Washington, DC Bars Ready State of the Union-Themed Drink Specials for Presidential Address Night

As US President Joe Biden prepares for his annual address to Congress and the nation on Tuesday, restaurants around the capital city are preparing for viewing parties by adding thematic specials to their evening menus.

Washington, DC residents are notoriously political and many stay tuned into the daily drama on Capitol Hill. That’s why many bars in the city will be spending the evening taking in the presidential address communally at a local watering hole sipping cocktails.

One bar not far from the national legislature called Union Pub is offering a $150 “State of the Union Pub” special, which includes a series of beers, liquors and wines as part of an “exclusive” drinking game, as well as plenty of food for the inevitable munchies.

Last month, the bar also offered a gimmick special that cost $218 as US Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) struggled to scrape together 218 votes to become House speaker - a race he eventually won. The bar is also offering regular drink specials, too.

Another popular DC watering hole, a Mexican restaurant near the city’s baseball stadium, is hosting a left-wing group’s watch party dubbed “Blue Victory 2024.” Biden hasn’t yet announced his candidacy for the 2024 elections, but his 2020 rival, former President Donald Trump, has.

However, the pomp and circumstance is rather subdued compared to some prior years - perhaps a consequence of Biden’s low approval rating. Less than half of Americans think Biden is doing a good job two years into his presidency, according to recent polls, and three-quarters are against him running again in 2024. When Biden was elected in 2020, he was already the oldest US politician to win a presidential election.

If you can’t make your way to a bar for the president’s speech, there’s also a number of drinking games circulating on the internet based on what Biden is expected to talk about - and what he’s notorious for saying and doing.

One version prescribes a viewer to take a drink every time Biden mentions low unemployment, job growth, Ukraine, or the Chinese balloon; two drinks for mentioning federal student loan debt, climate change, electric vehicles, COVID-19, or the Inflation Reduction Act; or three drinks if Biden drops one of several of his signature expressions or mentions Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris, or Russian President Vladimir Putin.

If a lawmaker walks out in protest at some point, if the Democrats give Biden a standing ovation while Republicans pointedly remain seated, or if Biden says “God Bless America” (as he’s almost certain to do at the end), then the viewer must finish their drink.

Another game oriented towards workers in DC’s massive legal field prescribes different numbers of drinks for Biden mentioning Supreme Court cases, constitutional amendments, or a Department of Justice investigation, alongside the more familiar violations.

Or perhaps one might simply be motivated to drink after hearing what Biden's political agenda is for the coming year.