Our neighborhood – the eastern half of DC’s Capitol Hill – has changed a lot in the ten years Nole and I have lived in the District. To put it mildly. One of our favorite neighborhood restaurants, where President Obama has chowed down on burgers and about which I’ve written before, occupies a space that once housed a rundown locksmith guarded by bulletproof glass. Which is why it is both a pleasure and not a surprise at all that an awesome new restaurant has moved into our neighborhood recently, Beuchert’s Saloon. Here’s my ode to one of their best cocktails: the very brown, very masculine, very delicious Inner Loop. – Andrew
Illustration by Tuesday Bassen for Oh So Beautiful Paper
The Inner Loop
2 oz Rye
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Aperol
2 Dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
1 Dash Absinthe
Combine everything with ice. Stir well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with an orange twist, and enjoy.
 
Rye, one of my favorite spirits, gives the Inner Loop a rich, spicy and oaky base. The two amari, Campari and Aperol – Italian bitter herbal liqueurs, add lots of bitterness and just a touch of orangey sweetness. The Peychaud’s reminds me of one of my absolute favorite drinks, the Sazerac, but not in a distracting way – the Inner Loop stands on its own merits. The Absinthe is noticeable, especially in the aftertaste, but is mostly there to knit all these other bold, complex flavors together into a richer whole.
In other words: it’s rich, spicy, bitter and a real Man’s Man drink. Unless you’re a lady who likes brown drinks, because I know there are plenty of you out there, in which case, then this one’s for you too.
Beuchert’s takes its name from a bar that once occupied the same space on Pennsylvania Avenue, founded by a German immigrant in 1880. The original apparently operated as a speakeasy during Prohibition but vanished sometime after that. The new Beuchert’s is a seriously good eat – these guys know how to grill a steak. But the real stars of the show (at least to a cocktail geek like me) are the drinks, including The Beltway Boy, the drink that inspired the Inner Loop.
Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper