Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/49694
Jack Rose Dining Saloon Whiskey afi cionados should grab a stool before perusing Jack Rose's hefty bar book, which touts more than 1,400 spirits, including a large assortment of scotches, bourbons and whiskeys. The Adams Morgan bar's three levels provide three very different experi- ences, and the library bar, tin-stamped ceilings, vintage lighting and vest- wearing bartenders on the main fl oor lend a Prohibition-feel. Beverage Director Rachel Sergi runs the cocktail program, well-rounded and not unsurprisingly whiskey-centric, with classic and whimsical spins. Her fi ery Not Your Mother's Scotch Bonnet mixes Bushmill's Irish Whiskey, Combier, Dubonnet and grapefruit with a Scotch Bonnet pepper-infused syrup. The Knuckleball combines Wry Moon White Whiskey, Cocchi Americano and Pernod Absinthe, with a dash of Maldon sea salt and Fee Brothers' Aztec Chocolate Bitters. Sergi lauds her bar team as her source of inspiration behind the stick. "They come to work each and every day ready to have fun, learn, create, question and work hard. They are instrumental in establishing the end result." In the kitchen, Chef Michael Hartzer's Caesar salad with grilled romaine pairs swimmingly with a smoky, peaty Scotch such as Laphroaig; a grilled chop of venison with salsify and a cherry Jack Rose sauce sings next to the venue's namesake cocktail. Twenty beers on tap and 70 wines partner with bar bites and entrées alike. jackrosediningsaloon.com. Beverage Director Rachel Sergi mixes up the bar's namesake Jack Rose cocktail, with Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, housemade grenadine and lime. december 201 1 / the tasting panel / 97