DC “DCocktail” Series: Copycat Co.

The DC “DCocktail” Series highlights the food, ambiance, and most especially the cocktails at restaurants in and around the District of Columbia.  We find out about the background of the cocktail menu and how the restaurant uses it to make its mark on the nation’s capital.

Open since November 2014, Copycat Co. (1110 H Street NE, 20002) is a new dumpling shop and cocktail bar located in the H St. Corridor of NE Washington, DC.  I was able to chat with owner Devin Gong, taste a few cocktails on their extensive menu and sample a couple of food items.

Cocktails

According to Devin, Copycat’s focus is on making classic cocktails really well.  Cocktails like the Old-Fashioned, Sours, Fizzes, Collins, DC Rickeys, and Mules are all staples on their permanent menu.

“That’s where the name ‘Copycat’ comes from.  I’m not trying to make my own, more like we’re curating a drink list,” Gong says.  Copycat also has a temporary cocktail menu, which Devin aims to rotate each week but each board stays up about 2-3 weeks.

What happens if you want the same cocktail you had a few weeks ago? Don’t fret!  If you remember the name (or check out their online menu archives) they’ll make that for you too.

Right now their drink menu is focused on bitters.  I tried Copycat’s Old Fashioned, Apple Toddy, and Trinidad Sour.  All very different but equally delicious.

Since they change the cocktail menu every week, there’s always something new to try at this burgeoning bar.  Their upcoming menu includes Tiki cocktails (bring on Spring!).

How much are Copycat’s cocktails?  Each cocktail is only $11, which is a steal in DC where drinks can go anywhere from $10 to $17.

Not in the mood for a cocktail?  They have a simple wine and beer menu, offering one red and one white wine with a few more beer options.  “I try to keep it as simple as possible,” says Gong.

Food

While this is a cocktail bar, they do offer dumplings, baos and skewers. But there is no correlation between the food and drink menus.  “Cocktails are really meant for before and after dinner.  It’s never really meant for paring with dinner.  Wine paring for food is hard to beat,” says Gong.

You’re able to buy the ENTIRE food menu for $24. You read that right! Everything is a la carte.  I sampled the Triple delight dumplings (chicken, pork and beef) and spicy beef skewers.  They were the perfect bite size foods to enjoy with my cocktails.

Keep in mind that this is a cocktail bar, so if you’re looking for large plates, eat before you get there.

Ambiance

I loved the ambiance at Copycat.   With a new age speakeasy feel, cocktails take the center stage and everyone knows it.  Dark lighting, dark wood but with a brightly colored menu give this bar a modern twist.

Copycat is open 7 days a week and has late hours, closing at 2 a.m. during the week and 3 a.m. on weekends.  So if you’re hanging out and don’t want the night to end or you want a late night snack, this is the perfect place.

Be sure to stop by and tell them Will Drink For Travel sent you!

Cheers!

Ashlee
Photo Credit: Ashlee Tuck

5 Lessons Learned From a Year of Blogging

I had the idea to start Will Drink For Travel in January of 2014 as a way to keep my family and friends abreast of my travels during my 2-month stay in Tanzania.  The more I researched, the more I realized this could be an actual “thing.”  I could start a blog about something I actually love…TRAVEL!  (Why did that take me 30 years?!)

I found a web designer (something I think all new bloggers should do), talked to blogger friends about the do’s & don’ts of blogging (shout out to Joi-Marie of The Fab Empire and Kim of Pish Posh Perfect for being my resident advisors) and off I went!  A year later…here we are and here are some of the things I’ve learned.

1. It’s hard work.

Research, consistency, time management, planning and so much more go into making a blog successful.  Before I started WDFT, I never really realized how much effort people put into making their blog visually appealing and most importantly, relevant.

When you start a blog, you’re basically building a brand from the ground up.  It’s not something you realize when you think, “Hey, I want to start a blog!”  Social media followings, content development, relevancy, and networking all matter if you want your travel blog to be more than just a place for your own thoughts and diary of your travels.

2. Your brain is always ON.

I’m always thinking about what my next move is.  How can I make my blog better?  How can I be more relevant?  What other bloggers are doing what I want to do?  I feel like I am always thinking about how to up the ante for WDFT.  I guess that happens when you care about your end product and want people to like the content you produce.

3. You actually have to enjoy blogging to keep up with it.

While I’ve only been blogging for a year, it’s taught me a lot about myself. Yesterday, I said to a friend how surprised I am that I’m still keeping up with it.  That’s the honest truth.  Usually, I have great ideas and will start something but not finish it for a variety of excuses reasons…I don’t have the time, it’s too hard or frankly, I’m too lazy to continue.

I have been surprisingly consistent in updating WDFT.  I’ve read several blogs that say you need to be consistent and come up with a weekly schedule for yourself and for your readers.  I haven’t yet mastered this but it’s on my list of things to accomplish for 2015.

4. You will be told NO.  And you have to get over it.

This one is the hardest to accept but my blog isn’t as established (yet) as some other travel blogs.  I can reach out to Tourism Authorities, hotels, restaurants, spirits or whomever, and they may tell me no.  And that’s OKAY.

I went to an event for DC Area Bloggers last week and my new blogger friend Jess of The Dining Traveler dropped a little nugget of wisdom. She’s been blogging for a few years and said that when she first started her site, she wanted to partner with a hotel and they denied her.  Years later, she’s recently worked with that same hotel and everything’s come full circle.  I have to remember that I am still new to travel blogging.  If I build it, they will come.

5. A plan and direction are important.

Once you get a blog up and running, you have to focus on building your content.  That sounds harder than one might think.  Posting twice a week for 52 weeks is 104 posts.  Coming up with 104 different posts sounds just as difficult as it is.

I may have slow weeks when I’m not traveling or can’t really think of fresh content.  I don’t believe in posting BS just to say something’s posted for the week.  But it’s absolutely necessary for me to think about what I want to accomplish with my blog and come up with a plan for the week, month and the year.  That’s the only way I will continue to have fresh and meaningful content that goes with the theme of my site.

Overall, it’s been a great year of blogging.  While it has been harder than I imagined, I’ve loved every second of it.  I’ve proved a lot to myself and have virtually started from the bottom (cue Drake).  I’ve been on the radio, featured in a few online magazines and the word about Will Drink For Travel continues to spread.  Cheers to one great year down, and many more to go!