Antarctica Pop-Up Celebrates the Chilly Continent With Unique Blocks of Ice | Eater DC
"On Sunday, November 24, from 2 to 9 p.m., two bartenders—José Cox (from a new inventive second-story bar) and Jonathan Henriquez (from a Michelin-starred restaurant)—are hosting an Antarctica-themed pop-up at the venue. Cox tells Eater the Antarctica pop-up is inspired by the “super dry, windy, cold” climate and the incredible acts of nature around the icy continent, like the treacherous Drake Passage and ever-erupting volcano on Mount Erebus. White-capped ice cubes, coming in unique shapes and styles in each beverage, will directly contradict the way Cox hopes the cocktails make customers feel: “You take a sip of the drinks and, you know, you feel nice and warm,” he says. The creative drink menu includes the Dino cocktail with Ostrich fat-washed Amaras mezcal, pear, and Lillet Blanc; a mate-infused Wilde Irish gin with a mandarin citrus blend and almond orange spuma; and the Polar Punch with Lalo tequila blanco, Amaras mezcal, roasted coconut, and fermented cardamom. Cox and Henriquez collaborate with owner and chef Paolo Dungca, who will be creating an Antarctica-themed menu of small bites that pair perfectly with the icy cocktails—look for dry-aged beef tartare on toast with yeasted onion and puffed beef tendon, a mushroom dumpling in mushroom tea topped with chili crunch, and raw hamachi with Granny Smith apples, watermelon radish, and coconut. Cold desserts also join the fold, with panna cotta with truffle latik (golden brown coconut curds), orange, and pistachio on the small sweets menu. Cox and Henriquez (who just started mixology company Liquid Sentidos) say they plan to do more pop-ups alongside acclaimed chefs across D.C., to “learn from them and make the most delicious cocktails we can.” Cox also cites the collaborative spirit the chef has created—“constantly rotating tasting menus” and work with pastry pro Pichet Ong—as a reason for choosing the venue, and praises the design of the high-end space where “you can look into the bar and the (open) kitchen at the same time.”" - Emily Venezky
