A snack-worthy speakeasy

With the rise of artisan cocktails and their inventive constructions, delicate infusions, and nuanced flavor profiles, it can be easy to forget that food is also a thing that tastes good. For a cocktail spot that remembers: Last Exit.

An unpretentious speakeasy bricked out in Tonic's basement, Last Exit's red-lit bar pairs each of its intriguing new cocktails with specific, complementary/complimentary snacks to be enjoyed on antique parlor chairs and a "fainting couch", which hopefully pulls out into a full bed when the Jonas Brothers play Wonderland. Minimalist booze inventions include the granola-accompanied Antoinette with OJ tempering ginger & Blackstrap molasses, the Violetta with mint-infused bourbon bolstered by chocolate chips, and the lemon/tea-infused vodka Olivia paired with popcorn and served on the rocks, which could also describe your relationship the last time your girlfriend caught you pairing popcorn with the Jonas Brothers 3D. They're also doing spin-offs of some of the classics (sans-food), like the Sammy Slick Side Car with St. Remy XO, Cointreau, and fresh lime, the Sazerac Willie with rye, bitters & "contagious fumes" of absinthe, and the Old Fashioned-inspired Odessa with orange bitters, club soda, and a bourbon called "Fighting Cock", despite being brewed in Kentucky, and not outside in the line to Third Edition.

They've also got six taps (from a Rodenbach red sour ale, to DC's first draft line of Natty Boh), trying all of which is, ironically, a sure fire way to make sure you don't forget about food.