Number 9

When the owners of the wildly popular gay nightclub Town Danceboutiqe set out to open a cocktail bar, they named it in honor of their ninth venture together. The space—previously a rather uninspiring gay bar—was reincarnated as a dim, modern lounge with a focus on serious cocktails. Special nights pop up on occasion (the video bar upstairs is Washington’s official location for screening episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race), but it’s best for a casual catch-up drink and the bartenders are knowledgeable enough to make just about anything.