Happy Hour Review of Barrel D.C.
The Story: Barrel was opened by a few fun-loving whiskey gentlemen who wanted to turn the inside of their bar into a barrel. I can say that they succeeded in creating a great whiskey vibe with the wood furnishings, barrels of cocktails, and of course, the whiskey! Several of my friends insisted that I needed to try Barrel if I actually enjoyed whiskey so I decided to take them up on their suggestion.
Experience: I had a lot of fun during my happy hour at Barrel! I ordered the my tried and true cocktail of choice, the old fashioned. It was perfectly balanced and exactly how I like them. I enjoyed the creative cocktail names, especially the Singapore Surprise and the Creepy Uber Driver.
Next, I asked my bartender Jacob (who looked like he was related to Thor) if he could suggest something with my favorite flavors. He made me a wonderful drink using Del Bac; it had smoky mesquite flavors. It made me nostalgic for summer days and barbeques. After that, I enjoyed a few pours and again Jacob offered great suggestions. The bar filled up pretty quickly for happy hour, but it never got uncomfortably crowed. I enjoyed some great conversations with my fellow bar patrons and had some delicious biscuits with prosciutto and honey butter. I do not like biscuits, but I could have eaten three orders of these. Between the food, the bourbon, and the atmosphere, I loved my experience.
Recommendation:
Barrel is great for the young professional crowd looking to relax a little or hold a networking event. I would also recommend it for bourbon enthusiasts. They have a great selection, reasonable prices, and whiskey specials during happy hour. I enjoyed the full-size whiskey barrel of aged Manhattan. If you have a group of four or more you can order a one liter barrel of their old fashioned. I am definitely going back with three others to try it! I’m off to yoga. Cheers!