I love a good rooftop bar, and in a city like DC, it's even more impressive. With the height of buildings limited by an act of Congress, anyone finding themselves enjoying a libation atop a building will likely have a view of monuments or famous places. I recently had the chance to visit Summit, the expansive rooftop deck of the Conrad Hotel in City Center.
First of all, it's got a great view. It seems most rooftops I've been to are part of hotels, which makes sense. The Conrad's is not readily accessible to folks off the street - to get there, you need to into the hotel, go up some elevators, exit, turn left then right then go straight, then go left again, go up *more* elevators, and then go right and you're there. Yeah. This is kind of fun since it cuts down on the amount of people that actually make it up there. Of course, this hotel is popular with trade associations and other corporate groups, so you'll find lots of those folks up there.
The Conrad's rooftop is one of the largest I think I've been to - there's space up here for probably 200 people. It's sort of U-shaped, with the bar at the nadir of the 'U'. Low couches with huge umbrellas are punctuated by raised planters, creating some natural dividers for privacy. There are seats at the bar and a few high-tops around the perimeter of the space. I chose a high-top, which gave me a nice view of Franklin Square and straight up 10th St NW up to Silver Spring.
For beverages, I chose their "New Perspective", which consists of vodka, goji berry syrup, cranberry, lemon, and ginger ale. Stirred, I presume, and served over ice:
It's not super boozy, which I like actually in this setting. I feel like for some vodka drinks, the tendency is to overload it with booze but that's not the case here. The goji berry is the real star here, giving the drink a dash of tartness which, combined with ginger ale, makes it snappy and fresh. It's garnished with a fresh flower, which I did not eat but oftentimes they are edible.
For vodka, they use Wheatley, which is a Buffalo Trace product and pretty decent. It's the only name-brand item in this ingredient list. It shouldn't matter, especially for vodka and especially for a drink with as many flavors as this. But it's still a good choice I think. I had their chili-encrusted shrimp as a snack and the spice/citrus pairing complemented the drink well.
Anyways, Summit is a cool spot and worth visiting. Obviously you need nice weather to fully appreciate it but it's worth a go. I hope to be back at some point soon to try out their other cocktails...likewise, their restaurant Estuary is highly-rated and also on my list. Since for some reason Google decided to delete, irretrievably, my other photos, here's an awkward panorama. You get the gist, though!
The Conrad Hotel, 900 New York Avenue, NW
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