all photos: Shauna Alexander

There are 2 types of people in this world: those that like warm, winter drinks and those that don’t. I’ve personally never been much of a warm drink person but every year, without fail, W Washington’s POV lounge manages to hook me on something steamy and alcoholic in a cup. So when we heard their winter cocktail menu was ready for sampling, we high-tailed it over to the best-view in town and got to tasting.

The list this year is short but (decidedly) sweet: hot apple butter rum, pumpkin cider, whiskey skin, and sheridan’s coffee offer a little something for every palate.

Unanimously, the HOT APPLE BUTTERED RUM is the stand out. Perfectly spiced and rich, it is what you think a holiday tastes like (but not overwhelmingly so) and enough to inspire you to get the ball rolling on test-driving some at-home recipes for it, since you may not be able to live without it between visits to P.O.V. (you think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not, I promise)

The pumpkin cider stands the unfair advantage with me in the sense that I am the one lone person in the world that’s not lighting pumpkin candles while sipping pumpkin lattes and watching “It’s a great big pumpkin Charlie Brown” the second there is a crisp in the autumn air. Pumpkins are perfect in pies and I never feel the need to stick them in anything else. Still, if you usually feel your ciders are a little too acidic, than this little number is perfect for you.

The whiskey skin is like a hot toddy but one that means serious business. Nothing there to distract from the whiskeyness of it all, just a little sugar and a lemon peel on top. The drink is so soothing I am pretty sure you could persuade even those reluctant to indulge in hard liquor (and we all know one or two of those hold outs) that it has therapeutic qualities and that it will help “keep that cold away”.

And naturally, there’s their play on Irish Coffee (or Sheridan’s coffee as it’s called if you’re sitting on top of the White House while sipping it) to round things out. Strong, black as the depths of your soul and yet with a perfect foam on top, it is the one option on the menu that will make a real man out of you (or your date). Trust us.

preferred form of consumption:

oh, and a side note: while we were there, they had a gourmet s’more station going, which was HEAVEN. hope it wasn’t a one-off.