Coconut cups and ‘Mar-a-Lago punch’: DC bars serve up Harris-Trump debate specials

Washington’s bar scene is getting in the debate night spirit, offering everything from drinking games to patriotic-themed Jell-O shots to cocktail showdowns inspired by the Tuesday match-up between Vice President Harris and former President Trump.

Union Pub, which has billed itself as the “quintessential Capitol Hill bar,” indicated to ITK that there’s no debate where D.C.’s political junkies should go as Harris and Trump come face-to-face at the event hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia.

The bar’s debate watch party will feature “all TVs dedicated to the debate with sound on,” as well as a “drinking game companion.” Debate revelers can also take part in a competition between a pair of $10 adult beverages inspired by Harris and Trump: the rum “Coconut Drink” that will be “served in coconut cups” versus the vodka and orange soda “Orange Drink” which can be sipped from orange Solo cups. The more popular of the two drinks via sales will be declared the debate watch party winner.

Organizers at Union Pub said “guests are encouraged (warned?) to arrive ‘like really early’ to secure a spot” at the popular debate-watching destination, emphasizing that June’s debate between Trump and President Biden reached capacity at 7:30 p.m.

Madhatter, in Dupont Circle, is hosting a debate gathering with a patriotic flair.

The night will feature “$8 American smash burgers” and “$5 red, white and blue Jell-O shots,” in addition to other food and drink specials.

The Midlands, a beer garden and sports bar in the District’s Park View neighborhood, plans to serve up all-night drink specials for debate night. But the outdoor venue warns debate watchers, “This will be an open seating-only event and we will not be taking reservations.”

Royal Sands Social Club, in D.C.’s Navy Yard, will be offering bipartisan options to imbibe, including $6.50 Harris-themed “Brat” shots or “Mar-a-Lago Punch” drinks in an ode to Trump.

The Admiral in Dupont Circle will also show the debate on its 15 TVs with sound on, and it will span the political spectrum with its election-themed $6.50 shots, with “Blue Wave” and “Red State” options.

But Boundary Stone Public House is making its preference for the ideal debate-watching patron clear, noting on its website, “While we’d love to say that all are welcome, we’d prefer to serve the coconut crowd.” Coconuts have become an informal symbol of support for Harris’s campaign.

The Bloomingdale watering hole said its presidential debate night shindig will feature a coconut daiquiri: “Soothe your anxiety about the future of America with that and a chicken sandwich…you’ll be happy you did.”

Whitlow’s is advertising its “debate watch party with a different twist.” The U Street eatery will be doling out bingo cards with “campaign buzzwords and phrases,” such as Harris’s “we’re not going back” and Trump’s famed 2016 slogan, “Make America Great Again.” Attendees can score T-shirts, gift cards and other prizes at the debate night festivities.

Solaire Social in Silver Spring, Md., is featuring $20 beer pitchers or buckets and an all-day happy hour for the debate.

All eight of Busboys and Poets’s locations throughout the D.C. area will show the presidential debate, with “drink specials all night, pre-debate remarks by organizers and post-debate discussions with community members.”

Representatives for the restaurants called debate night an “an opportunity to experience the thrill of democracy in action with your community, engage in thought-provoking discussions and be a part of history in the making.”

At Hook Hall, the D.C. Young Democrats are hosting a debate watch party that doubles as a fundraiser. Organizers say proceeds from the event at the Park View tavern will benefit the group’s voter mobilization efforts for Harris’s campaign in Pennsylvania. A promotional flyer tells debate watchers they should “reserve your coconut” for the bash.

“Yes, we have coconuts,” the flyer said.

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