Press

BY DEREK

For Huffington Post - Copa Jerez 2011 — Let the Best Sherry Pairings Win

For Bon Appétit – Defending Mixologists Against The Nitpicker

For Entrepreneur – Mastering the Art of the Deal at the Bar

For The Washington Post – Let’s get rid of tipping

For The Atlantic – How the English Stole Holland’s Juniper-Flavored Liquor

For The Atlantic – A Field Guide to Yelp’s Unhappy, Unhelpful Eaters

For The Atlantic – A Valentine’s Day Drink, Shakespeare-Approved

For The Atlantic – Bartenders Rediscover a Childhood Treat: Cereal Milk

For The Atlantic – Good News: Alcohol Doesn’t Actually Kill Brain Cells

For The Atlantic – A Whale of a Cocktail Ingredient

For The Atlantic – My Resolution: Stay Up Late and Drink More Alcohol

For The Atlantic – An Expert’s Top 5 Cocktail Experiences of 2010

For The Atlantic – Rude, Pointless Questions: A Bartender’s Nightmare

For The Atlantic – Classic Cocktails for Thanksgiving

For The Atlantic – The Stephen Colbert Drinking Contest That Never Was

For The Atlantic – Sweet Cocktail Drinkers of the World, Unite!

For The Atlantic – Applejack and Calvados: Fall’s Signature Spirits

For The Atlantic – Your Favorite Cocktail Bars

For The Atlantic – Don’t Let iPhones and Blackberries Kill Bar Debates

For The Atlantic – The Author Who Brought Us ‘The Joy of Drinking’

For The Atlantic – Marmalade Mixology

For The Atlantic – Cannabis in Our Cocktails

For The Atlantic – Cocktail Infusions in a Minute Not a Month

For The Atlantic – Consider the Cups, Our Forgotten Cocktail

For The Atlantic – Bartenders Are Liars, But It’s Not Their Fault

For The Atlantic – Measure Like a Mixologist: A Guide to Jiggers

For The Atlantic – The Bellini: A Two-Ingredient Marvel

For The Atlantic – Shaken Not Grilled: The Meat Liquor Craze

For The Atlantic – Hot Weather, Cool Cocktails: 3 Summer Drinks

For The Atlantic – How to Be a Drink Historian

For The Atlantic – Water: Making Cocktails Taste Like Earth

For The Atlantic – The Mai Tai: From Liquid Candy to Classic Drink

For The Atlantic – Bartender: Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Egg?

For The Atlantic – A Slow Drink Manifesto

For The Atlantic – Will the Real Cocktail Pioneer Please Stand Up?

For The Atlantic – Adios, Margaritas: A Cinco de Mayo Cocktail

For The Atlantic – The Mint Julep: ‘The Very Dream of Drinks’

For The Atlantic – Play Mad Scientist: Make Your Own Bitters

For The Atlantic – A Bartender’s Guide to Bitters: 5 Leading Brands

For The Atlantic – To the Bitter End: A Bar Ingredient Returns

For The Atlantic – Silly Americans, Artichokes Are for Drinking, Too

For The Atlantic – Moonshine: Coming Soon to a Cocktail Near You

For The Atlantic – No More Green Beer: 4 St. Patrick’s Day Cocktails

For The Atlantic – Bartending: It’s Good to Be the King

For The Atlantic – Out of the Bar, Into the Dining Room

For The Atlantic – Ice: Time to Start Paying Attention

For The Atlantic – Orange Liqueur: Mixology’s X-Factor

For The Atlantic – Scotch and Cacao, Love Potion No. 1

For The Atlantic – Bartending Lore: A Reading List

For The Atlantic – You Too Can Be a Terrible Bartender

For The Atlantic – The Robert Frost: An Intro to Sherry

For The Atlantic – No Lazy Garnishes

For The Atlantic – 5 Cocktail Trends for a New Decade

For The Atlantic – Bartender’s Plea: Lay Off the Garnish

For The Atlantic – Top Chef For Bartenders?

For The Atlantic – Holiday Tip: Beware the Mulled Wine

For The Atlantic – Toasting the End of Prohibition

For The Atlantic – Did Gossip Girl Kill The Speakeasy?

For The Atlantic – Halloween Drinks With Good Taste

For The Atlantic – Japan’s Bartending Debate

For The Atlantic – Battle of the Bars: Japan vs. America

For The Atlantic – In Japan, Drinks and Hospitality Mix

For The Atlantic – Wedding Cocktails: Too Much Work?

For The Atlantic – Craft Bartending, Japanese-Style

For The Atlantic – From Brazil, a Versatile Liquor

For The Atlantic – When Is a Cocktail Worth $1,000?

For The Atlantic – Goodbye to ’80s Bartending Trends

For The Atlantic – Shaken, Stirred…Or Swizzled?

For The Atlantic – Morning Cocktails Beyond Mimosas

For The Atlantic – Summer’s Signature Cocktail

For The Atlantic – Unearthing Forgotten Cocktails

For The Atlantic – In Praise of Champagne

For The Atlantic – Why Bartenders Shouldn’t Be Rude

For The Atlantic – Bartending With a Splash of Star Trek

For The Atlantic – The Story of a Legendary Bartender

For The Atlantic – Easy Mixing: 5 Cocktails for the Lazy

For The Atlantic – Last Call: When a Favorite Bar Closes

For The Atlantic – How to Sweeten a Cocktail

For The Atlantic – Why Your Bartender Hates You

For The Atlantic – Goldilocks: Dread of Mixologists

For The Atlantic – Happy Birthday, Dear Cocktail

For The Atlantic – A Bartender’s Defense of Blenders

For The Atlantic – Dry Martini: The King of Cocktails

For The Atlantic – What Makes a Great Bartender

For The Atlantic – Where do Crazy Drink Names Come From?

For The Atlantic – What Makes a Cocktail Snob so Onbnoxious?

For The Atlantic – Margaritas to Martinis, the Magic Ingredient

For The Atlantic – The Story of the American Mixologist

For The Atlantic – Food Parings Beyond Wine

For The Atlantic – The World’s Greatest Wingmen

HIGHLIGHTS

JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION AWARDS

SEMIFINALIST 2012 – OUTSTANDING BAR PROGRAM (Columbia Room)

SEMIFINALIST 2010 – OUTSTANDING WINE & SPIRITS PROFESSIONAL (Derek Brown)

FOOD & WINE MAGAZINE (2012)

50 BEST BARS IN AMERICA

TALES OF THE COCKTAIL 5TH ANNUAL SPIRITED AWARDS (2012)

NOMINEE – BEST AMERICAN COCKTAIL BAR (Columbia Room)

TIME MAGAZINE (2012)

“The Passenger bar, about 12 blocks from the White House, is just beginning the first seating of the night in its Columbia Room, a semisecret speakeasy behind an unmarked door in the back. Speakeasies are very fashionable in Washington at the moment–bars within bars, inner sanctums set aside for the most discriminating palates. But the Columbia Room is a particularly hot ticket.”

GQ MAGAZINE (2010)

25 BEST COCKTAIL BARS IN AMERICA (Columbia Room)

“Your reward for getting in: the best martini in America.”

THE WASHINGTON POST DINING GUIDE (2012)

CRITIC’S RATING – 3 STARS (Columbia Room)

“Great ingredients, superb craftsmanship, a bit of lore with the liquid: it all adds up to some sublime sipping.”

BON APPÉTIT MAGAZINE (2010)

TOP 10 NEW COCKTAIL BARS

WASHINGTONIAN MAGAZINE (2010)

40 WHO SHAPED 2010 (Derek Brown)

“Brown is helping lead the revolution in cocktail-making from the intimate Columbia Room”

USA TODAY (2010)

10 GREAT CLASSIC AMERICAN COCKTAIL LOUNGES

US AIRWAYS MAGAZINE (2010)

14 MOST TRENDSETTING RESTAURANTS IN THE U.S.

(The Passenger & Columbia Room)

WALL STREET JOURNAL (2010)

FEATURE – MASTER OF MIXOLOGICAL SCIENCE

Derek has also been featured on…

MSNBC • CNN • FOX • NBC • CBS • ABC • NPR • TODAY.com • CBSNews.com • Salon.com • Huffington Post • San Francisco Chronicle • New York Times • Las Vegas Sun • Seattle Post Intelligencer • Chicago Tribune • Eater.com • Washington City Paper • Imbibe Magazine • Washington Life Magazine • Esquire • Washington Flyer • Arrive Magazine • DC Magazine • Nightclub&Bar • WeLoveDC.com • DCist • Metromix.com • Politico • Wine Enthusiast Magazine • Urban Daddy • Yahoo Shine • DC Foodies • Metrocurean.com • BrightestYoungThings.com • Capitol File Magazine • Portland Press Herald • Weekly Standard • Tasting Table • Food & Wine Magazine • Tasting Panel Magazine