Game of Thrones Pub Debuts in D.C.

Though faithful to the wildly popular HBO show and certainly new to Shaw, D.C.’s Game of Thrones Pub is just the latest in a series of fantasy drinking spots that have captivated the country for years.

San Francisco’s Blackbird Bar capitalized on the explosive “Red Wedding” episode back in 2014, crafting a cocktail list that winter that played off the show. Like the new D.C. spot, scheduled to debut June 21, there was also a “Milk of the Poppy” (but with eggnog, since it was December).

A year earlier, Comic-Con International rolled out a daytime bar with a GOT theme during the week-long, sci-fi fest. Wired threw the invite-only bash at a hotel next to the convention center, and celebrities took a breather from panels to chug beer in GOT-branded glassware (also found at D.C.’s iteration).

Derek Brown’s trio of Shaw bars-turned-cash-cow pop-ups, which have previously celebrated everything from cherry blossoms to Netflix hit Stranger Things, have fully embraced the task of immersing guests in all things Westoros. Game of Thrones Pub is a maze of show highlights, including a wall of faces (actually molded after those of staff), a lifelike dragon dangling from the ceiling and intermittently exhaling fog, and a vast crimson-leafed tree with “blood” pouring from its eyes. Bartenders, decked out in winter-is-coming leather and fur, yell “Shame!” when the order for that named drink comes in (a tequila and grapefruit tonic).

The most ridiculous: The North Remembers, featuring 12-year Highland Park whiskey and coconut, served in carved cow horn mugs. (Eater learned that bar staff will likely ask for IDs to keep the novelty containers from walking out the door.)

Oh, and of course there’s also a huge Iron Throne — sure to be the scene of countless Instagram posts all summer long.

The cosplay-heavy Game of Thrones Pub opens tonight at 1839 Seventh St. NW, leaving more than enough time to geek out over and pregame for the highly anticipated Season 7 debut of the show Sunday, July 16 on HBO.