Before a great night with Jim Gaffigan at the Warner Theater (well, a great night watching him) we swung through Chef Geoff’s across the street for a bite and a drink. My libation of choice: the Old Fashioned.
Let’s rewind a second here. It’s 2006. I’m in Ohio on a business trip. My boss orders an Old Fashioned. I follow. I like it but forget about it. Fast forward to 2008. Don Draper. You get the picture. It took a TV show to get me drinking them regularly. But at least I admit it.
Back to Chef Geoff’s. As seems to be popular in DC these days, their Old Fashioned was made with bourbon instead of rye — a “tart cherry infused bourbon” that the waiter said is mixed up in-house. There was a nice orange peel (not an orange wedge like you sometimes find), standard cherry bitters, and some hibiscus that looked like a dried up cherry.
Bottom line: it was very well done. Smooth. Drinkable. Not fruity (again, no mashed up fruit). Just bourbon and deliciousness. At $9.95 it’s neither the cheapest nor the most expensive Old Fashioned in town. But if you’re ever in the Theater District and want a slick adult beverage, pop into Chef Geoff’s. You won’t be disappointed.
