There’s a new way to experience Art and Soul while learning about liquor or beer in the process. The Capitol Hill restaurant, named for Oprah-approved chef Art Smith, is now featuring monthly four-course, family-style meals centered around either gin, beer or whiskey. We went to the inaugural Saturday Supper and were introduced to an exciting new small-batch gin producer: Breuckelen Distilling.

D.C. is currently only one of six states where you can sample the Brooklyn-based juniper liquor, thanks in part to Room 11 co-owner-turned craft spirit scouter Dan Searing, who discovered the new distiller for The American Still Life Collection. Breuckelen Distilling is the product of layoffs on Wall Street, where owner Brad Estabrooke worked before embracing his newfound freedom and the chance to truly “make something” instead of sitting behind a desk all day. Thanks to generous support form friends and family, Estabrooke began crafting gin and whiskey during the summer of 2010. As Estabrooke describes it, Breuckelen’s “Glorious Gin,” bottled with vintage-inspired labels, is an “homage to the ancestors of New York” ‘— it only seemed appropriate to start with gin in a borough founded by the Dutch.

Glorious Gin is made with New York grains, fermented, distilled and then redistilled one botanical at a time to strike the right balance between notes of juniper, lemon, rosemary, ginger and grapefruit. At Art & Soul’s Saturday Supper, the gin was featured in a series of cocktails paired with Chef Wes Morton’s “coastal fare” cuisine and was mixed with ingredients such as dill and mescal and caper juice and tarragon for earthy, smoky flavors.

Don’t miss your next opportunity to mix and mingle with fellow foodies and D.C. drink enthusiasts — there are two more Saturday Suppers this fall (each begins at 7 PM): October 13 (Oktoberfest Brats and Braus) and November 10 (Wild Game and Whiskey). For $65 per person, you’ll enjoy a welcome drink and passed hors d'oeuvres on the patio with live music, followed by a private family-style dinner with drink pairings inside. Advance reservations are required, and are available by calling the restaurant at 202-393-7777.

Interested in finding Glorious Gin elsewhere in D.C.? Estabrooke tells us that it’s also available at Jaleo, Fiola, Hank's on the Hill, Jack Rose, Vidalia and Gin Joint at New Heights Restaurant.

Photos by Lauren Sloat