History Happy Hour!

Last Thursday, we went to History Happy Hour — An Off the Wall Event at the Willard InterContinental. Inspired by the hotel’s storied history, the Off the Wall cocktail menu featured drinks crafted around the famous figures of the hotel’s past whose portraits adorn the walls of the Round Robin Bar. We snapped the White House Historical Association’s Jessica Fredericks with Shannon Schneider.

Historical figures featured on this menu include Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Abraham Lincoln, whose railroad campaign led to The Rail Candidate cocktail, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, whose affinity for blue-colored clothing inspired the Alice Blue cocktail, and Lillian Russell. Held on the third Thursday of every month, the two-hour event distilled American history through cocktails, while providing attendees a hands-on class on the art of cocktail making. Here, Jim Hewes with Round Robin Bar manager Krisztina Little.

Hewes, a venerable mixologist and bartender at The Willard’s Round Robin Bar for over 30 years, led the tasting and regaled guests about presidential family visits to the bar, as well as their favorite libations. The event was the kickoff to the History Happy Hour series and served as an unveiling of the Round Robin Bar’s new Off the Wall cocktail menu, providing attendees an exclusive first look and taste. Here, consultant Jeffrey Longano and IDB’s Sarah Robertson.

Attendees to happy hour also had the opportunity to discover more about these individuals while learning how to make three of the newest cocktails, including:

• Alice Blue (Peach Bitters infused Absolut Elyx, Senior & Co. Genuine Blue Curacao and Pineapple Extract)
• The Rail Candidate (Southern Comfort, Handcrafted Sweet & Sour Mix, Brandied Cherries) 
• Wildfire (Chili & Pepper-infused Havana Club Rum, Angostura Bitters, sugar and muddled oranges).

Here, The Willard’s Janet Scanlon and Mike Magnola.