The Next Whisky Bar

what a great bar that seems like it doesn't get talked about in town.My gal surprised me with a trip to DC last weekend. On top of that, was the surprise we would be staying at the WaterGate Hotel. We noted the lobby lounge when we were checking in, and made note to stop in later in the evening And that we did, around 6pm ,to start our night. It's a hotel bar so didn't expect much, but maybe those low expectations helped magnify how nice s to-in it was. the wall/entrance is build out of clear whisky bottles. It created a cool ambiance to start things off. The base of the bar was similarly adorned with rows of bottles. The 2 bar keeps were quick to say hello and offer up a drink. I noted that they really were a whisky bar with a few good options, so I got a nice 12 year scotch. I asked for it neat, with a water on the side. The bartender without me having to ask, set a water dropper next to the drink. I hadn't seen that nice touch in a while. Impressive.We were on our way quick, but did stop in the next night. I had a Old Fashioned that was on point that time. Some good old rock, was playing and the crowd was in a good mood too. Hopefully we are back soon, as this is my whisky bar in DC.

This is as close to the dictionary definition of style over substance as you can get. You can tell why more people probably eye this place up than its bar/restaurant counterpart 100 feet away in the Watergate lobby area - it has a very social media friendly wall/entrance area composed of glass bottles that manages to look bougie instead of tacky because it IS in a five-star hotel after all - and just has more of a unique vibe than the Kingbird, which for all of its positives DOES just look like a generic high-end establishment. My top-tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality and I actually tried to go in here immediately when we got to the Watergate earlier in the afternoon but we were told that it wasn't open until later (so it also has the exclusivity edge). Since it took us forever to walk to the Lincoln Memorial, we actually ended up returning here later than anticipated after it had finally opened so we decided to sample more of the Watergate wares before heading off on more adventures. Eh.Given that this place very obviously touts itself as a whiskey bar, I was disappointed that they didn't have more mainstream bourbon options. They DO have a barrel-aged cocktail section, but it was a little TOO high-end for my taste this early on - everything in that section was $35. Mileage may definitely vary there. It's a nice hotel so I think there's an expectation that you're going to be paying a pretty penny for almost anything, but I think $35 for most of the bourbon offerings is egregious. I went with the Virginia Ave from the $25 section of the menu, and was not a fan (so I may have dodged an additional $10 bullet). It was insanely sweet with no kick whatsoever, and the most egregious part of it for me was the inclusion (see attached picture) of a large cucumber peel that took up a decent chunk of the glass. Cucumber is actually one of my least favorite foods/tastes and there's no mention of it in the drink description. Huge miss for me. The one highlight for me was the Maryland Crab Dip. We ended up splitting that as an app even though it was listed in the entree section, and both of us really enjoyed it. The crab dip gold standard for me is still at the Cloverleaf in Caldwell, NJ, but this was probably in the tier right below that. Very cheesy (maybe a little too much because it slightly drowned out the crab), but really good, and the toasted bread was on point. Would get it again in a heartbeat, and arguably the best bang for the buck we encountered in the Watergate. The service was very good as well; from the minute we walked into this hotel, every single staffer was on their game, and it effortlessly translated from the initial doorman to random employees we happened to walk past by the restrooms, to the bartenders. A huge tribute to the Watergate, as they've clearly trained these people well (in hindsight, I was probably completely and utterly surrounded with school of hospitality graduates beyond simply my chum). It didn't completely cancel out a substandard element of the experience but it definitely smoothed it out a bit. Neither of the bar/restaurants we tested out here blew me away and honestly I'd choose the Kingbird over this just based on the quality of their drink. But if I DID come back to this one? I might have to hold my nose and hang out in the $35 section of the cocktail menu.

Washington, DC - I always find myself here post-show at Kennedy Center, as this is the closest place for drinks & nibbles (5-10 min walking distance without having to venture into Georgetown. Located in the lobby of the Watergate Hotel, Next Whiskey Bar is open late and serves fine cocktails and food; pricey but commensurate with lobby bars at comparably high-end hotels in major cities. The restaurant downstairs, Kingbird, closes by 9-10pm, but Next has usually been able to accommodate groups, which on this occasion was our party of 12 that staggered in at various times. They were very helpful in sorting us out and taking our orders at different times. Service, food, and drinks were all excellent. We were allowed to leisurely linger until closing time as people gradually ambled back to their rooms sleepily and tipsily.

What a beautiful, sparkly whiskey bar! The vibes are there. Located on the 1st floor of the Watergate Hotel, this gem has a nice selection of whisky options. The staff were helpful and friendly too.We came here on a Friday evening and started with bourbons, delicious! It was nice to end the evening going to the rooftop to see DC light up.

I was stopped by to grab a drink and something to eat before my showtime at the Kennedy Center. Underground parking was easy and convenient. The bar is on the ground level of the Watergate hotel. The servers are attentive and friendly. I enjoyed everything we ordered. My drink was a perfect blend of flavors. This is definitely a good restaurant option before a Kennedy Center performance.

Excellent Whistler Old Fashion! The Bone Marrow was delicious! Cool vibe with the wall of bottles.

The Next Whisky Bar is located on the first floor of the Watergate Hotel 2650 Virginia Avenue in D.C. Next door at 2600 Virginia Avenue is the Watergate Office Building where on the 6th Floor in the office of the Democratic National Committee on June 17, 1972, five burglers were arrested at 2:30 in the morning. The burglary and the coverup ultimately led to the resignation of President R.M. Nixon in August of 1974. The bar is a swanky, intimate and serene cocktail lounge. E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, the architects of the break-in and originally key functionaries in The White House Special Investigations Unit (aka The Plumbers, known as this since their job was to stop leaks) were staying in room 214 of the Hotel during the burglary. The bar entrance is quite spectacular, aglow with 2,500 illuminated whiskey bottles. The red velvet chairs are an inviting offering to sip a few and are more comfy than they appear. The Charcuterie Board was okay for noshing but nothing spectacular. While The Watergate Complex is a part of history, the Next Whiskey Bar was not frequented by Nixon's Attorney General & Campaign Manager John Mitchell and his wife Martha (aka The Mouth of the South) as it was not created until a total hotel renovation completed in 2016. In addition to the Mitchell's the Watergate has been the home of many D.C. luminaries. Enjoy The Next Whiskey Bar at the Watergate!

This is a cute whisky bar located on the first floor of the watergate hotel in DC. It is also a few minutes away from the Kennedy Center, so makes for a nice pre-drink and snacks location before a show. It is also quite intimate and romantic, so you can also stop by for a date, or an intimate gathering with friends to celebrate an occasion. Note that the menu options are on the pricy side! Be prepared to spend a little, as the cheapest cocktail was ~$25. The menu is also not super extensive, but there are a few wine options too along with some food items like a charcuterie board, a few sliders, and dips. The staff was very nice and respectful, and the bathroom was very clean and spacious. We stopped by on a Saturday afternoon and there was a lot of seating space. Would recommend if you're in the area and willing to spent a bit.

Located on the first floor of the watergate hotel, next is beautiful bar. Our reservation was for the winter igloos which were decorated well and definitely a worthwhile experience. The igloos had a heater inside that got quite warm so we never felt cold as well as a Bluetooth speaker to play your own music. Our waiter was attentive and always walking around so we could flag them if we needed anything. The food was decent but the portions are definitely bite sized. If you want a full entree meal this is not the place.

What could be a very cool, swanky bar is instead underwhelming seemingly because of being understaffed.This is the hotel bar for the Watergate Hotel. When my wife and I spent the night there for our anniversary, we decided we'd check it out when we checked in. We've walked by before and it has a very cool vibe with curving (in the style of the Watergate building) "walls" made out of fake whisky bottles. It would be even cooler if they were real whisky bottles, but hey. It's also got very nice red, mid-century modern style chairs and swanky tables giving the place a fantastically on-point vibe--especially at night. That said, we showed up at 3:30 and found out they didn't open until 4:30p, which seems really odd--especially on a Friday.We instead got food at Tazza Cafe and came back after seeing a show at the Kennedy Center. We should have moved a tiny bit faster. While we (luckily) beat the rush to the seats and got two seats and a table before the whole post-show rush showed up, we didn't beat the rush to the line at the bar and I wound up waiting 20 minutes in line to get our drinks. On the one hand, rushes happen. On the other hand it just seemed like they were disorganized and only one of the three bartenders really knew what they were doing.My wife got a glass of champagne and I got Octomore scotch. Both in terms of champagne and scotch, the selection didn't disappoint. They only had three champagnes on the menu, but they were all respectable and my wife really enjoyed hers. Unsurprisingly given the name of the bar, they have an impressive whisky and scotch collection. As a big fan of peaty, Islay scotch, I've always wanted to try Octomore, which are the peatiest scotches in the world, but I've never had a chance. They had four on the menu, but only two actually available. Still, impressive selection and they were delicious.Even after the rush right after the show died down, it took us another ~10 minutes in line to order another set of drinks to take up to our room. I got the second Octomore and my wife got an old fashioned. The old fashioned was only OK and they ran out of big ice cubes, so instead served it with normal, partially crushed ice, which resulted in it rapidly being watered down and too cold. That's a lot of service misses, even more so when you realize the cocktails are $25 and the champagne and rarer whiskies ranged from $40 to $80. It's not that price point is necessarily too high, but it's too high to then not get the service right.