Nearing its five-year anniversary, Georgetown’s Rí Rá Irish Pub with its upstairs Whiskey Room is not about to let itself get lost among the groundswell of new competing whiskey bars that have come on to the scene in recent years (not to mention the many that were already in DC).
Adding renewed life to Rí Rá is its release of a new craft cocktail menu for the summer. It includes a selection of six innovate drinks, such as the “Irish Maid,” made with Jameson Black Barrel Whisk, St. Germain, lemon juice, simple syrup, and muddled cucumbers; and the “Flowers.” made with locally made Green Hat Gin, Chambord, lemon juice, St. Germain, cranberry juice, and egg whites.
However, the big power play for Rí Rá is the announcement that it has a bottle of Teeling’s 34-Year-Old Vintage Reserve Single Malt, the oldest single malt to be bottled in Ireland.
“When we were approached by Teeling to be one of the owners of the oldest and rarest Irish single malt whiskeys, we jumped at the opportunity,” said Des Whelan, general manager of the Rí Rá Georgetown. “The Teeling 34-Year-Old Vintage Reserve Single Malt is a perfect fit for our whiskey portfolio and our Irish Whiskey Collection, which is one of the most extensive collections in D.C.”
Teeling only produced 43 bottles with 37 of them distributed to outlets in the U.S. –the largest market for Irish whiskey. In hand-engraved bottles produced by the famed Glencairn Crystal company, this rare whiskey has a retail value of approximately $5,000 per bottle.
Rí Rá is the owner of bottle #23. Visitors will find it proudly showcased on the stunning antique bar in the Whiskey Room among the more than 400 whiskeys available.
A 1.5 ounce pour of the Teeling’s 34 at Rí Rá will set you back $875. Which is a bargain given that the only other bottle in the DC area is at Quadrant Bar & Lounge in The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. and is poured at $1,200.
Sláinte, Rí Rá.
Rí Rá Georgetown, 3125 M Street, NW, is open daily and features live or DJ music most evenings. Call (202) 751-2111 or visit www.rira.com/georgetown for a reservation.
