"Walk up the stairs toward this Shaw destination for cocktail obsessives, and you've got choices to make: there are three different spaces—the Punch Garden, the Spirits Library and the Tasting Room—each with its own menu and drinks. All the cocktails are nothing if not inventive: Columbia Room nabbed the award for Best American Cocktail Bar at the 2017 Spirited Awards. The joint is particularly known for its reserve-in-advance $85 Tasting Room tickets, which serve several courses of artful drinks (2019's menu gives mixology cred to scoffed-at drinks like Zima, appletinis, and Long Island Iced Tea), and artistic snacks from chef Johnny Spero. Elsewhere, the Punch Garden serves its namesake libation in share-able quantities—perfect for a sweltering D.C. day—and the Spirits Library serves rare liquors, and a long list of highballs and Old Fashioneds." - Adele Chapin
