Birthday Binge in DC

A sobering milestone that serves as a wake-up call to make my next decade the best yet.

The day I got crunk at Binge Bar DC was not like the day I'd gotten crunk in the past. Crunk, short for crazy drunk, is a slang term for the state of being severely intoxicated.

I wanted to get “lit” on my Friday birthday…

Alcohol-free, that is.

When a friend and I arrived at Binge Bar DC, it was clear that the place had everything we needed: comfy chairs, intoxicating smells of the best home cooking, and good vibes! The bar is located in a basement on the lively H Street NE corridor, a neighborhood with arcade bars, live music venues, bustling cafes, and 🔥 restaurants.

Binge Bar has a casual, modern feel, with bright lights, colorful artwork, positive vibes, and great music at a volume where you can still have a conversation.

After some confusion over what looked like spirits behind the bar and then a quick explanation of how they were zero-proof and truly alcohol-free cocktails, we were ready to drink!

You can expect familiar cocktails but made with zero-proof alcohol from brands like Seedlip and Free Spirits, plus canned mocktails from Mocktail Club.

Binge Bar DC offers boozy drinks made with natural ingredients and non-alcoholic substitutes that taste just like alcoholic cocktails. Nearly all of the drinks on the menu are made from plant-based ingredients instead of traditional alcohols, so they're vegan-friendly and gluten-free too! I had no idea there was non-alcoholic whiskey, tequila, apéritifs, and more. 🤯

Once seated, we were greeted by an energetic server who was very eager to help us find the perfect drink for our needs. Turns out she was the owner, Gigi, who started Binge Bar after being on her own sober journey and thinking there should be a place for folks to have a good time while not consuming alcohol. The story of Sans Bar, created by a former recovery counselor who opened one of the nation’s first booze-free bars in Austin, TX, inspired Gigi.

From the Sans Bar “About Us” page on their website:

We are sober curious. We are sober sometimes. We are in recovery. We are allies of those who abstain for whatever reason.

Gigi and her team serve delicious cocktails made with flavors like ginger and mint without any alcohol or sugar usually found in most cocktails. They also have an array of other drinks that are similar in style but different in flavor combinations—some are fruity and some are spicy!

Source: Photo by Andrew J. Williams III in District Fray Magazine Feature

There's a small menu that includes snacks like empanadas and plantain chips. The food menu also had healthy takes on two of my favorite Filipino “soul food” dishes: lumpia and adobo with seitan instead of pork. While you cannot have seitan if you’re gluten-free, it is a filling alternative to meat developed by vegetarian Buddhist monks over 2,000 years ago in China. The food at Binge Bar DC is out-of-this-world delicious, tasting like down-home food in a way that only your tiya (auntie in Tagalog) makes with love.

Washington DC’s first alcohol-free bar, Filipino bistro, and events space is not to be missed the next time you’re visiting our nation’s capitol. There may even be “Me Power at the Binge Bar” event in the near future.

Stay tuned!

Three ⚡️ in 31 Seconds

⚡️Two book news alerts from 3-31-2023: 1) I won second place for Me Power at the BookFest Awards Spring 2023 in the Self-Help, Motivation category, and 2) I recorded 45% of the audiobook version of Me Power. In which format have you read the multi-award winning #1 Amazon bestseller, Me Power?

⚡️Episode three of The Traveling Table has been released! Watch and share. Let me know what resonated with you. Will you leave a legacy? #MePowerinMotion

⚡️People mainly use the phrase "crunk" to describe an experience that is wild and fun. So, what’s your favorite way to get “crunk”?