Hogo, The Passenger’s Island-Themed Cocktail Bar, Is Back for the Summer

Hogo, the new wave tiki bar that last plied District residents with rum drinks in late 2014, is back for the summer — and perhaps longer — in Shaw.

The advent of warm weather in D.C. typically spurs a resurgence of all things tiki, and The Passenger owner Tom Brown is fueling that momentum by welcoming the tropically themed pop-up he shuttered a few years back to the new home he’s built for himself at 1539 7th Street NW.

And like the original Hogo, this one is a family affair.

Hogo was on a world tour as of late, living most recently in Peru — thanks to Brown’s brother, Nick, exporting the family business there in 2015. Nick just returned to D.C. this spring and nudged Tom to revive Hogo. Nick is expected to consult on what tropical touches and liquors to include.

Beginning Wednesday, May 31, and potentially through the end of the summer (and beyond?), The Passenger’s second-floor space will be transformed into a beach paradise, complete with flaming volcano bowls, pseudo-painkillers, and shareable drinks served in actual pineapples.

“To me the real fun of the tiki experience is the communal drinking experience,” Tom told Eater.

Here’s what else to expect at the reincarnation of Hogo:

• Huge sculptures: Tom took up chainsaw sculpting and carved out tiki totem poles, which will be hauled up to the space. The massive pieces weigh about 300 pounds and have “been sitting in my backyard getting rained on,” he says.
• Draft cocktails: The Browns are working with the rum makers at neighboring Cotton & Reed to create four draft cocktails. “It’s a fun way to get drinks out on a busy night,” Tom said. In addition, expect one or two canned beers.
• Jimmy Buffett style: Expect to see bartenders and staff strutting around in colorful floral gear. “I have a closet full of tiki shirts and I told my buddy he can wear it as long as he doesn’t mind an XL,” Tom said.
• Old and new: Bartender Mick Perrigo will be crafting the drinks, as he did at the original Hogo. Hawaiian food is on the table, with options like poke bowls and spam musubi in the mix.
• Pricing: Sharable bowls will likely be around $28 — ”which is cheap for four drinks,” Tom said. There could also be an all-day happy hour cocktail. “I am a socialist when comes to drinking — I want to make sure everyone has something to latch on to,” Tom said.

D.C. has welcomed a slew of bars of tiki-centric bars since Hogo’s departure.

• All prior Hogo coverage [EDC]