Wisdom

This spot is magical. Great friendly vibe from the staff. We came almost every day while we were in town. The décor is very surreal and cozy. Definitely a big favorite of ours.

Awesome speakeasy vibe, great gin, and a unique cocktail list. I will definitely be going back, the only downside was the food menu. It seems as thought they use the restaurant next door for their in-​house food… There just wasn’t a lot to choose from and nothing particularly noteworthy. All in all a cool place that is definitely worth a visit!

THIS place. It reminded me of a a couple scenes from American Werewolf in Paris. or Blade; something dark and mysterious but really cool. I had the lavender vodka drink– yum! Being a gin bar and gin being my drink, I can’t believe I went for vodka. Anyways, this place is totally cool and I cannot wait to come back.

I came across Wisdom after eating dinner in the area and wandered in with a group of 6 at 8pm on a Saturday night with no reservation. I have to say, it is an interesting little place. Both the bouncer and rescue dog greeter were extremely nice, also our server was sweet when we had her attention. I think it was just her and a trainee working for the floor, which was kind of crazy for a Saturday night, but I guess it’s not that big of a place… Anyways, I digress.
Although the front bar was taken, we ended up grabbing spots in a sitting area with another couple and I was impressed with all the intimate nooks I noticed on our way back to the middle of the room. It is dimly light, there are lots of beautiful sconces that toss around soft lighting, the furniture is antique looking and I loved with the exposed brick. It is a very seductive atmosphere. Which unfortunately meant the couple we shared seats with thought their PDA was totally appropriate (barf).
As for drinks, it is a gin bar, so most of the drinks are gin focused, but they do have a couple of each rum, vodka, tequila or whiskey options as well. I picked a «first we take Manhattan» and thought it was an interesting twist on an old classic. Hubs loved his «the Shinning» (I liked the name!) and my girlfriends loved their «Lavendar baby“s. For my second drink I really wanted a dirty martini and (full disclosure) I don’t drink gin, so I asked our server to help me pick one for the ODB. Amusingly, she told me I should just go well because I was ruining the flavor of the gin with the olive brine anyways. I somewhat taken aback by this, since what I asked for is on the martini list AND it plainly also says «the only real martini is a gin martini». Mmmk. Sorry I like the taste of olives to the taste of juniper. I should have just asked for one with my favorite vodka at this point, but decided to roll with it. Sadly, guess who has two thumbs and didn’t like this drink? This girl (points at self in shame). *sigh* Oh well, at least I tried.
At this point, we were going to get more drinks, but our server disappeared for quite a while, so we decided to head down the street to a bourbon bar.
I still want to try their PB+J though, and the food menu looked nice, so I will have to come back eventually and try more stuff.
FYI– groups of 6 or more are automatically charged 20% gratuity and they hold your card until the end.

Love love looove this place! I went here over a year ago and fell in love, but haven’t made it back. I love gin and this place provides just about any kind of gin you can think of. They also haev absinthe, which I’m scared to try. I plan to go back at some point to check out their happy hour.
There is a nice ambiance here. Very bohemian, romantic, and sexy. Lots of nooks to get away and whisper sweet nothings in someone’s ear and giggle. I will be back ;)

Wisdom is a cute lounge-​y spot. We came here on a weekend night to celebrate a friend’s engagement and enjoyed a few drinks. Fancy crafted cocktails are not something I am always in the mood for so instead of trying one, which is clearly what Wisdom is known for, I stuck to my regular vodka soda. The vibe was a little ‘too cool for school’ for me but it was fun. Overall, A OK! If I find myself back in this part of town (which isn’t too often) I’d definitely try a craft cocktail and see if they’re as good as people say!

I have been to Wisdom three times, and each time I’ve had an unique yet awesome experience. The first time I just popped in with my sister, and I was greeted by Abby, the cutest, sweetest dog EVER. Since I’m not a gin drinker, I got something that was really sweet and tasted like caramel and chocolate. I remember it being tasty enough for me to try it again.
The second time I went with my SO who is a gin drinker. I wanted to show him this place. Again, I got a sweet yet strong drink. I can’t remember the drink, but I do remember staring at my SO and acting «girly and flirty». Darn drinks…
Unfortunately, the first two times, Wisdom didn’t have food, so patrons had to order from the Chinese carryout next door. Lots of gin, but nothing to soak up the alcohol.
My third time was the charmer. I sat outside in the night breeze, and my SO and I enjoyed the Wisdom Originals. I had the Wealthy Missionary, and it was light and refreshing. Absolutely perfect for the late summer night. When it was time for drink number two, I decided to continue the night with the Wealthy Missionary. My SO tried the Eminent Domaine and First We Take Manhattan. Both drink were awesome, but the Eminent Domaine was something that I would actually order. With the apples, it had a nice «autumn» taste.
The menu has food added, so I will definitely make this my new go-​to, low-​key drinking spot.

Great drinks, vibe, and a unique atmosphere for DC. Be sure to try all the gin specialty drinks and the Old Fashion is amazing.

I love going to this place for drinks. We always bring our dog along when we sit outside and the staff is so friendly here. And I love ordering off their $ 7 sippers list. I always go for the Lavender Baby (house infused lavender vodka with grapefruit and soda) or Rosemary’s G&T (rosemary infused gin and tonic). I mean it’s unheard of to get a $ 7 quality cocktail in DC. And if you make it to happy hour (I think it’s every day except Saturday until 7:30pm) those $ 7 sippers are $ 6 sippers! And a dollar off certain beers I think.
The décor is great inside, it’s perfect if you want to get a group of friends together to hang out and try out their amazing cocktail list.
Oh, and you gotta love Abbey :)

Wisdom’s cocktails program is incredible!
Not sure what to order or just want something beyond the standard gin and tonic? Wisdom is here to help. Tell the bartender a little bit out your favorite cocktail profile and they will whip something up that is bound to be dangerously delicious. The experience is sweetened by the fact that bartenders are incredibly friendly and want you to have a great experience.
Wisdom touts as having the largest gin selection in the DMV area, which makes this the go-​to place for gin lovers. They even have a gin club! The atmosphere is intimate with several nooks to have private conversations, that almost makes it feel like a 1940s speakeasy.
Final Verdict: Spice up your gin and tonic and go to Wisdom!

Of all the gin joints in all the towns in the world, I had to walk into this one. And it couldn’t have been a better choice.
Wisdom isn’t your ordinary gin-​joint. It is where cool and sophisticated, meet calm and unpretentious. It is where your worries are not drowned in a bottle, but rather, they are caressed in carefully crafted concoctions and delivered by friendly faces with knowing smiles, to ease your mind. This bar’s craft is Gin, with a large selection to satisfy any palate and the bartenders really know how to spin a martini the likes of which even James Bond has not seen. But other than gin, they also server some amazing Absinth from different regions. If you have never tried Absinth before, this is where you go to meet the green fairy.
The space is intimate and small, with a bar near the front and cozy little spaces in darkened nooks, tastefully furnished with comfortable chairs and sofas where you can sneak off to with that significant other and make conversation in private or even neck like you are back in middle school. Wisdom is a neighborhood bar with the personality and maturity of a world-​class traveler and none of its pretense. I love this place and it’s one of those rare places that I only bring a select few to. Because I don’t want to ruin this sexy, classy and inviting place and make it another hipster hangout with overly bearded faces vying for lukewarm PBRs. We all deserve a place like this…

I haven’t been to Wisdom in about 2 – 3 years now but I do live fairly close by and my friends and I really enjoyed this place when we came. It’s a local watering hole that specializes in gin concoctions. It has a cozy atmosphere and good service.

After visiting our old faithful (Trusty’s) next door, per recommendation of my husband, the crew stopped in to Wisdom. «Hey! this place next door has absinthe!» The tipsy overworked crew could not resist.
We stalked into a very dark slinky type ambiance with very few patrons. there was the cutest dog wandering around freely, very friendly and kept to himself. The only lights were christmasy looking lights arranged on the bar and wall (It was the middle of August)
The bar seemed small and there was one lone lady keeping bar. «Absinthe please!»
Then began this very long intricate process of preparing our drinks. It looked like the purest form of chemistry. Burners and equal parts of water to dilute the absinthe. As each drop teetered out of a large pitcher type deal, we stared in awe.
I’m trying to set a very mystical mood because to a bunch of half drunken hipsters, it looked like Glenda the good witch of the north herself was using her magic wand to make us a drink.
Overall, it’s a nice quaint place. I’d go back.
And because I know your wondering, no the absinthe did not make any of us hallucinate. It has a very licorice type taste to it, but not in a great way, it was overpowering. Took me about 30 minutes to drink one serving.

Went here to meet a friend recently for drinks on Saturday. The atmosphere was kinda dark and not many people were in the place. However, we stayed for a few rounds of drinks and the bartender was super friendly and made the drinks just the way I like them! So no complaints on that end!
In the back of the place, they have some seating with couches etc. Nice if you have a big group and want to chat.
I would go back just for the fact that it doesn’t seem to get too crowded and sometimes a girl just wants to sit down and have a no hassle night with a good stiff drink!

Everything you want all in one place when looking for a very low-​key vibe… great cocktail list — all handcrafted…
The waitstaff is very helpful and informative if you’re having trouble deciding.
Cute little hidden booths and couches with low lighting; soft electro pop music on in the background.
This is a great 3^rd of 4^th date place… Very intimate, sultry vibe
Try the ‘Porque Hola’ — has a kick and if you love spicy along with your tequila. you won’t be disappointed!
It’s so easy to become a regular at this place, everything about it is perfect!

The bar is nice little hole in the wall sort of place. Different unique pieces of furniture add interest. Everyone there is very nice, accommodating, and friendly. Each staff member who I encountered was very pleasant. I’ve been there two times before and wouldn’t hesitate to go back.
They have a very unique thing they do with cocktails. They have a chart and a graph and you can determine who sweet/​bitter/​etc. the cocktails are.
They have some which are reasonably priced and then some that are priced on average for the rest of DC. DC is like the city of cocktails. I don’t get it…
Cocktail Diatribe:
I’m not a «cocktail» guy… there I said it. Mostly, I’m not a pay $ 10 – 12 dollars for a drink guy
Let’s be honest. Let’s not kid ourselves here. Another idiom for not lying to yourself… Alcohol is already marked up like 900% in regular drinks.
Whats the average price of a Miller Lite at a bar in Bethesda: $ 4.50-$ 5.00. That same bottle at the beer store should cost $ 1.00 max… right? Now, I’m not completely insane– I realize, they have a lot of overhead costs: taxs, rent, labor, utilities, equipment etc. But it just bothers me.
So then, you’re like… ok I’m gonna give you this much smaller drink and say something is «infused» and charge me 12 dollars for it. I’m not impressed by the act of infusing something. «Infusing» is a fancy word for putting x in a liquid. Oh this is a cinnamon infused tequila? That means you dropped a stick of cinnamon in that B 3 months ago. Good for you…
«Here is a Wisdom Drink: Dragon Tit $ 11
Habanero-​infused Sauza Tequila balanced with
Pomegranate Juice & Chambord. A nice fiery finish.»
And you see what I mean. That drink cost them probably around 2 dollars to make.
End of Diatribe:
I give this place 4 stars, cause the people who do like cocktails will love it. I got my vodka soda and it was good. My friends got other drinks they liked. It was cozy and not crazy crowded. Like I said, I wouldn’t hesitate to go back.

Came here for my sister Mary Kate’s Just Got Married/​1000^th review get together and was blown away, all the other reviews talk about the drinks which were excellent but the Atmosphere, Bartender and the Waitress were awesome, I cannot forget the Dog, there’s a rescue dog that the owner owns and her name is Abby I believe and she hangs out in the lounge, beautiful dog and they will give you treats to feed her which was really cool
Now the drinks were all on point we had our own taste test going, the Dragon Tit and the PB&J were my faves, the happy hour is good but they only have some snacks and 2 beers on tap but alot of bottles on special as well
I will come here a lot more often, great place to lounge at

Very cute little place with great service. Easily the best service I’ve had in DC thus far, and in a place that isn’t packed, isn’t loud, and isn’t filled with pretentious hippies! It’s a great find.
My only gripe was with the cocktail menu which skews heavily towards sweet, vodka-​based drinks. The two or three bourbon/​whiskey based drinks which were on the menu were sweet, at least according to the overly-​complicated rating system that they have. So just know that the menu a little gimmicky and hard to take seriously, but everything else is great, including the prices. We will definitely be back.

Lot’s of interesting cocktails. I wouldn’t say it’s a classic cocktail list by any means, but interesting. I did go the classic route, ordering a Negroni. I mean, the venue just screamed for me to sip on a negroni! I went out on a limb for my second drink, the Dragon’s Tit. Yep, you heard that right. It was a spicy concoction that really kicked with the jalapeño’s.
The atmosphere reminds me of a romantic castle. Dimly lit, velvet curtains and chairs. Very intimate. I also loved the little make out cove in the corner. If you close the curtains you can almost be hidden. Well, other than the fact that you can clearly see in from behind the bar. But whatevs, at least you’ll have a good time there!

Give me creative craft cocktails, expertly mixed, and you’ve got my vote. Well, Wisdom has earned that vote and then some.
Not only does Wisdom’s cocktail menu make me super duper thirsty, but the atmosphere is right up my alley. You walk in to what almost looks like a dive bar (and I mean that in the best way — I love me some dives), but then you walk further into a lounge with lush couches and dim lighting. Love. It.
Also, I’ve never seen a «guide to libations» quite like this one. Each concoction is labeled according to a scale of categories and numbers, so there are no surprises (you know what I mean, when you think you’re ordering a sweet sipper but in actuality that drink’s got a kick to it). Yea, if you make that mistake here, then you definitely didn’t look at the menu.
It was definitely worth the long trek from dinner blocks away.