Behind the Bar: ARTECHOUSE, Calico and Service Bar

We’re all guilty of picking a drink from a cocktail menu based on whether or not it will look good on our carefully curated Instagram feeds. Don’t worry, we do it too. In the spirit of embracing all that’s aesthetically pleasing this month, we selected three drinks whose unique garnishes and color combinations definitely make them look as good as they taste. So go ahead, post away – we won’t judge you.

Photo: Fareeha Rehman

On Tap: How important is design when creating a cocktail?
Chad Spangler: It’s the whole package together that’s going to create that experience for you. Just because something tastes good or has pretty good intrinsic flavor doesn’t make it great if the presentation isn’t there. Drinking something is as much a full experience of the senses as anything. It should look great, it should smell great, it should taste great, it should feel great.

OT: What’s your most aesthetically pleasing cocktail? 
CS: Our most aesthetically pleasing drink right now is Rhubarb Vodka Soda. We launched it last year. I love almost monochromatic cocktails or monochromatic things, where you can have all different shades of one color on top of another. So that drink is a really, really aesthetically pleasing bright pink that’s all natural from the rhubarb that we get.

OT: What else can you tell me about the presentation of your cocktails?
CS: We like to have fun and we don’t take ourselves too seriously in any direction. We do some whimsical things, and we’re not afraid to put a little extra money into making our drinks look great and to get some cool glassware that people are going to talk about.

Photo: Fareeha Rehman

Service Bar: 926-928 U St. NW, DC; www.servicebardc.com

Photo: Aja Neal

On Tap: What do you think guests enjoy most about your juice box cocktails?
Ian Fletcher: I think it’s a nostalgia thing. People just gravitate toward them. It’s pretty unique. We worked with one of the designers that helped design the space; he did the labels and everything for us.

OT: Do you offer any limited-time cocktails?
IF: We use our frozen drink machine. That’s going to be rotating depending on how well they do. But the intention is that there is no set thing in the frozen drink machine. We’ve been doing piña coladas with espresso. We discovered it on accident. My friend and I were drinking piña coladas and we just happened to have espresso as well and [combined them]. Piña coladas are really, really sweet and espresso is tart and bitter, so it works really well. I think we’re going to do a banana daiquiri next.

OT: What makes your outdoor space unique?
IF: On the weekends, the chef is out there grilling. You can have 200 people back here and everything is designed to be sectioned off so even when it’s packed, you don’t really notice how many people are here. It’s kind of like you’re in your own little backyard world. You can smell the barbecue – it’s just a good feeling.

[Pictured above]

Ian’s Pick
Lavender Lemonade
Vodka
Lemon
Lavender
Raspberry
Giffard Crème de Mure

Calico: 50 Blagden Alley, NW, DC; www.calicodc.com

Bryan Tate
Mixologist, ARTECHOUSE’s “Fractal Worlds” exhibit (July 7 – September 3)

On Tap: What elements of ARTECHOUSE’s “Fractal Worlds” exhibit are incorporated into your cocktails?
Bryan Tate: Fractals as we understand them are geometric shapes. They’re also very mathematical, so from a looks and presentation perspective, we want to incorporate that fractal element. And from a taste perspective, we want it to taste good. But also, the ratios going into the cocktails are on a mathematical basis – the way that the fractals are formed.

OT: How do patrons use the augmented reality app when trying cocktails?
BT: The augmented reality app gives a next dimension experience of the cocktail that allows the guest to experience it in a way they never have before.

OT: What garnishes do you use?
BT: Dehydrated fruits and egg white. We have a way to print a custom image onto a piece of wafer and then put that on top of the egg white, and that in itself is augmented in the cocktail.

OT: What’s your creative process?
BT: It’s decorating as many layers of the experience as you can. The texture changes what it does with the foam or an egg white. Or use creme de coconut to give it a different texture – paint it with that. It’s really important to have the guest experience the cocktail in as many different ways as possible while trying to align our vision with the artist. That’s the really fun part where creating cocktails comes into play: trying to turn what they’ve done – unbelievable art – into a drink.

OT: What flavors are in the Fractal Jungle cocktail?
BT: Flavors with summer aspects: watermelon, honey, matcha, vanilla, blackberry, pineapple. Things that are summery without being too light [so you’ll still get] the full experience.

Photo: Courtesy of ARTECHOUSE

ARTECHOUSE: 1238 Maryland Ave. SW, DC; www.dc.artechouse.com