Never Looked Better, an ode to 2000s cocktail bars, now open in Washington, D.C.

Never Looked Better, an ode to 2000s cocktail bars, now open in Washington, D.C.

The whimsical new Blagden Alley cocktail lair artfully pays homage to the era of martinis and shooters

Here to inject the D.C. cocktail scene with a sense of fun and whimsy comes Never Looked Better (130 Blagden Alley), a new, nostalgic homage to the bars -- and the dive-bar cocktails -- of the 1990s and early 2000s. It opened to the public on June 4, 2021.

In keeping with the theme, founders W Seth McClelland (The Mirror, The People’s Drug, One Lounge) and Jeff Coles, along with Beverage Director Jacob Flores, have revived the sickly-sweet drinks of the early aughts, taking the dusty recipes for Cosmopolitans, espresso martinis, even the Long Island Iced Tea, and reimagining them as delicious craft cocktails.

“Before 2004, it was the ‘dark ages’ of cocktails,” a regrettable era of appletinis and Cosmos, says McClelland. “At Never Looked Better, we’ve chosen to focus on these long-forgotten libations, but with a craft technique, fresh juice and homemade syrups.” From the Strong Island to the Strawberry Daiquiri to the Ferrari shooter, these are definitely not your mom’s martinis.

The 2000s theme is continued in Never Looked Better’s slick, cocktail-lair aesthetic: Tucked away on the brick-lined streets of historic Blagden Alley, the bar is laden with stark neon lights, geometric touches, copious plants and cozy sofas, all giving the space a relaxed, Miami art-deco vibe.

In coming weeks, Never Looked Better will host pop-ups with Daru, the highly anticipated “Indian-ish” bar and restaurant from Dante Datta (Elle, Rasika), and breakfast taco purveyor La Tejana.

HOURS OF OPERATION
Never Looked Better is open Fridays and Saturdays, 5 p.m.-2 a.m., with additional days announced in the coming weeks.

CONNECT WITH US
Follow @neverlookedbetterdc on Instagram for updates.