From District Made to the Amalfi Coast in D.C.'s Ivy City

After a visit to the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America we decided to visit a couple of distilleries in nearby Ivy City starting with District Made Spirits. For those familiar with the D.C. spirits scene, two weeks ago this distillery was known as One Eight Distilling. But owners, Andy Wood and Alex Lauffer, now want to emphasize, not only their location in Washington D.C., but also their use of regional grains grown in Maryland and Virginia.  I chose a flight of their Core Spirits featuring their Ivy City Gin, Straight Rye Whiskey, and Straight Bourbon Whiskey. 

The Gin uses the District Made Vodka ($30) mash bill of 66% Abruzzi Rye,  28% Corn, and 6% Malted Rye which is then steeped with ten botanicals. These include Appalachian Allspice and Grains of Paradise for aromatics and a lower juniper profile. And from what I can glean, Abruzzi Rye is a cultivar that has higher yields than other rye varieties.  The District Made Ivy City Gin ($35) immediately brought thoughts of Negronis. Interestingly, we decided on purchasing a bottle of the vodka after a sample (1) because we didn't have any at home and (2) it contains noticeable creamy flavor.

The two whiskeys were also quite solid with the District Made Straight Rye Whiskey ($50) containing a little more malted rye than the gin and vodka with a mash bill of 57% Abruzzi Rye, 14% Corn, and 29% Malted Rye. This reminded me of Pennsylvania ryes, not a spice bomb, but reasonable levels of honeyed cinnamon and spice. I slightly preferred this over the District Made Straight Bourbon Whiskey ($50) which has a very unique recipe of 58% Corn, 16% Abruzzi Rye, 12% Malted Rye, 8% Hard Red Winter Wheat,  and 6% Malted Barley. Interestingly, the grains are distilled and aged in two batches, one with higher percentages of winter wheat and the other a higher percentage of rye. The final bottling uses a mixture of the different barrels. 

Our original destination for the day, Don Ciccio & Figli, is located directly across the street from District Made. This distillery has been operating in the District for over ten years, starting in 2012 and moving to the larger location in Ivy City in 2019. Providentially, owner Francesco Amodeo was manning the Bar Sirenis on our arrival and walked us through their history and a 17 Italian Herbal Liqueur and Cordial tasting kit. 

Amodeo was inspired to open the distillery based on a family heritage of distilling liqueurs on the Amalfi Coast. This tradition began in 1883 when Vincenzo Amodeo started creating liqueurs and devising a large collection of recipes.  The Amodeo family crafted these liqueurs up onto World War II when the stills were closed and the recipes locked away in order to rebuild the country. In 1951, Francesco Amodeo's grandfather Francesco, or Don Ciccio, resurrected the family tradition by building a distillery in the hills of Furore, near Positano and Capri. "The liqueurs are reborn, crafted exactly as they had been until 1931". Sadly, in 1980 an earthquake completely destroyed the distillery to rubble and it wasn't until 2012, in America, that the Amodeo family liqueurs were resurrected a second time. 

Today the distillery offers a plethora of herbal liqueurs, cordials, vermouths, spirits, and bottled cocktails. When you visit here some words of advice. (1) Do not order an Aperol Spritz. You will have your hand slapped. Bar Sirenis only serves cocktails using ingredients produced at the distillery. Instead, order an Ambrosia Spritz made using the Ambrosia Aperitivo -- a bittersweet Italian herbal liqueur made with turmeric, blood orange, cantaloupe, carrots and 9 botanicals. (2) Order the tasting tray. This provides a complete overview of their herbal liqueurs and cordials. 

Three of my favorite herbal liqueurs were the Amaro Delle Sirene (1931 recipe), Amaro Don Fernet (1915 recipe), and Cerasum Aperitivo (1906 recipe). They are all dispersed along the bitterness barometer and like all the products they start with 190 proof neutral grain spirits that is then macerated at room temperature with the respective recipe and then proofed down using purified water . The Fernet is made using 25 roots and herb focusing on mint, dark chocolate, ginger and saffron. The amaro then rests for 12 months in 250-liter French oak barrels provided by the Marisa Cuomo Winery on the Amalfi Coast. The Delle Sirene is made using 30 roots and herbs highlighting eucalyptus, ripe fruit and licorice. The amaro is also aged for one year using the same barrels. Finally the Cerasum is based on an infusion of 3 different kinds of cherries, sakura blossoms and 10 selected roots and herbs. We've already used this in a spritz and will be using in a Negroni at a later date - and its also excellent on its own. Saluti.

Don Ciccio & Figli and Sunny Sweeney Deliver Trophies

Washington DC is a growing spirits town with most of the new distilleries concentrating on gin. However there's one celebrating the fruit liqueur from Southern Italy's Amalfi Coast: Don Ciccio & Figli.  Francesco ‘Ciccio’ Amodeo, President and Master Distiller, grew up along the Amalfi Coast where his family has been distilling fruit liqueur since 1883. Sadly after both his grandfathers resuscitated the distillery in the 1950s,  a massive earthquake destroyed the facility in 1980. But in October 2012 Amodeo continued this family legacy by opening Don Ciccio & Figli in Northwest DC  specializing in bitter aperitifs and fruit liqueur such as the Don Ciccio & Figli - Fragola Strawberry Liqueur ($33). This spirit weighs in at only 25% ABV and uses only fresh strawberries with not artificial flavoring. The profile is slightly sweet, but a decent bite that's noticeable and without heat. I sipped neat, but my family created Prosecco based cocktails - use brut and not extra dry or dry.  

The Fragola's flavor profile reminded me of Texas singer-songwriter Sunny Sweeney, particularly with her latest release Trophy.  Her voice is sweet with a a pure country sound whereas the songs on the album are stinging and emotional. The signature song is the playful Better Bad Idea but more seriously there's Pass the Pain followed by Pills, Bottle by My Bed, and my favorite I Feel Like Hank Williams Tonight. Written by Chris Wall this song is solemn but peaceful. Listen to the end as Unsaid showcases her strong vocals. This album should catapult Sweeney to the forefront of the County Music scene as is happening in the Americana world - it's one serious album.  Cheers to Sweeney and Don Ciccio & Figli.

Touring Metro's Red Line Beer Trail

The land along Washington DC's red Metro line is being revitalized - or if you prefer - gentrified and one benefit is the rise of local breweries in these neighborhoods. Silver Spring, Maryland is unrecognizable now from the days when I commuted through that metro stop. And Denizens Brewing Co. has leveraged the new community by opening a brewery\restaurant last year. This Sunday I returned to the brewery and see that they no longer rely on other breweries for stock - there's a wide selection of everyday and seasonal beers. Knowing it was the first stop in the day, I started with a low abv Born Bohemian Pilsner which is characterized by a tasteful hoppy and salty finish. The brewery also was pouring two sours, the Low Country Common and Bocho Bandido.  Both with different levels of tartness and sourness. Give them a try. I also look forward to trying a local winery that just opened close by, The Urban Winery.  The winery\restaurant carries local beer, wine, cider, and mead as well as their own wine produced from American and Maryland grapes. 

Denizen's is adjacent to the DC line and a few miles down the red line sits 3 Stars Brewing Company and Hellbender Brewing Company. I've tasted the former's over the last couple of years at the stadium or other venues. However this was my first visit to the brewery and I arrived on infant day - as there were at least half dozen families with small children playing or sleeping quietly. The facility was also unusually busy for a Sunday with employees cleaning tanks and hoses. And I can see why, there's a large inventory to fulfill. A went with a sampler of Peppercorn Saison, Southern Belle Imperial Brown Ale, Pandemic Imperial Porter, and Madness Old Ale. To be blunt, these beers were phenomenal, especially the Madness. This is a big beer, sweet like chewy dates, but completely dry and smooth at the finish. The Pandemic was next, a bigger more chocolaty beer than your average Porter. Next time I'll stay longer with the help of Uber and also visit on a Saturday so that I can segue a trip to nearby Don Ciccio & Figli and their artisanal liqueurs. Glad to see another DC distillery open.


Hellbender was my final destination and the most fun as I was drafted into an hour long UNO game in a company of strangers. This is a neighborhood brewery and it shows as everyone seems more inclined to talk to whomever is sitting nearby. The beer is attractive as well and the brewery had extra on hand after celebrating their one year anniversary the night before my visit. I went with another sampling ranging from a Kolsch to a Stout with the Compass Coffee Stout being spot on the style. Nice name too. The Paw Paw Wit was also representative of it's style, whereas the Bare Bones Kolsch was a little on the maltier side. Like I said, this is a place to just hangout whether watching a game on TV, playing card or board games, or just talking to strangers. Cheers to that. And theCompass Winery, Brewery, Distillery Locator Mobile App will guide you to these locations.