Launching May 19 at Doyle Bar inside The Dupont Circle Hotel, Swing Set is more than a cocktail menu, it’s a narrative. Each of the twelve cocktails is named for an original character drawn from a real historical figure, built to capture the way they moved through Washington. The menu arrives as the nation celebrates 250 years of American history, a timely tribute to the power of dialogue and civic life. "Swing Set is about the moments that don't make headlines but create them," says General Manager Chrissy Sheffey. "It's a tribute to the energy of Washington, where a single conversation, a carefully placed seat, or one more round can shift everything."

Read about favorite cocktails for the season:

Golden Keys — Inspired by Michael High, Chef Concierge at The Dupont Circle Hotel

The menu opens with Golden Keys, a spirit-forward cocktail built on Doyle Bar Single Barrel Filibuster Gin, St-Germain, Cocchi Americano, and orange bitters, finished with a house-made golden apple foam. Its inspiration is Michael High, The Dupont Circle's legendary Chef Concierge and member of Les Clefs d'Or — the international organization whose golden key pin is worn as a symbol of service at the highest level. For decades, High has pointed Washington's most influential figures to experiences that unlock the city's best kept secrets.

GoGo Swing — Inspired by Chuck Brown, the Godfather of Go-Go

No menu rooted in Washington's cultural memory could ignore Go-Go, the homegrown sound that has defined the city's heartbeat for decades. Chuck Brown, the DC-born musician who invented the genre, is celebrated as the reason Go-Go was named the official sound of Washington — and Go-Go Swing pays tribute to that legacy with a lively blend of Maker's Mark Bourbon and prosecco, crème de cacao, a cayenne-spiced Lillet Rouge reduction, and lemon. It moves the way his music did — warm, rhythmic, and a little unexpected, the kind of drink that makes D.C. move.

Beautiful Bird — Inspired by Lady Bird Johnson

First Lady from 1963 to 1969, Lady Bird Johnson used beautification projects as an entry point for a much larger conversation, mobilizing society around environmental causes at a moment when those in power had yet to recognize the urgency of the work. This cocktail follows her lead. Built on a hibiscus laevis-infused Casa Dragones Blanco Tequila — hibiscus laevis is a flower native to Washington, DC, each bloom lasting only a single day — with Del Santo Herbal Liqueur, yuzu, jalapeño, and lime, Beautiful Bird is floral and citrus-forward. Fleeting yet purposeful and rooted in a place in place.

Silent Spring — Inspired by Rachel Carson

Marine biologist Rachel Carson exposed the catastrophic effects of pesticides on the natural world, and her 1962 book Silent Spring took its title from a chilling vision: a future spring with no birdsong at all. Her work directly led to the creation of the EPA. Made with Seedlip Garden Non-Alcoholic Spirit, Lyre's Rosso, a house-made strawberry basil oleo saccharum, citrus, and Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic, the cocktail is bright and botanical — the kind of drink where the elderflower opens first, the strawberry basil settles in quietly, and the tonic keeps everything clean and alive.

"Each drink is designed to feel intentional, layered, and a little unexpected, just like the conversations that have defined this city for decades," says Sheffey. "It's about storytelling through flavor, but also about creating a space where guests feel part of something unfolding in real time." Order a story in a glass — or make it two. History often begins with, “stay for one more.”