Looking for a new place to enjoy happy hour drinks this summer? Try these six new options for discounted tiki cocktails, craft beers, fancy shots and classy French wines.
Central Michel Richard
1001 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. centralmichelrichard.com.
When: 5 to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Michel Richard's Pennsylvania Avenue restaurant has never been known for its happy hour, but its new after-work menu is definitely worth investigating. The $8 cocktail menu is generally conservative – a Cuba Libre and a Moscow Mule are among the six options – but there are some highlights: the Old Fashioned gets a richer flavor from the addition of a mission fig syrup, and it's hard to say "no" to a French 75 made with Ford's gin and sparkling wine. The $8 wine list is far fancier than most bars' house-red-or-white options: Try a syrah from Languedoc, a rose from the Loire or a sauvignon blanc from Bordeaux. Naturally, there are small bites: The restaurant's legendary gougeres are $5, as are mini croque monsieurs; the offerings range all the way up to $10 fried chicken sandwiches or classic onion-bacon tarts.
Espita Mezcaleria
1250 Ninth St. NW. espitadc.com.
When: 5 to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday
Espita offers the best selection of mezcal in Washington, but that spirit only makes fleeting appearances on the bar's happy hour menu. The $9 beer-and-a-shot special is a Miller High Life with a choice of either peppery El Buho or smoky El Silencio mezcals. With a group, $24 will get you a six-ounce carafe of either one. Other options include a $4 draft beer and $7 house wines.
Spider Kelly's
3181 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. spiderkellys.com.
When: 4 to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; all-night specials Monday and Tuesday
With the addition of a 300-person back patio in late May, Spider Kelly's became one of the most attractive outdoor happy hour options in Clarendon. Weekday specials include $4 draft beers, sangria and wines by the glass, and $10 buckets of domestic cans. On weekends, a bucket of imported cans is $10 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wine is half-price all night on Monday, and sangria is half-price on Tuesday.
Tapp'd Bethesda
4915 St. Elmo Ave., Bethesda. tappdbethesda.com.
When: 3 to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, 11 p.m. to close daily.
The replacement for Union Jack's British Pub is a slightly more upscale craft beer bar from the same group of owners. The taps are heavily focused on Maryland breweries, with RAR, Jailbreak, Denizens and Manor Hill. "Our goal is to have half of the drafts from within 50 miles," says general manager Rob Cousins, adding that 23 of the 42 beers currently meet that goal. There are five or six "house beers" on the menu, but this isn't a brewpub: The "Tapp'd IPA" and "Tapp'd Dark Mild" all come from Oliver Brewing in Baltimore. Those house beers are $4 from 3 to 7 p.m. on weekdays, along with house wines. All house cocktails are also $2 off, and a menu of wings, sliders and other snacks is $5.
Twisted Horn
819 Upshur St. NW. twistedhorndc.com.
When: 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Friday.
Michael Saccone of Hank's on the Hill took over the bar program at sister restaurant Twisted Horn in May, and his changes to the Petworth watering hole include a new happy hour. The menu now features $3 Tecate and Miller Lite; $5 house red, white and sparkling wines; a $5 Old Fashioned with Pikesville Rye; and a $5 house punch, which rotates daily. (One recent concoction added basil and cucumbers to the classic gin-and-mint Southside cocktail.) Coming later in June: a 40-seat patio with its own happy hour, including $5 Aperol Spritz, rose cocktails and frozen drinks.