New Year: Five Drink DC Resolutions for 2013

by Lauren Sloat in Roundups

New year, new you, new booze! Instead of suffering through diets or bootcamp, why not resolve to invigorate your drinking strategy in 2013? Whether you try a bellini bar instead of mimosa brunch, take a D.C. beer tour or spike a childhood treat, there are at least five fun ways to sample the District drinking scene this year.

Go to a drag queen brunch: We love a bottomless brunch as much as the next person, but drag queen brunches offer a whole different context for morning boozing. The option at Perry’s — just $24.95 for an all-you-can-eat buffet — leaves room for a sizable drinking budget, while Nellie’s $24 brunch buffet includes one free mimosa (and Zing Zang Bloody Marys for $4).

Experience a speakeasy: The Gibson was the first modern speakeasy to join the D.C. bar scene, but now there’s two others to add to your to-go list: Boveda, a “Latin speakeasy” inside the Georgetown Westin, has a secretive vibe but all-access prices (find $5 draft beer and $8 sangria during the weekday happy hour) while SUNA sister establishment Harold Black just joined the scene above Acqua Al 2. With no website or sign of its own, the latter take the speakeasy gig seriously and offers equally serious libations.

Take a beer tasting tour: Wine tasting gets a lot of love, but with D.C.’s ever-expanding brewery scene, why not spend a Saturday sampling local brews instead? Chocolate City and 3 Stars both hold growler hours every Saturday afternoon, while DC Brau and Port City both offer tours and tastings on most Saturdays as well. Just be sure to add Bluejacket to your itinerary once it opens.

Mix up your mimosa: There’s nothing wrong with the classic combo of OJ and sparkling wine, but there’s no reason you can’t incorporate a little variety into your Sunday brunch repertoire. Urbana’s build-your-own-bellini bar includes a variety of fruit purees to combine with a bottomless bottle of bubbly, Poste’s Bloody Mary version proffers a legendary assortment of garnishes, and Birch & Barley’s brunch punch combines Bacardi, Gosling’s rum and St. Elizabeth’s All Spice Dram with apricot nectar and orange juice.

Spike your shake: No need to choose between dessert and your booze when there are plenty of places where you can get an ice-creamy twofer. Ted’s Bulletin offers an entire menu of “adult milkshakes” in flavors such as Dirty Girl Scout (made with peppermint schnapps) and the Nutty Professor (hazelnut liqueur), the newly opened Satellite Room boasts 10 different boozy shakes, and The Diner takes the indulgence one step further with the bacon bourbon float.