Smoking is cool again. As part of the going vogue for yesterday’s Noughties culture, folks are increasingly enjoying the occasional cheeky cigarette as part of a fun night out. We’re all going to die anyway, probably before smoking has a chance to do it. You can live a little for once in your life.
And speaking of stuff that used to be more popular than it is now, one cocktail bar in Washington DC has decided to sell their version of an espresso martini alongside a single indulgent cigarette.
As reported by the Washingtonian, it’s called La Merna, a new Chicago tavern-style pizza and pasta restaurant in DC’s Dupont Circle. They’re whole thing is “midwest hospitality,” which appears to also include cigarettes. “The Midwest is kind of a big smoking culture. And I guess, you know, smoking is quote-unquote trending again,” co-owner Meg Schmitt tells the Washingtonian. “So it seemed fitting just to lean into it.”
And they are leaning in with the espresso martini. The cocktail is called “Coffee and Cigarettes” and is made with amaro, espresso, and nutmeg for $14. For an extra $3, you can add a cigarette. Or a full pack for $30. It is meant to pair well with the bitterness and smokiness from the espresso and amaro, and the heater in question is from Canadian brand Export A and is shorter than traditional smokes, a necessity to fit into La Merna’s single cigarette dispenser. It’s a “nicer cigarette, not just one that you can get at the corner store,” Schmitt states. La Merna had to get a special permit in order to sale the smoky sidecar, but you still have to take it outside (you can never truly return to the past).
The real question I have isn’t about the rise in smoking or what it says about the state of the world or if it’s bad that a restaurant is “glamorizing” it. I don’t really care. We’re all adults here, do you what you want. The main issue here is three bucks for a loosy? In this economy? Did Lucille Bluth price this?
But maybe that’s the premium for pretending you aren’t going to put down a whole pack of heaters in one night. It’s honestly the accompanying 20 espresso martinis that I find most troubling.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
