The Botanical Bar

A Cocktail Wonderland for Vegans Lands in Dupont This May | Eater DC

"Stepping downstairs into the lush, subterranean setup that opened Saturday, May 28, I encountered a rectangular drinking den for about 55 people that Leah Curran Moon designed to feel like “being in the Garden of Eden at midnight or a little hideaway,” with local flora and nocturnal fauna on the walls, “dark and sexy” Transylvanian wallpaper, rich colors, twinkly lights, and dreamy textures. Bar manager Starla Newman crafts exclusively plant-based cocktails and mocktails heavy on herbs and flowers, using aquafaba (chickpea liquid) whipped to create a frothy head on sours instead of egg white and oat milk in place of dairy cream; examples include a freshly poured amaretto sour with a frothy aquafaba head, a delicate peach Bellini crowned with an edible flower, a limoncello topped with droplets of homemade basil oil, and the bright pink Flower of Life (vodka, hibiscus tea syrup, a dash of lemon oil, and aquafaba). Drinks are served at the indoor bar and a dog-friendly parklet outside during initial hours of 4 p.m. to 12 a.m., and the beverage program emphasizes vegan-certified wines (since many commercial wines are filtered with animal products), local beer (aside from obvious milk stouts), and a hefty zero-proof list to be inclusive; the bar will also debut dinnertime mains and table service in coming months and host Pride events, including drag shows and themed nights." - Evan Caplan