Congratulations DC. The Columbia Room has landed on the GQ’s 25 Best Cocktail Bars in America list at number eighteen. So while you have been hard at work with those government documents the Columbia Room has been working hard to mellow you out.

Columbia Room’s Derek Brown is the man behind the drink creations. A craft honed in Japan among the world’s most precise bartenders there is nothing to fear from Brown’s ice cutting cleaver. Only open three nights a week GQ finds the only reward is, “the best martini in America.” This is not any martini. The gin is stored in a medical freezer, poured in a crystal glass the thermometer must read between 29-31 degrees before it is served.

There are a few rules before you go to the Columbia Room. Just opened three nights a week there is a four-person maximum to each reservation. The prixe fixe menu of $49 (tax and tip inclusive) comprises a welcoming glass of champagne, the nightly cocktail paired with a small plate, and a customized cocktail. The drinks here are expensive but the receipt is prettier than anything in a stationary store.

Columbia Room
1021 7th St. NW
(between N Mount Vernon Pl & N New York Ave)
Washington, DC 20001