The Dignitary Goes All In on Bourbon

Whiskey was always the focus of the drinks menu at The Dignitary, the cocktail lounge located inside the new Marriott Marquis in D.C. But now the hotel is taking additional steps to make sure its bar is a destination spot for the city's brown liquor lovers — particularly bourbon drinkers.

The hotel bar's new bourbon program includes a cocktail competition (which kicked off yesterday) to design its signature bourbon cocktail. They're asking the city's mixologists to send in recipes to TheDignitaryDC@gmail.com through May 1. The bar's three bartenders will pick the winner, which will end up on the menu by summer (the winner also gets a free night in the hotel).

The bar also introduced whiskey and Scotch flights (priced from $20-$40) showcasing different styles of whiskey. They've also hosted major brands for special tasting nights, like Bulleit.

The bar's "Bourbon Dignitaries" (bartenders Pete, Tom and Rosen) will host bourbon trivia nights on the first Wednesday of each month. That kicks off April 1. They're also trying to get bourbon drinkers involved in social media (those who post a #whiskeyweekend photo to Instagram can get 50 percent off their first whiskey cocktail during the first weekend of each month).

The bar reopens Thursday after a brief hiatus due to private events bookings.