Tiki Bar at the Wharf

Our periodic exploration takes us to the newest rum distillery in the district as we explore the beautiful waterfront on a spring afternoon.

Southwest DC Waterfront

We are headed to veteran barman Todd Thrasher's rum distillery and Polynesian-style tiki bar on the Southwest Waterfront.

Tiki Bar at the Wharf

Potomac Distilling Company a three-story tropical bar and rum production distillery is the newest addition to the Wharf. The tiki bar is Todd Thrasher's new project after pioneering DC's speakeasy trend over a decade ago with Alexandria's cocktail haunt, PX.

The waterfront rum distillery and island-style tiki bar has a tropical rooftop with bamboo creeping up all three floors, and bartenders cranking up rum based cocktails and the menu offering Asian and tropical small plates snacks.

A Brief History of Tiki Bar

Though Tiki bars have a South Pacific decor, they actually started in America and perhaps can be thought of to be as authentic to the South Pacific as fortune cookies are to China.

Don the Beachcomber, menu cover, 1943

The credit for founding one of the earliest and perhaps the first of what is now known as a tiki bar, goes to Ernest Gantt, an American adventurer, businessman, and World War II veteran, who opened, Don the Beachcomber, a prototypical tiki bar during the 1930s in Hollywood, California. Gantt, who later changed his name to 'Donn Beach' is said to have spent many of his young years touring the South Pacific for inspiration.

The other archetypal bar is Trader Vic's, the first of which was created by Victor Bergeron in Oakland, California, in 1936.

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Event Details

Event: Tiki Bar at the Wharf

Description: Exploring Todd Thrasher's rum distillery and Polynesian-style tiki bar on the Southwest Waterfront.

Date/Time: Saturday April 20, 2019 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM

Admission: Free / Grapes & Grains members must RSVP

Venue

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm - Potomac Distilling Company

1130 Maine Ave SW Washington, DC 20024

Google Map for Potomac Distilling Company

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