The cinematic bar feels like it could stretch on forever, with reflective mirrors lining the back. | Brian Miller Jane Jane’s anticipated D.C. sibling promises party vibes, shooters, and plenty of American finger foods A dramatic neon red curtain and custom dark-wooden boo ths make up the playful and cozy aesthetic of Bar Betsie, which brings divey vibes, surprisingly upscale cocktails, and all-American drinking snacks to the Union Market district. The newest creation from the owners of Jane Jane, Ralph Brabham, JP Sabatier, and Drew Porterfield, swings open on Tuesday, March 18 (1328 4th Street NE). While the trio’s original Logan Circle bar was named after Brabham’s mom and reflected the Southern style of hospitality he and Porterfield grew up with in North Carolina, Bar Betsie honors Sabatier’s Puerto Rican mother, Betsie Giró. Her influences are seen in the many tequila drinks (her favorite spirit) and even classic San Juan-style miniature houses from his grandmother’s residence lining the walls. Brian Miller Signature cocktails line the marquee, with their bottles of liquor and ingredients sitting above them. “There’s references and echoes to who they are as as people in our lives, and we kind of do add little things in honor of them throughout the menu that are just like nods to these amazing women,” Sabatier explained. The growing hospitality group didn't set out to name bars after their mothers, explains Brabham, but after a few alternatives fell through, “they’ve come to embody a little bit of their presence and personalities in a little and subtle way, of our respective moms.” However, the owners did not want to “pigeonhole” Betsie as a Puerto Rican bar, Sabatier says, so they conducted a few research trips to Chicago to capture the essence of an American dive with all the drama and camp that designer Brian Miller created at Jane Jane. The red velvet-covered swooping booths and a theatrical marquee over the bar displaying not just the quintessential cocktails but their ingredients alludes to those influences, plus there’s a rum-fueled cold brew drink on the menu called Cafe Caribe (a classic spot in San Juan) and the playful Let Me Just Say This (a common phrase of his mother’s) made with Angostura, rum, lemon, and Orgeat. The cocktail list is a lot shorter than the 25-to-30 creative cocktails on Jane Jane’s menu at a time and this reflects how they wanted to create more of a fun, celebratory space than an elevated cocktail bar. Rey Lopez/Eater DC Rye, cognac, lime-creme de cacao, and chocolate bitters make up the smooth Silent Star. Rey Lopez/Eater DC The dangerously sippable Cafe Caribe filled with rum and cold brew. “I miss old school, fun bar vibes,” says Sabatier. “It’s our little slogan for this: it’s a party, and everyone’s invited, just because we want it to be a very welcoming, cool, fun party vibe.” The cocktail list reflects that with only 12-to-15 signatures at a time, with many on tap. Even shooters make an appearance on the drinks menu, with Sabatier joking that they’re going to bring back test tube shots full of tequila and blackberry flavors, lemon drops, and a Midori-mezcal combo. There’s also more beer and wine on the menu, including skin contact glasses and local brewery pints, which they struggled to sell at Jane Jane, where “90-plus-percent of all of our sales are cocktails, not one glass of wine was selling.” Sabatier used to work at Rappahnnock Oyster Bar, which formerly occupied a stall at Union Market, and always felt like the area was partial to wine and beer. Rey Lopez/Eater DC The best move is to order both the Buffalo chicken dip and spicy pork rinds to create a peppery snack. Rey Lopez/Eater DC The cooked-down little smokies are salty and sweet and could have come from a crockpot at a cookout. The bites on the menu reflect American finger foods pulled from across the country; Sabatier maintains that, “if you need silverware, it’s a restaurant.” Guests can dip into creamy chipotle queso and Buffalo chicken dip, stab lil smokies cooked down in grape jelly and barbecue sauce (another nod to North Carolina), or scoop up a fried pickle dip made with local Gordy’s Pickles and topped with cacio e pepe-influenced breadcrumbs. Makan alum chef Justin Chang consulted on the menu, keeping to incredibly simple, but tasty, ingredients to make snacks shine. House-marinated olives with lemon peels and whole roasted garlic cloves pair perfectly with the Negroni on tap (or the slightly upscale Negroni Bianco). Rey Lopez/Eater DC The buffalo chicken dip builds heat in the back of your throat. Comforting bites can serve as a late-night snack, but you can also order a few and pull together a “little dive bar girl dinner,” Change advises. Like the crowd-pleasing Cheez-Its served with every drink at Jane Jane, every table at Bar Betsie gets a glass bowl of neon-orange cheese balls when they sit down. Snag a refill for $4. To start, Bar Betsie is open Tuesday through Sunday (beginning at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 2 p.m. on the weekends) and closing up at 2 a.m. every night except Sunday, when doors close at midnight. There are plenty of hidden “peek-a-boos” put in by Miller throughout the moody bar, which observant guests will have to discover themselves in the first few weeks. Brian Miller The secluded, dark-wooden booths are all custom made. ...read more read less