Events Calendar
|
Latest Issue
|
Membership
|
Log In Sign Up
  • Play

    Play

    • A Beginner’s Guide to Soccer
    • You Spin Me Right Round: D.C. Roller Skating 101 in 2021
    • Leading the League: The WNBA’s Natasha Cloud on Breaking Barriers + Inspiring D.C.
    • Spring Has Sprung: 10 Ways To Get Outside in the DMV
    • Play Week Combines Games + Social Impact
    • High and Go Seek Illustration
    • O Captain, My Captain: Washington Spirit’s Andi Sullivan
  • Life

    Life

    • Local Entrepreneurs Infuse CBD into Wellness
    • 19 Entrepreneurs Shaping D.C.’s Cannabis + CBD Industries
    • Upcycling in D.C.: Transforming a Culture of Consumption
    • The Green Issue: Experts + Advocates Make Case for Cannabis Legalization + Decriminalization
    • The District Derp Story
    • Grassfed Media Champions Cannabis Clients
    • Nat Geo Explorer Gabrielle Corradino on Plankton, the Anacostia + Conservation
  • Eat

    Eat

    • The State of Takeout in the District
    • A New Twist on Food Delivery: MisenBox
    • Next-Level Home Dining Experiences in D.C.
    • Foxtrot Market Is Officially Open for Business in Georgetown
    • Food Rescue + Assistance Programs Fill the Gaps in a Pandemic Food System
    • Hungry Harvest Helps to End Food Insecurity
    • Notable Summer Bar + Restaurant Reopenings to Try this Spring
  • Drink

    Drink

    • Pandemic Drinking: Derek Brown Leads the Way to Low-ABV Future
    • D.C.’s St. Vincent Wine Creates Covid-Conscious Experience
    • A New Way to Binge: Sobriety Anchors Business + Being for Gigi Arandid
    • King’s Ransom + The Handover in Alexandria Celebrate a First Year Like No Other
    • Wines of the World Are Just Around the Corner
    • Open-Air Drinking + Cocktail Delivery Changes in the DMV
    • Denizens Brewing Co.’s Emily Bruno: Brewing Change for Community + Industry
  • Culture

    Culture

    • The Artistry Behind D.C.’s Cannabis Culture
    • The Best Movies of 2021…So Far
    • The Survival of the Brutalist: D.C.’s Complicated Concrete Legacy
    • Plain Sight: A Street-Front Revolution in Radical Arts Accessibility
    • A Touch of Danger in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s “Romeo & Juliet”
    • Artgence + Homme: Where There’s Art, There’s a Story to Share
    • 21 D.C. Makers + Curators to Follow
  • Music

    Music

    • Emma G Talks Wammie Nominations and the D.C. Music Community
    • J’Nai Bridges: A Modern Mezzo-Soprano in a Changing Opera Landscape
    • Punk Legends The Go-Go’s Talk Four Decades of Sisterhood, Resilience + Zero Fucks Given
    • Ellen Reid “Soundwalk:” Exploring the Sonic Landscape at Wolf Trap
    • SHAED Releases First Full-Length Album in a “High Dive” of Faith
    • Obama + Springsteen Present “Renegades”
    • Christian Douglas Uses His “Inside Voice” on Pandemic-Inspired Debut Album
  • Events

    Events

    • Play Week 4.17-4.25
    • Midnight at The Never Get 4.30-6.21
    • Cannabis City Panel Presented by BĀkT DC + District Fray
    • Browse Events
    • DC Polo Society Summer Sundays 5.9
    • National Cannabis Festival’s Dazed & Amused Drive-In Party
    • Vinyl + Vinyasa 4.30
  • Log In
    Sign Up

Log In Sign Up
Photo Gallery: Girls to the Front 2023
The Sound of Women: 7 DMV Artists to Follow
Feel Like a Star: VXN Workout Takes Over the DMV
A distant view of the Washington Monument.
I Will Follow: April 2023
At Angelika: “What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?”
A Family Affair: Drew and Ellie Holcomb at the Birchmere
Home » Articles » Drink » An Ode to Frida Kahlo: Espita Mezcaleria’s Seasonal Cocktail Menu

Drink

My Own Muse at Espita Mezcaleria. Photo by Priya Konings.

An Ode to Frida Kahlo: Espita Mezcaleria’s Seasonal Cocktail Menu

Share:

April 25, 2022 @ 11:00am | Priya Konings

As the restaurant industry in D.C. bounces back, chefs, owners and beverage directors are implementing new menus and innovative ideas to bring patrons back into the city’s food and drink scene. At Espita, beverage director James Simpson, head bartender Justus Staton, and the cocktail team have developed an exciting new beverage program. The cocktail menu, which remains committed to Mexican ingredients and flavors, features 21 drinks, with a separate section for classic cocktails which remain permanently or long-term on the drink list, hyper-seasonal themed drinks changed quarterly, and a series of new cocktails which the team tries out on guests for possible selection on the long-term menu. 

Cocteles de Temporada 

The current theme for the seasonal portion of Espita’s cocktail menu is Frida Kahlo. The drinks were devised in consideration of her preferences, or based on interpretations of her paintings, or with a focus on ingredients and depictions that relate to her. The seasonal section of the cocktail menu, cocteles de temporada, was by far our favorite area of the cocktail menu, largely because the creativity behind these drinks blew our minds, but also because the cocktails were the tastiest on the menu, and ripe with seasonal flavors. Visit Espita by the end of May to sample these gems; at that time the theme will change to a pollinators theme, which will focus on ingredients from pollinated flowers. 

Granizo

Inspired by Frida’s painting “The Wounded Deer,” the granizo is a dark and brooding beverage, poignantly representing Frida’s epic painting. The artwork depicts a deceased deer, impaled by arrows. The painting symbolizes Frida’s pain and suffering which she experienced after a serious spine injury as a teenager. The drink is comprised of a blend of rum, tea, mint and lime, which come together to offer a drink defined by a smoky, herbaceous flavor with a fresh, minty undercurrent. It comes adorned with a sprig of mint, speared on a silver arrow – another nod to the famous piece of artwork. 

Granizo at Espita Mezcaleria. Photo by Priya Konings.

La Casa Azul 

Arguably the best of this series of concoctions, this cocktail pays homage to Frida in two ways. First, it features some of her favorite flavors, including mezcal and pineapples. Second, the drink is poured over a formidable blue ice cube, made from butterfly pea flower, which represents Frida’s famous blue house in Mexico City where she lived much of her life. In addition to mezcal and pineapple, the drink includes lemon, for a hint of acidity, clarified milk, for a slightly creamy texture, and tea for a bitter herbal note. The drink is wonderfully inspired and brings together a handful of diverse ingredients to create a perfect harmony. 

La Casa Azul at Espita Mezcaleria. Photo by Priya Konings.

My Own Muse

Kahlo often referred to herself as her own muse, and indeed, as she was “the subject she knows best,” so the mixologists know their craft best. This drink is light and fresh, a great spring brunch beverage, where a Collins glass is filled with ice cubes, gin, vermouth and bubbles, studded with bright, cheerful raspberries and a bunch of basil. 

The Dos Fridas

Based on the “Dos Fridas” painting, where Frida featured two images of herself seated side-by-side holding hands, this delightful mezcal drink, infused with raspberries and lime for tartness, comes crowned with a sugar decal of Frida’s face, the same image which is painted on one of Espita’s walls. The image is detailed and beautiful and you will find it hard to ruin, but the team recommends “swirling it into the beverage to add a hint of sweetness to the zesty cocktail.” 

The Dos Fridas at Espita Mezcaleria. Photo by Priya Konings.

Espita: 1250 9th St. NW, DC; espitadc.com // @espitadc

Enjoy this piece? Consider becoming a member for access to our premium digital content. Support local journalism and start your membership today.

Priya Konings

Share:

Related Articles

No Articles

DISTRICT FRAY MEMBERSHIPS

District Fray members receive unlimited access to our digital content, including new articles published daily. We also have membership options available for locals interested in our print magazine, member events, or first-access tickets and giveaways.

Join Today
COMPANY
About United Fray Team Hiring: Join Our Team!
GET INVOLVED
Become A Member 2023 Media Kit 2023 Editorial Calendar Corporate Wellness Contact: Media Pitches + Advertising Inquiries
EXPLORE
Eat Drink Music Culture Life Play Events Calendar
OUR CITIES
Washington D.C. Jacksonville Phoenix
Subscribe

By clicking submit, you agree to receive emails from District Fray and accept our web terms of use and privacy and cookie policy.

© 2023 District Fray.