Drinking D.C.: Brothers and Sisters at the Line Hotel

In between martini reviews and recipes, I want to tell you about my recent visit to Brothers and Sisters at the Line Hotel.  This is the latest outpost of Erik Bruner-Yang of Maketto and is currently “in preview.”  The venue is unique in D.C. – a hotel lobby located inside of a grand old church in Adams Morgan.  In fact, the setting is sufficiently unusual that in my approach up the steps I had to check my bearings to assure myself I was in the right place; and I noticed a few other incoming guests do the same.

But what a venue it is.  Once inside, I walked a short distance to the main lounge area, passing a radio studio (?!) on my left.  The lounge is an enormous room, where comfy sofas sit under a soaring ceiling.  To the left and right of this central seating area are high top tables and two bars.  These areas feature spare decorations fusing collegiate-style crests and banners with vaguely Asian-inspired symbols.

I found my way to one of the bars and took a look at the extensive cocktail menu.  On the first page – which is actually the last page (the menus progress from back to front) – is a list of “classic hotel bar cocktails,” including the Bloody Mary, Bellini, and Mary Pickford.  Next is a list of “classic American cocktails,” like the Mint Julep, Manhattan, and Martinez.  Finally, the menu offers ten original cocktails, “inspired by life, love, music, and friends.”  Here’s a sample from the list:

Most of the cocktails sport at least one Asian-influenced ingredient, consistent with the thrust of the food menu.  I asked for a recommendation.  The bartender suggested the Ivy Started It as a “more tangy” option that would not be too sweet.  The description was apt, though the tanginess was subtler than I was expecting.  It was not the type of strong sour taste that comes from citrus.  I appreciated the presentation, a gold-rimmed glass and a large, clear ice cube:

I also had the opportunity to sample two other cocktails.  The first was the I’m Hip and Very Bitter.  This drink (not pictured on the first page of the menu above) is made with Virginia Fizz sparkling wine, Luna Amara by D.C.’s Don Ciccio & Figli, St. George Botanivore Gin, and grapefruit.  Not surprisingly, this one tasted something like a mimosa or a Bellini, but with less pronounced fruitiness and faintly detectable herbal flavors:

The other cocktail I sampled had the longest name in a group of elaborately named drinks:  the I Used To Be Named Sherlock Holmes But I Have Matured.  You might liken this to the Penicillin cocktail.  It was, in the words of my drinking buddy, “smooth as silk.”  It looked good, too, served in a hefty glass with a large lemon peel garnish:

Now it was time to call it a night.  I should have taken some photos of the lounge to share – mere words don’t do it justice.  But on the way out I did think to snap a shot of the radio studio.  You can’t help but stare at its neon lights screaming “ON” as you walk by:

That word captures the atmosphere here, which was picking up as I was leaving on a cold Tuesday night.  So don’t let the hotel-lounge-bar descriptor deter you.  If you’re looking to enjoy a few cocktails in a one-of-a-kind space, this is the spot for you.

Update:  I subsequently returned to the Line Hotel to try out A Rake’s Progress – check out my review here.  And check out this picture of the front of the Line Hotel – yes, you are in the right place!