Espita Mezcaleria

1250 9th St NW
Washington, DC 20001
202.621.9695
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Hidden in one of the endless rose of brownstones in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington DC, this bar is entire purpose is to promote mezcal, a wonderful kind of tequila with a smoky clean finish and a softness to with that allows it to be used in many different kinds of drinks. Everything that you can find this bar is excellent, and the food menu that accompanies definitely goes on theme. A modern bar with a classy and intimate feel, this bar has so many good drinks and small plates to try.

The drinks are of course the most important thing to try, but there is plenty of food too. Some things that I liked:

Salda Verde Cruda: A chips and salsa dish with a raw tomato, serrano and garlic mix. It’s a little bit warm but a little bit goes a long way. Served with huge, thick chips. Delicious table app.
Taco de Hongos: Maitake, delicata squash, rainbow chard, pickled beet & red cabbage, smoked walnut crema. This one is a vegetatian taco based on a mushrooms and a combination of other thick veggies, with a fresh, chewy texture and wonderful delicate smoke to it.
Taco al Pastor: Adobo pork, pineapple, pickled watermelon. What an interesting combination, while maybe a fruity and smokey aftertaste, the sweetness complements the pork really well.

Then of course there is a huge cocktail menu, which rotates regularly. Some things to try:

House Where Nobody Lives: Los nahuales espadín, fumus pumila apple brandy, house made apple cordial. “an apple martini the way nature intended,” as they call it. Spirited, bit the mild acidity of the apple flavor is an evening factor.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The house’s spicy fall flavor, with espadín, mexican fernet, chiles, pineapple and citrus. The heat is assertive, and if you drink it without thinking that will give you pause. But don’t let it; the smokiness is so wonderful.

The bar is pretty comfortable, with a lot of low-lit tables and bars to find. Maybe it’s best in the evenings, like many places in Shaw, it tends to be a little bit quieter than some of the trendier and more hyped neighborhoods of DC. But this area is still kind of on the grow, so it’s nice to see the growth.

Shaw has a surprising variety of cool stuff. It’s going to be that much cooler in a few years. So discovering a good bar that isn’t ridiculously expensive or a ridiculous crowd is nice to see. This is a very worthy experience, and all of those wonderful smokey cocktails are icing on the cake. I love it.

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