Our cocktail culture has come a long way, baby. The art of crafting drinks is increasingly seen as just that – an art – and national recognition for DC’s bartenders and sommeliers has been catching up to what locals already know: we’re lucky to have some serious libation talent in our city.

As an avid lover of craft cocktails and our local bar scene, it’s an honor for me to serve on the inaugural board of DC’s chapter of the quaintly named Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC). We’re a women’s society dedicated to elevating the reputation of the cocktail craft by investigating the history, recipes and traditions of that uniquely American invention. LUPEC DC joins an illustrious list of other chapters including Pittsburgh, New York, Boston, Chicago, Seattle and Portland. And yes, while we’re committed to raising the bar to its highest level of quality, we’ll have a bit of irreverent fun along the way.

In the spirit of that mix of fun and dedication, please join us for our first event: DC BRAS! Sunday, March 4 from 4-7pm, the ladies of LUPEC will be at The Passenger for a special fundraiser to benefit breast cancer research, sponsored by D.C. Brau and Macchu Pisco. With drinks on special and D.C. Brau beer on tap, prepare to watch the ladies mix up a 6.6 gallon Pisco Sour to celebrate the end of Pisco month with Macchu Pisco. Oh, and bra decorating. I said irreverent, didn’t I?

Future events will benefit our friends at the Museum of the American Cocktail, and help subsidize education and advanced certifications for our members, for the greater good of all DC’s drinkers.

LUPEC DC is lead by our Chapter President, The Passenger’s Alexandra Bookless, who calls the organization’s founding roster “some of the most innovative, groundbreaking, and creative cocktail minds in Washington D.C. and beyond.” Our inaugural members are Tabard Inn’s Chantal Tseng, Macchu Pisco’s Melanie Asher, Room 11’s Iris Ho, Mixtress Gina Chersevani, Columbia Room’s Katie Nelson, Jackie’s Sidebar’s Jung-Ah Park (JP), Laughing Cocktail’s Angie Salame, The Passenger’s Jade Aldrighette, Jack Rose’s Rachel Sergi, Estadio’s Alexandra Nichols, Chef Geoff’s Elli Benchimol, and The Passenger’s Julia Hurst.

I’m honored and humbled to be counted among such talented and dedicated women. Stay tuned for future events and calls for new membership, and come meet us at DC BRAS on Sunday, March 4!

Jenn Larsen

As one of the founding editors of We Love DC, Jenn’s passions are theater and cocktails. After two decades in the city, she’s loved every quirky, mundane, elegant, rude minute of her DC life. A proud advocate for DC’s talented drinks scene, she’s judged the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s ARTINI contest, the DC Rickey Month contest, the Jefferson Hotel’s Quill Cocktail competition, and is a founding member of LUPEC DC. A graduate of Catholic University’s drama program, she toured the country as a member of National Players, and has been both an actor and a costume designer before jumping the aisle to theater criticism. Writing for We Love DC restored her happiness after a life-threatening illness, and she’s grateful to you, dear readers. Send your suggestions to jenn (at) welovedc (dot) com and follow her on Twitter.