Sitting down at a bar these days can feel like taking a seat in a theater. Cocktails aren’t just drinks; they’re sensory-enveloping performances. Spotlighting bold flavors, vibrant colors, clever glassware and garnishes galore, they sometimes arrive tricked out with smoke, fire or dry ice. They’re so eye-catching and engaging that most patrons reach for their phones to record the drinkable drama before they take a sip.
The experience isn’t over when the glass is drained—drinkers love sharing these over-the-top cocktails on social media, where they garner lots of likes and cascades of comments. “Instagram, TikTok and Facebook are why you’re seeing so many cocktails that are so visual,” says Mel Woodham, 36, marketing manager for Common Plate Hospitality, which owns Turncoat speakeasy in Chevy Chase, as well as The Heights food hall next door and other concepts. “These drinks allow people to show off. They say, ‘Hey, we’re participating in fun activities, seeing exciting new things, and are out and about in the world.’ ”
Get in on the action with these five striking sippers that provide top-shelf entertainment.
Black Widow at On St. Elmo
The Black Widow ($16) looks like something out of a witch’s lair. A sliver of dry ice bubbles away in its shimmering lilac depths, creating a mystical mist that enwreathes the dazzling concoction. Its spellbinding hue comes from Empress 1908 indigo gin, complemented with lavender syrup and lemon juice. A lemon peel perches jauntily on the rim of its coupe glass.
“The cocktail is an immersive experience that keeps you in the moment,” says Sarah Rehman, 36, who co-owns On St. Elmo with her husband, Michael Romeo, 50, a veteran nightlife impresario and restaurateur who owns 13 venues in D.C.
She could say the same thing about On St. Elmo, the restaurant, bar and lounge they opened in November with hopes of bringing a chic city sensibility to downtown Bethesda. The space’s color scheme takes its inspiration from peacocks, so it’s flattered with rich emeralds, dark purples, golds and royal gem tones. Adding further flair are cerise accent lights, gleaming black marble bar tops, and a centerpiece cherry-red couch.
No matter what you order to drink, it’s designed to go well with all the glitz and glamour. Another prime example is the flashy Cotton Candy Sparkling Rosé. A small cloud of cotton candy speckled with edible glitter sits on the rim of a wine glass filled with a beguiling pink mixture of sparkling rosé, vodka and lemon juice. To enjoy, the fluffy spun sugar is plunged into the drink, where it dissolves instantly, adding shimmer and glimmer, and surely eliciting oohs and aahs.
On St. Elmo, 4915 St. Elmo Ave., Bethesda, 301-701-6728, onstelmo.com
Indigo Smoke Show at Turncoat
The Indigo Smoke Show ($22) at Turncoat is so showy and spectacular it should win a Tony Award. The striking indigo-colored cocktail gets its hue from Conniption Kinship gin, which is shaken with dry vermouth, lemon juice and a touch of absinthe. It’s poured over a large ice cube made of butterfly pea flower tea, a petal-powered Southeast Asian tea that initially has a deep blue color. As the ice melts, a magical reaction occurs. The butterfly pea flower tea interacts with the acid of the lemon juice, altering its pH balance and transforming the drink into a glamorous pinkish purple hue. That’s not the only element to dazzle drinkers. The cocktail arrives under a glass cloche filled with smoking cherry wood chips, adding another layer of flavor, a whoosh of heady aroma and presentational pizzazz.
The Indigo Smoke Show marks a larger shift for the speakeasy’s cocktail program. “Last year, our cocktails were more ingredient focused, including a lot of preparation behind the scenes and some odder flavors, such as vermouth infused with blue crab,” Woodham says. “This year, we’re pivoting to focus on presentation and experience. Cocktails will be more interactive and in your face with a surprising wow factor.” Think a spicy margarita served with a serpentine cucumber twist inside a smoking box, or a blackberry martini that glimmers thanks to luster dust in its purply depths and a rim of edible gold dust.
Woodham loves seeing patrons react to Turncoat’s new showstopping cocktails. “You could just give them a drink,” she says, “but we’re giving them an experience they’ll hopefully remember and look back on fondly.”
Turncoat, 5406 Wisconsin Ave., Suite A, Chevy Chase, 240-800-3822, theturncoatbar.com
The Perfect Storm at The Salt Line
This origin story begins with a glass. Not an ordinary piece of drinkware, but rather a splashy ceramic tiki glass encircled by a giant lobster. “And if you have a ridiculous glass, you have to have a ridiculous cocktail to go in it,” reasons Donato Alvarez, 38, beverage director for Long Shot Hospitality, which owns The Salt Line in downtown Bethesda and other restaurants in D.C. and Virginia.
Alvarez and his team were thinking about brunch options, so they brainstormed what might appeal to a diner nursing a hangover and looking for something to take the edge off. They ultimately created The Perfect Storm ($30), a bloody mary strengthened with a double shot of vodka and incorporating tomato juice, olive brine, carrot juice (to balance the acidity), and a hit of soy sauce in place of the usual Worcestershire.
Then came the ridiculousness: How many garnishes could they add to it? “It was a game of Tetris for a while, seeing what would fit, what didn’t fit,” Alvarez says.
Ultimately, they managed to fit a cocktail shrimp, a raw oyster, a crab claw or lobster leg, and a skewer featuring pickles, olives and a fried salt cod fritter. “Basically, it’s a mini-platter of our raw bar,” says Alvarez, noting The Perfect Storm towers a foot and a half tall, plus it arrives with a plate for discarded shells and the skewer.
Though the cocktail is officially only on the brunch menu, the bar team is happy to whip one up at any time if they have the ingredients available.
The Salt Line, 7284 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, 240-534-2894, thesaltline.com
Brazilian Zombie at Hippie Flask
The bar team at Hip Flask Rooftop Bar offers an ever-changing list of trendy forward-thinking cocktails that delight the palate and the eye. Standouts from the rotation include the Ohh Berries, a vodka boosted bevvy with a regal lavender tint courtesy of ube (Filipino purple yam), the pale green Pandamonium, powered by pineapple and coconut rums and topped with toasted shredded coconut, and the almond accented Trinidad Sour, garnished with an edible Japanese maple leaf.
Despite the desire for constant change and innovation, the Brazilian Zombie ($15), one of Hip Flask’s top-selling cocktails, is never going away. “If we removed it from the menu, people would be knocking on our front door to make sure it came back the next day,” says Dupree Braswell, 40, director of restaurant operations at the Marriott Bethesda Downtown, where the bar is located.
The smooth-drinking tropical fiesta features fresh lime juice, grapefruit juice mixed with essential oils, cinnamon syrup, spiced rum and cachaça, a Brazilian spirit distilled from fermented sugarcane. “It’s a little bit of bitter, a little bit of sweet, and a little of spice,” Braswell says.
Its taste is only half the appeal. The breezy sipper arrives in a photo-worthy tiki glass garnished with a pointed pineapple frond, a dehydrated lime wheel and a cinnamon stick, which is ignited with a small blowtorch. “It’s a conversation piece that creates buzz,” Braswell says. “And people love posting about it on social media. That’s a win-win.”
Hip Flask Rooftop Bar, 7707 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, 301-276-7707, hipflaskrooftop.com
Inflation at Gyuzo Japanese BBQ
Nobody likes inflation, but anyone can develop a love for Inflation ($13), a blinged out cocktail-turned-social media star at Gyuzo Japanese BBQ in Rockville Town Square.
It all starts with house-infused matcha lemongrass gin, yogurt, lemon and sake shaken together and strained into a coupe glass. A wooden honey dipper glistening with honey is plunged into its creamy depths. For a head-turning finishing touch, a replica of a $100 bill made of rice paper is clipped to the edge of the glass and set ablaze with a miniature blowtorch when the drink is served.
“As soon as people see the blowtorch, they ask the server to hold on so they can take a picture or video,” says Will Dotson, 26, the restaurant’s bar manager and assistant general manager.
For Dotson, Inflation is emblematic of Gyuzo’s approach to cocktails. “We have a pretty heavy emphasis on presentation,” he says. “After all, cocktails have always been entertainment. We’ve just evolved with the modern times.”
Case in point is another eye-catcher, the AI Sakura. A heady mixture of silver tequila, lime juice and pineapple juice, it features an edible QR code floating on its surface. Scan the code and point the Instagram filter at the cocktail to watch a digital cherry tree magically blossom above it.
Gyuzo Japanese BBQ, 33 Maryland Ave., Unit B, Rockville, 240-403-7670, gyuzobbq.com
Brazilian Zombie
From Hip Flask Rooftop Bar at Marriott Bethesda Downtown
With only five ingredients, this creative cocktail can be whipped up at home. Cachaça (a Brazilian spirit distilled from fermented sugarcane) is available at most liquor stores, and Seacrets spiced rum can be ordered online from various retailers. Makes 1 serving.
Ingredients
2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
1 ounce cachaça
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce cinnamon syrup
½ ounce Seacrets spiced rum
Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds.
3. Pour into a tiki glass filled with cubed ice and serve.
This appears in the May/June 2025 issue of Bethesda Magazine.
