Pretty Marinated: Cocktail Tour at Last Exit
[Mary Kong] 09 23 2011Get ready because Pretty Marinated gets you soaked in buzz-worthy spirits, wine and beer.
Tucked away on a quiet stretch of Mt. Pleasant, is a cocktail lounge which looks like the inside of Al Capone’s private jet. There are female silhouettes lit against the fuselage-like wall, high-back red velvet lounges and Cubist art in the style of Picasso.
I had a chance to sit down with Head Mixologist Anthony Rivera, who took over since Patrice Cleary’s departure.
Last Exit is a little-known speakeasy (that’s the idea, right?) which will surprise you with its impressive menu of cocktails.
Order the very popular Tom Collins ($11) made with house-made cucumber-grapefruit infused gin, fresh lemon juice, sugar and soda.
“We’re getting great reactions from customers because they don’t expect it to be that good,” says Rivera.
Better still, try one of Last Exit’s house-made infusions, which are interactive and superbly delicious.
Take for example, the Violetta ($11), mint-infused bourbon with a dash of sweet syrup and served on the rocks.
It comes with a bowl of chocolate chips which bring out the toffee flavors in the bourbon. A great choice for “bourbon babies,” it is fun, smooth and gives your hands (and mouth) something to do.
The Harrison ($11) pairs a very fragrant rosemary-black peppercorn infused vodka, tonic, and a side of grapes. All you’ll need is a young Roman to feed them to you.
If you don’t wanna grow up, or you have a child in tow (but why would you?!), share The Jefferson ($11). It’s got strawberry-lemongrass infused vodka, soda and 7-Up. It comes with a strawberry Pop Tart. Who gets the Pop Tart depends on how you raise your kid.
Not everyone has a sweet tooth, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, so Last Exit makes more mature craft cocktails like the Cin-Cyn ($11, pictured above) with Campari, Miller’s gin, sweet vermouth and Cynar artichoke liquor. That sounds all sorts of crazy, but it’s a “grown-up” drink with complex botanicals and herbs that’s actually very tasty. Surely it’s homeopathic in nature.
The cocktail menu changes seasonally, so watch for new fall infusions in October.
Last Exit (below Tonic)
3155 Mt. Pleasant Street NW
Washington, DC 20010
202.986.7661
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Thanks for the write-up! Can’t wait to have you out for our fall/winter cocktails! Cheers!
I’m so excited to work with Tonic and Anthony for Take a Bite out of Breast Cancer!