Jos A Magnus & Co

Very cool location and really liked the ambiance of the bar. The drinks were average probably because all of the mixologists were half in the bag. The bourbon was good. The experience was fine up until the bill came and it was incorrect. We were charged for an extra drink and given a surprise 25% discount. When we pointed this out they corrected the bill but removed the 25% discount which ended up costing more. We asked why the discount was removed, but the bartenders were too lit to explain what they were doing. We won’t be going back.

Drop everything and check out Jos. A. Magnus.
We bought a living social deal for 2 cocktails and a tour of of the distillery, and without knowing much else, arrived when they opened on a Saturday afternoon. You enter between Atlas Brewing Co and a car repair shop. After walking up a gently lit flight of chairs beneath a beautiful pressed tin ceiling, you end up in a large tasting room with tons of natural light, long wooden-​tables, and an inviting tasting bar, all surrounded by display cases showing off antique whiskey bottles.
Let the drinking commence. In exchange for our living social voucher, we were invited to choose between a cranberry gin cocktail and an apple cider, hibiscus, orange and bourbon cocktail. Both delicious and perfectly matched with this hard-​to-​pair-​with 70 degree December day.
We were then casually invited to begin our tour at our leisure, and the head distiller guided us around the distillery, telling stories of the original Jos. A. Magnus, the founding of this space, and an explanation of the distillery process.
And just when you think you’re done, you’re invited to enjoy the back bar, a slightly hidden speakeasy-​style, dimly lit space with a long bar plus couches and easy chairs. The cocktail menu is snarky and delicious, with seasonal drinks like «The Inlaws are Staying at My House» (which is a large shot of your choice, served with a sad faced gingerbread man) and a Christmas Old Fashioned with an ice cube made around a frozen key lime. Oh, and there are really tasty candied nuts served with everything.
This place will make your day. It made ours!

I learned about Jos A Magnus through a Gilt deal. I must admit, I’m not that much into bourbon as I am gin. It seemed like a fun place to spend the afternoon, so I bought the deal, and we headed over. There are tons of signs directing you as you make your way upstairs, and we walked into their first bar. It’s a huge space with lots of communal tables, and they have gin drinks on tap. The bartender was very nice and talked about their gin while we waited for the person who would give us the tour. Our guide, who was also a bartender, gave us a great tour of the room that we were in. It had lots of old bottles which had turned pink because of some kind of metal that was in them, and she gave us the history of Jos A Magnus. After that, she took us into the room where they actually made the bourbon. The tour was just that — here’s where everything is! It was really cool to see it all, though, and I can’t even begin to describe the amazing smell!
Our Gilt deal came with two free drinks in their speak-​easy-​like bar called the Murray Hill Club. As others have mentioned, they were out of their original batch of bourbon for purchase, but you could get a pour of it at the bar. It was very good, and I could definitely taste the sherry notes in it, but as I mentioned before, I’m not that much into bourbon. I wasn’t crazy about their gin, but it’s cool that they grow their herbs for it on their roof. I had one of their bourbon drinks from their weekly-​changing menu, and then I ordered an Old-​Fashioned. The owner of the place was also bartending, along with our tour guide, so it felt very homey and laid-​back. Everyone was just super nice and very helpful when we asked questions or just wanted to talk. We ended buying another round, and as we were leaving, the place was starting to fill up. Definitely a great addition to the neighborhood, and I’m looking forward to going back.

Awesome cocktail bar where every week is a different menu! I love changes to menus at a constant evolving basis! It brings in new and fresh flavors to the palette; something DC really needs :)

Amazing staff, delicious drinks, and great ambiance!
We spent the better part of last Saturday here after hearing about the history of Joseph A. Magnus, the 100 year old bottle of bourbon, and how that got things started. The staff was very welcoming and friendly from the moment we walked in the door until we left. They would periodically come over to chat and always made sure we were taken care of. Seriously, they are the best!
The front bar area serves batch cocktails and would also be a perfect event space. In the back next to the distillery itself is the Murray Hill Club, where we enjoyed lounging on a luxurious leather couch making our way through the entire cocktail menu (and then some). While they sold out of the initial batch of bourbon they have some at the bar so you can order a glass, and I recommend you do because it’s a damn good bourbon.

We learned of their soft opening through Popville. The husband and I decided to be the first few to take a sneak peak at this amazing space above of Atlas Brewery. When you arrive, you’re greeted at the top of the stairs with a ticket that gives you a free Jos A Magnus glass (with $ 10 cocktail purchase) and tour. The cocktails for the day were made of Gin since they won’t have the bourbon ready until Sept. 12. We grabbed one of each cocktail choice. The tour started in the same room with a brief history of Jos A Magnus, given that it has a history – it was SUPER informative and really amazing how it became «re-​established». The next part took us to the burbon and gin distilling room, which includes, what I think they should call, a «speak easy bar». The bartender is also the gin master. She’s still fine tuning her gin recipe, but it was super interesting to have one type of gin for the beginning of the tour, then finish the tour in the bar with specialty cocktails that had another type of gin. Keep in mind, this isn’t one of those free tours. The drinks in the specialty bars are $ 12 – 20, while the main bar is $ 10, however I think it does give a heighten quality to the experience, given the history of Jos A Magnus & Co. You are still able to request tastings of the gin at the bar following the tour. There are also nuts at all the bars!!! Totally adds to the nostalgic bar experience.
This was their soft opening, so I expect some type of things to change btwn now and their real opening, like no more «free» glasses. We also preordered their first batch of Bourbon ($ 100). Since the place is still new, the tour guides are very informative and are really open to let you sniff anything!