Wine-based slushy drinks and scads of natural rosé.
Image: Courtesy Frank Edgington
The newest watering hole on Capitol Hill has readied an arsenal of Chambongs. Which, yes, are exactly what you might think: a champagne flute, with its stem repurposed as a booze expressway straight into your gullet. They seem to be the early favorite at La Dive, whose owners reimagined a former sandwich shop at 721 East Pike as a moody hangout with pale pink countertops and a giant, moody Jennifer Ament mural that marches above the tables.
Pronounced “La Deeve,” the bar is the work of three industry veterans with deep ties to Capitol Hill. Co-owners Kate Opatz and Anais Custer devised the wine-based frozen drinks that swirl in a row of slushy machines, like an icy French 75 and the frojolais—beaujolais and raspberry that staves off excess sweetness with a hit of Campari. Fellow owner David Gurewitz put together a lineup of dumplings and toast with major eclectic appeal.
Opatz says the trio avoids the term “wine bar” given its ’90s-riffic baggage, and a suggestion of fussiness that doesn’t track with these chill environs. However the bottle and glass lineup is entirely organic and low-intervention, with a lightning bolt to mark funkier options. La Dive dedicates an entire section of its list to rosé and orange (or skin contact) wine, but you can also get a Tanqueray and tonic jello shot for $4. And, of course, a hit of Chambong, filled with bubbles or Miller High Life. Get me there, stat.
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