- Title: Kamala Coconut Daiquiri or Palate Cleanser? D.C. bars gear up for election night
- Date: 1st November 2024
- Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 31, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF 'THE LITTLE GAY PUB' WITH PORTRAITS OF DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE KAMALA HARRIS KAMALA HARRIS CARDBOARD CUTOUT IN WINDOW PEOPLE AT BAR TERRACE, HARRIS PORTRAITS VARIOUS OF CO-OWNER OF BOUNDARY STONE, COLIN MCDONOUGH AT BAR (SOUNDBITE) (English) CO-OWNER OF BOUNDARY STONE, COLIN MCDONOUGH, SAYING:
- Embargoed: 15th November 2024 05:59
- Keywords: Kamala Harris United States bars cocktails election
- Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- City: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- Country: US
- Topics: North America,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001619331102024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: With presidential election just days ahead and race between the candidates being razor-thin race, bars and restaurants in Washington D.C. prepare for watch parties on the vote night with a variety of bar specials.
With the District of Columbia heavily favoring Kamala Harris, there is little surprise many of the drinks are celebrating the Democratic candidate, including a special variation on a classic daiquiri, which will be offered on the November 5 menu at Boundary Stone.
"It's it's a fun way to take the edge off, certainly on a night when a lot of people will be on it," Boundary Stone's co-owner Colin McDonough told Reuters explaining why the bar came up with Kamala coconut daiquiri.
The second special cocktail was originally added to the menu during presidential candidates' debates when Kamala Harris faced Republican candidate Donald Trump and is called Palate Cleanser for a reason.
"If he said something you didn't like and it left a bad taste in your mouth, you could have a palate cleanser. It's also orange, so just having some fun," McDonough explained.
On election night though, the Palate Cleanser is meant to be drunk when a state is called Republican.
At Shaw's Tavern, also in Washington, a Kamala Harris-themed drink - with a shot of Blue Curacao liqueur to make it blue - has been on the menu for months and proved to be a popular choice among some bar-goers.
"I wasn't a fan of coconut flavored anything for years and now that she's the nominee, I can support it. And maybe this will just grow me to like light coconut flavors a lot better," bar patron David Stephens told Reuters.
Use of coconut flavor is not a coincidence, as a phrase about "falling off a coconut tree" has become an ironic slogan in support of Harris.
At a 2023 White House event, Harris spoke about the importance of equal opportunities in education, and finished her speech with a personal anecdote about her mother, who Harris said used to tell her children they do not exist in vacuum: "I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?" The phrase went viral on social media.
Stephens voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and was a long-time Republican supporter, but changed his affiliation during the COVID-19 pandemic and is now preparing to vote for Kamala Harris.
"It's time to rebuild and unite as a country," Stephens said.
Among other specials on offer at Washington's vibrant bar scene for election night are limited-time martinis as well as blue, red, and purple drinks which will be used for an unofficial drinkers' vote count.
The U.S. presidential election will take place on November 5, but the winner may not be known for days after the polls close.
More than 65 million Americans have already taken advantage of early voting, according to Election Lab at the University of Florida, in a battle that will decide who runs the world's richest and most powerful country for four years.
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