Cocktail Chic

What to wear when throwing together an impromptu pre-Independence Day cocktail party? Events & catering consultant Tracey Watson chose this chic maxi floral sundress by Milumia with a button-up front and leg slit. “I liked it so much, I ordered seven versions of it from Amazon Prime!” says the Homeland resident.

Tracey pumped up her party dress with a pair of high-heeled sandals by INC International Concepts.

Just debuted this summer, The Bluebird Cocktail Room in Hampden is surely the most stylish choice for imbibing this season.

Situated on the second level of the old Red Man’s Lodge building, it features a beautiful main cocktail lounge outfitted with communal tables, banquettes, and chrystal chandeliers overhead.

The menu goes beyond charcuterie to include things like lamb meatballs, chicken liver mousse, steak tartare, and fried sweetbreads.

And on the big porch outside, patrons can sip their beverages while swaying in the sturdy wooden suspended porch swings, perfect for catching the summer breeze. {The Bluebird Cocktail Room, 3602 Hickory Avenue, Hampden}

Kevin Plank’s new Sagamore Spirit Distillery recently opened in Port Discovery, and I was given a tour of it last week. A compound of three handsome glass and wood structures designed by Patrick Sutton, one houses the tasting room, gift shop, and packaging area; another the actual distillery; and the third a restaurant that will open in September. I’m a fan of the packaging of the Sagamore Spirit Rye, but was particularly taken with the bottles of their White Rye (rye whiskey that is not cask-aged to impart additional flavor and color).

There’s also a cool display of vintage Maryland rye whiskey bottles…

…and a fun old promotional shot of two waitresses from the 1930s hoisting bottles of Old Judge Maryland Rye. {Sagamore Spirit Distillery, 301 E. Cromwell Street, Port Covington}