After a yearlong hiatus, Derek Brown’s James Beard Award-nominated cocktail bar this week announced it is returning to Shaw’s Blagden Alley.Columbia Room, Brown’s intimate cocktail bar has plans to re-open in on February 9, 2016 with the same meticulously crafted cocktails and intimate drinking experience. The revamped Columbia Room is a 2,400-square foot bar that will divided into three distinct areas: The Spirits Library, Punch Garden (outside) and Tasting Room.
“We’re so excited that we get to expand on our original idea” Brown says about the Columbia Room, which he originally launched inside The Passenger in 2010. “It means that we get to add bells and whistles, but it also means that we get to bring a new perspective, a more confident perspective that I think, for guests, will translate into a richer experience with our service, drinks and food.”
Against the backdrop of a stunning Italian mosaic mural that tells the story of the bar, ticketed patrons at the Columbia Room’s signature 14-person tasting room can indulge in three and five-course tasting menus featuring specialty cocktails, punches, sodas and light snacks curated by Brown and his team of expert bartenders, including head bartender J.P. Fetherston.
The 20-seat Spirits Library, framed by bookcases and original artwork, will allow guests to taste one-of-a-kind spirits and cocktails à la carte.
The Punch Garden, an outside terrace with a panoramic view of Washington, is slated to open in Spring 2016.
