients can pay for our services by the minute, or they can pay us based on a percentage of the jobs they win - whatever works best for their needs.

Technology wise - we’ve built a scalable communications platform where we can switch from brand to brand instantly and our assistants can focus on 10-15 businesses at one time. We’re building some exciting things on top of that engine that will really enable us to scale. Right now we are covering 97 businesses in 19 states. We are actively hiring and adding on to our team so that we can offer 24/7 coverage. 

E: Different studies have shown that 80% of non-routine sales occur only after at least five follow ups. Think about that - it takes at least five continuous follow up efforts after the initial sales contact before a customer says yes. Five! That’s a lot of time for someone running a business to be pursuing leads. In fact, 44% of sales people give up after one “no,” 22% give up after two, 14% give up after three and 12% give up after four. That means 92% of sales people are giving up after four no’s and only 8% are even asking the fifth time. When you add into that the fact that contractors are not even salespeople, you can see how a business like ours can help service professionals generate and get more leads in the long run without using up their time doing sales instead of their actual work. 

How do you keep your team motivated?
J: Every other week we try to do something like a creative competition for top performers. We are working on becoming more intentional and really getting everyone striving to do their best work. 

E: The real motivation comes from the very real connection between the work our Pro Assistants do, and the meaningful, tangible impact it has on the business owners we service. But it doesn’t hurt when our top performer gets a Hoverboard or a flight around Richmond in an open air WWII plane either. 

Talk to us about the challenges Hourwise faces.
J: Growth is the real challenge, and finding the right people to help facilitate that growth. None of us have grown a business like this and you have an idealistic approach when you start but then you realize there is a necessity for structure. We are learning the hard way that good quality communication is key, but I think we’re doing a good job.

Tell us a little bit more about  being a part of the startup culture in Richmond. 
J: We are pretty involved in the startup ecosystem, and that has helped tremendously. Jim Ukrop with NRV, and Will Loving with Altron Capital are in our corner and have been instrumental in our success.  We were also fortunate to partake in Lighthouse Labs two years ago. That mentorship network continues to be supportive to this day. Really, the entire Richmond ecosystem has been invaluable. 

What’s in your startup library?
J: Lean Startup, Running Lean, Good to Great

E: E-Myth, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Where do you see Hourwise in 5 years?
J: Hourwise will be THE platform people rely on to get work done and save time.  We want to revolutionize the way trade services are done and elevate expectations in an industry that hasn’t changed much in the past 100 years.  In that process, the technology we are building will open up remote job opportunities to support the tradesman across the country.  We’ve always had a personal mission to connect the unemployed and underemployed with meaningful work, and believe that we are on a path to do that.  

E: I believe that Hourwise will be THE brand that Pros go to for all things “Business”. The Hourwise platform will support pros through all aspects of their brand - providing tech, tools and connections for marketing, sales, financial, administrative, compliance, purchasing power, to name a few. 

How does the team spend Happy Hour(wise)?
J & E: Starting an afternoon right with a nice glass of grapefruit moonshine on the rocks from Belle Isle. Duh.

Behind the Bar: Brian Nixon of McClellan’s Retreat

In the upscale Dupont neighborhood of Washington, D.C. sits a bar named after a well known, if not infamous Union Commander. The bar that bears his name offers a wide-ranging cocktail menu and monthly specials that turn cocktails on their heads using unique and local ingredients. We sat down with Brian Nixon, general manager and bartender, at McClellan’s Retreat, to find out more about how this bar became a local favorite.

INTERVIEW: BRIAN NIXON

How long have you been “behind the bar?”
I've been in the business for somewhere around 16 years. I've worked everywhere from divey Irish bars to most recently the inimitable Rose's Luxury. I started focusing on craft cocktails about 6 years ago when I worked for a short stint at the now defunct Sibling Rivalry in Boston. 

Tell us about the inspiration behind the name. Why McClellan?
We are located about a half block from the statue dedicated to General McClellan. The Retreat portion of our name is a bit of a double entendre. McClellan, although beloved by his troops, had a reputation for not engaging the enemy and always requesting more troops. You also have the second meaning of "retreat" as in a place to relax, and as you can see from the photos, we offer a cozy atmosphere and good drinks, perfect for just that. 

How is the bar at McClellan’s Retreat unique?
I think we fill a special niche not being fulfilled a lot in DC and other places. We offer a casual, relaxed atmosphere with really good drinks and none of the pretentiousness you can experience at other "Cocktail" bars. Mostly we just like getting to know the people that come in and making sure they have a great time while they're with us. It doesn't matter if you want a Vodka Tonic or one of our house creations, we just want you to have a good time. 

What is your go-to cocktail?
I change cocktails with the seasons, really. If I go into a new cocktail bar, I generally order a Jack Rose. I want to see if they know how to make it, if they have the ingredients, is their juice fresh, and do they make their own grenadine. It also shows if they understand balance, much like a daiquiri, which I know is the go-to for many of my colleagues. If it's just going out to a neighborhood bar with friends, give me a High Life and a shot of rye, and I'm a happy camper. If I'm making something at home, it's usually a Left Hand or an Old Fashioned. 

Do do you drink when no one is looking?
The White Russian. I love them, always have always will. Although since college, I've upgraded mine just a touch from Velicoff Vodka and Kahlua with a touch of Buttershots to Tito's and Lucano Caffe. I even tried it with Belle Isle, Lucano Caffe and a splash of Raspberry Liqueur the other day and it was really tasty. 

Did McClellan have a favorite cocktail?
Funny actually. McClellan was a teetotaler.

What’s coming up at McClellan’s? 
We like to give folks a reason to keep coming back to visit us at McClellan's Retreat. Each month, we switch out the specialty cocktail list to reflect a different theme. Currently, we've got "Who's Fooling Who", where we took Classics and put them on their head, the "Martini" with the Belle Isle Honey Habanero being a prime example. The next couple of months we have "Spring Blooms" which will be floral and vegetal cocktails, then "America's Pastime" which will have baseball inspired cocktails and beer-tails, and then July is Rickey month here in DC which is always a lot of fun.

Photos by Alex Kreher

El Martini

Ingredients

• 1/2 oz. Belle Isle Honey Habanero

• 2 oz. Tequila Cabeza

• 1/2 oz. Cocchi Americano

• 2 dashes Orange Bitters

Preparation

Add ingredients to mixing glass, fill glass with ice, stir until well chilled. Strain into a coupe, express lemon peel over glass, place on Rim of glass.

Recipe by Brian Nixon

The Sophisticate

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz. Belle Isle Premium Moonshine

• 1/2 oz. Vedrenne Orange Curaçao

• 1/2 oz. Lime Juice

• 1 oz. Cranberry Juice

Preparation

Add all ingredients to a mixing tin, fill tin with ice, shake until cold. Double strain into a Coupe, garnish with lime wedge.

Recipe by Brian Nixon

Cocktail Classics: The Martini

Perhaps there is no cocktail more classic than the martini. At least, not in America. But just how that past really went down is up for debate.

An American Original
The martini as we know it (gin, fortified wine or vermouth, perhaps an olive or onion) first appeared in The Bartender’s Manual in the 1880’s. There are several accounts of how the drink first came to be, but our favorite involves a California prospector striking gold and celebrating by asking a local bartender at a bar named Martini’s to make him a special drink using whatever he had on hand. Very American, indeed. 
  
Shaken or Stirred?
The good news is there's no "correct way" to prepare your martini. It simply comes down to preference. However, if you're interested in the science behind this debate some mixologists assert that shaking a martini oxidizes organic compounds in the liquor for an effect  akin to letting a red wine “breath” resulting in a tastier, as well as a colder, martini. The “stirrers” of the world argue that shaking a martini dilutes it – introducing water and bits of ice into what ought to be a very stiff drink.

Our version - The Moonshine Martini - honors the cocktail’s original flavor profile while doubling down on the drink's American heritage by substituting gin for the original American clear spirit. Enjoy!

Photos by Alex Kreher

Moonshine Martini

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Belle Isle Premium Moonshine
• 1 oz. Contratto Bianco Vermouth

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients and stir with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon peel.

Courtesy of Jimmie Foster