The outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election will be determined on November 8, but some drinking establishments are giving guests the opportunity to predict the election's winner with presidential-theme cocktails.
As of Tuesday, Omni Hotels & Resorts nationwide began offering an original cocktail menu with election themes for seven drinks. Imbibers can cast their ballot by ordering a drink off the “Polling for Cocktails” menu. Drink orders will be tallied, and the overall consumption rates will be tracked and posted on Omni's online channels every Wednesday from the previous week. Guests can also share their votes on social media using #DrinkTheVote. The promotion will continue until Election Day, when the Omni can determine if the promotion's “popular vote” was truly a predictor of the next president.
“The 2016 U.S. Presidential Election is one for history. Omni Hotels & Resorts is excited to see if we can make an assumption based on consumption," Omni Hotels & Resorts vice president of food and beverage David Morgan said in a statement. "We felt this would be a fun, light-hearted way to get our guests involved in the conversation.”
From October 8 to November 8, bar patrons of the restaurant Bourbon Steak at Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC, can order the four specialty presidential cocktails concocted by head bartender Torrence Swain. Those who order the cocktails will be given a vintage-style ballot to toss into either the "Democratic" or the "Republican" full-size whiskey barrel at the end of the bar. Two cocktails are based on drinking preferences of past Democratic presidents James Buchanan and Harry Truman, while the other two represent libations of choice of past Republican presidents Herbert Hoover and Dwight Eisenhower. Each presidential cocktail is $20, with $5 from each going to the nonpartisan organization Nonprofit Vote. After the election results are announced on November 8, a customer's ballot will be randomly selected, with the winning contestant declared "President for the Day" and awarded dinner for two at Bourbon Steak and one free night in the presidential suite at the hotel.
On July 18, the first day of the 2016 Republican National Convention, Teddy & the Bully Bar in Washington, D.C. began a Cocktail Voter Poll promotion, with two cocktails inspired by the major-party candidates: Hillary’s Inbox (based on Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton) and the Trump Tower (based on Republican Party nominee Donald Trump). Teddy & the Bully Bar will keep a running tally of cocktail orders through November 8, when the bar will hold an election-day viewing party.
Omni Hotels & Resorts' Democratic Party cocktail selections include the Hilla-rita, in honor of Hillary Clinton, which has Tres Generaciones Reposado tequila, orange juice, agave, DeKuyper Amaretto, and a sugar-and-salt rim.
Teddy & the Bully Bar in Washington, D.C., created the drink Hillary’s Inbox based on Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. The cocktail is a mix of Absolut Elyx vodka, Drambuie, blue curacao, orgeat syrup, lime juice, and soda.Â
The Trump Tower, a drink inspired by Republican nominee Donald Trump, is also available at Teddy & the Bully Bar. It combines Earl Grey-infused Absolut Elyx vodka, Dolin blanc vermouth, and aperol.Â
Inspired by Manhattan resident Donald Trump, the Right Manhattan is one of the Republican Party-theme drinks offered at Omni Hotels & Resorts. The cocktail is a mix of Maker’s 46, apricot preserves, lemon juice, mint, and club soda.
Donald Trump also inspired the Trump-tini, which mixes Tito’s Handmade Vodka, lemon and cranberry juices, and Domaine Chandon, topped by a sugared rim. The drink, like all of the Omni's presidential-theme cocktails, will be available until Election Day on November 8.
The Sugar Kaine Smash honors Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine. The drink is a mix of Maker’s 46, fresh mint leaves, and simple syrup, finished off with club soda and a cherry.Â
Omni Hotels & Resorts' Republican Party cocktail selections include the Ruby Red Pence, based on Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence. The drink is a combination of Deep Eddy ruby red grapefruit vodka, cranberry juice, and St. Germain Elderflower liqueur.
In a nod to the Democratic Party's blue color and donkey mascot, Omni offers the True Blue Mule cocktail. The drink is a combination of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, ginger beer, and Blueberry Reà l-infused syrup.
For independents, the nonpartisan POTUS Punch from Omni has Tito’s Handmade vodka, grenadine, muddled blackberries, and fresh orange and lemon juices.
As of October 8, Bourbon Steak at Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC, will begin serving four presidential-theme cocktails, including Sherry Cobbler, inspired by past Democratic president James Buchanan. The drink mixes Lustau sherry, brandy, muddled berries, lemon juice, ginger, and bitters.Â
The Chief, a tribute to past Republican president Herbert Hoover, is a dirty martini with white truffles, Absolut Elyx vodka, and house-made truffle brine, stirred and served up with a truffle pecorino olive.
Give 'Em Hell, Harry, a nod to past Democratic president Harry Truman, is a mixture of bourbon, Lustau cream, sherry, and house-spiced tincture.
Wizbanger, based on past Republican president Dwight Eisenhower, is a blend of scotch, grenadine, absinthe, dry vermouth, and orange bitters.
