Rubber Duckies to the Rescue at These D.C. Bars | Eater DC
"A neighborhood dive that helped pioneer the playful-duck garnish movement: head bartender Alex Reyes came up with the idea when its U Street NW digs debuted in June 2023, and the ducks have since made their way to the new waterfront location at the Wharf. The general manager estimates some 3,000 ducks have gone out the door between the two. “Everyone seems to love the ducks,” Egan tells Eater. He notes that whether you loved Bert and Ernie as a kid, you drive a Jeep [and] participate in ‘Jeep Duck-ing,’ or you just want something whimsical for your Instagram story, it seems to make guests smile; “but we get the most fun variations around holidays,” and his personal favorite is the leprechaun ducks on St. Patrick’s Day. Whenever a new shipment of the novelties arrive, he grabs a couple for his kids to play with at bath time. The popularity of the ducks led Reyes to come up with a new version of the cocktail for every menu change — right now it’s in the Pato Loco, a fruity coupe of Jose Cuervo infused with grilled pineapple and serrano peppers, agave nectar, and blood orange. Ducks appropriately show up this spring on the tiki-styled party boat currently docked out front of the Wharf locale. There’s typically four or five colors stocked behind the bar at any given time, with special themed ducks for holidays (Cinco de Mayo, the Fourth of July), and a duck hunt starts every Saturday this May, when the first guest to spot a branded bird hidden somewhere at the bars gets a free beverage." - Tierney Plumb
