There are a few rules in most bars; no talk about religion, wear a shirt, don’t play Gasolina on the jukebox and – in any case – no politics!
But at Political Pattie’s in Washington DC, protracted battles over national debt, raw milk regulations and cockfighting rules are the whole point.
Its co-owners, husband and wife team Drew and Sydney Benbow, have long dreamed of owning a place where the things they love about the nation’s capital, its politics and its know-it-alls, came together.
They are both lawyers and it is a mixed marriage: he is a Republican, she is a Democrat.
After they set up shop in a shuttered gay bar called The Dirty Goose, angry neighbors immediately accused them of replacing it with a — gasp — Republican watering hole.
The moment they opened, the pitchforks demanded they close.
Political Pattie’s logo featured a donkey and an elephant, which was naturally misinterpreted by local snobs as unsustainable support for the antebellum South.
In a concession—that would make a typical Congressman a wretch—the Benbows removed the animals from the logo, creating a firestorm on the right. (These partisan idiots can make anyone drink.)
But Drew, who grew up on the bad side of the Capitol, said he had always been aware of two very different DCs.
Political Pattie’s logo featured a donkey and an elephant, which was naturally misinterpreted by local snobs as unsustainable support for the antebellum South.
There’s the Filibuster Fizz, The Running Mate, Espress-Obama-tini and the Moscow Donkey, a refreshing take on the typical mule that combines vodka, a thimbleful of pineapple juice, mint, cranberry and ginger beer.
Before him, there was the one where the rich and powerful break bread over a $500 meal – and DC where he’s from.
Anacostia, where he grew up, is not known for its Michelin-starred restaurants and multimillion-dollar townhomes.
His father was shot and killed earlier this year, a tragic victim of DC’s brutal gun violence.
Drew also spent twenty years in the Army (retiring as a major), served several tours in Afghanistan, and served in Special Operations Command in Korea and Africa.
‘I’m fortunate to be in a position where I have access to both sides. A very rough part of town – Anacostia – and now I live and work on a side of town that is more refined,” he told me.
“We want to bring people together who may not agree or talk to each other,” Drew explained.
It sounded like a heavy lift to me, given where America is now. And hey, I just wanted a nice drink. And not just one.
In fact, I’ve tried several politically themed cocktails.
There’s the Filibuster Fizz, The Running Mate, Espress-Obama-tini and the Moscow Donkey, a refreshing take on the typical mule that combines vodka, a thimbleful of pineapple juice, mint, cranberry and ginger beer.
My liver waved the white flag, but I still had to try the Elephant in the Room. Gin, vodka, tequila, rum, pineapple, Sprite. Oh, and a touch of cirrhosis.
The strange thing about it? I couldn’t taste the alcohol! Or remember my own name.
I sat with a patron named Chris, who, as a Democrat, has many friends who vote Republican, like his best friend, the Marine, who is stuck with Trump.
His friend said to him, “Chris, you are the smartest person I know, how can you vote for Kamala?”
My liver waved the white flag, but I still had to try the Elephant in the Room. Gin, vodka, tequila, rum, pineapple, Sprite. Oh, and a touch of cirrhosis.
At Political Pattie’s in Washington DC, protracted battles over national debt, raw milk regulations and cockfighting rules are the whole point.
Chris shook his head when I asked if that made him angry. ‘No, I have argued my case. He listened. I know I made him think. Now I hope he changes his mind, but if he doesn’t, I still love him.’
Those are the ghosts!
Inspired by the political Pattie crowd and fortified by every drink in Grandma’s cupboard, I also ventured into DC night
Standing outside the adjacent bar, I asked the customers as they walked in and out, “Are you voting for Trump?”
The politest response I got was “Ewwww!” The rest included suggestions to put my ballot in a place where a licensed physician would be required to pick it up.
For now, what happens in Political Patties stays in Political Patties – especially in Washington DC
Co-owners, husband and wife team, Drew (above, right) and Sydney Benbow have long dreamed of owning a place where the things they love about the nation’s capital, its politics and the know-it-alls came together.
I ended the evening – and doubled down on the audacity of my transfer – with a rooftop meeting of whiskey and cigar entrepreneurs.
I ended the evening – and doubled down on the audacity of my transfer – with a rooftop meeting of whiskey and cigar entrepreneurs.
There I met, I kid you not, a young man named Tom Brokaw (no relation) who kickstarted my heart with his specialty brand of Rooster Cigar.
Tom explained why cigars are the perfect tool for overcoming rifts: “If I sit with you and we all have a cigar, we have an hour to figure things out.”
Maybe, Tom. Or maybe you get a smoldering ember in your eye, but you have to appreciate his feelings.
Here’s to a less divisive next four years.
I drink to that.