Courtesy: Salamander Collections Communications Team

WASHINGTON, DC (July 25, 2024) – Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi has partnered with nationally acclaimed mixologist Derek Brown to create its craft cocktail program. Brown is developing a series of signature drinks for the highly anticipated restaurant, which is scheduled to open late summer at Salamander Washington DC. 

The announcement marks a double homecoming with Onwuachi returning to the nation’s capital for a culinary experience inspired by DC Surveyor Benjamin Banneker and his heritage to the West African Dogon tribe, while DC native Brown showcases his skills in the District for the first time since closing his famed Columbia Room bar in 2017. Pronounced “Doh-gon,” the restaurant will serve vibrant cuisine through an Afro-Caribbean lens and draw from Onwuachi’s unique Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian and Creole background.

In addition to complementing the cuisine, DC’s heritage and Banneker’s inspiration, Brown and Onwuachi have collaborated to create a cocktail program that highlights Black- owned spirits and drinks. “I am so excited to finally collaborate with the great Derek Brown and tap him to create Dōgon’s cocktail program,” said Onwuachi. “Derek is celebrated for his ability to create drinks that combine seasonal ingredients, classic mixes and attention to craftsmanship. I can’t wait for people to pair his creations with Dōgon’s cuisine and celebrate all the cultures within DC’s four quadrants.”

Brown’s name is synonymous with exquisite cocktails and great drinking establishments in the nation’s capital. In addition to the Columbia Room, he also co-owned The Passenger, Mockingbird Hill, Eat the Rich, and Southern Efficiency, and was named Bartender of the Year by Imbibe magazine. Well-respected across the nation, he worked to help pass a proclamation with DC City Council to name the Rickey as the official cocktail of Washington, DC. 

 Brown is the founder of Positive Damage, Inc., a company dedicated to creating a culture of mindful drinking and making room for everyone at the bar, and was the Chief Spirits Advisor for the National Archives Foundation from 2015-2020. In 2019, (with Robert Yule) Brown published Spirits Sugar Water Bitters, and in 2022, he published Mindful Mixology: A Comprehensive Guide to No- and Low-Alcohol Cocktails with 60 Recipes, an outgrowth of his work advocating for mindful drinking by both workers and patrons in bars. 

“I’ve been a huge fan of Kwame’s since his very first restaurant, which was located close to me in the Shaw neighborhood of DC,” said Brown. “For Dōgon, I took a backseat and listened to his vision so I could create a seamless experience. The quality of his food has driven my direction and I tried to utilize aspects of his culinary style alongside our shared love of Washington, DC.” 

In addition to traditional bar seating, Dōgon will also feature a relaxing lounge in which guests can enjoy a drink and a full dining menu. Brown’s program will feature selections that are one-third high alcohol, one-third low alcohol and one-third no alcohol.

While the rest of the selections will be unveiled when the restaurant opens, a few notable creations include: 

●   Flower Pot Punch

According to Brown, this under-recognized classic cocktail was invented at the famed pre-Prohibition Hancock’s in DC by Black bartenders who historian Charles Wheeler noted practiced a “lost art.” While there is no known recipe from which to work, Brown features ingredients thought to be used including Ten-to-One Rum, fresh lemon and lime, Cane Collective Caribbean Spiced Pineapple Syrup and El Guapo Cajun Grenadine. 

●   Astronomer

Named in honor of Benjamin Banneker, whose brilliance in astronomy and mathematics led to his surveying the territory which became the District of Columbia, this non-alcoholic drink features Calabash Jasmine Jones Tea from the Black-owned tea house Calabash Tea & Tonic, also formerly in Shaw.

Additionally, it includes fresh lemon, El Guapo Creole Orgeat, Aquafaba and All the Bitter Lavender Bitters. Dōgon will be Onwuachi’s second restaurant opening in two years, following his highly acclaimed Tatiana in New York City. For the second year in a row, Tatiana was named the city’s best restaurant by the New York Times and rated one of the best new restaurants of the year by Esquire.

Forbes called it more than a restaurant and the “future of fine dining.” Onwuachi has also been a contestant and a judge on Bravo’s Top Chef. In 2019, he was acclaimed by Esquire as its Chef of the Year, recognized by FOOD & WINE as one of its Best New Chefs, and named by the James Beard Foundation as “Rising Star Chef of the Year.” 

Dōgon’s opening brings Onwuachi together again with Sheila Johnson, founder and CEO of Salamander Collection, with whom he has built a special relationship. The pair created The Family Reunion, which has quickly become the premier gathering of culinary professionals of color in the country and takes place each August at Johnson’s Five-Star Salamander Middleburg resort in Virginia. Salamander Collection was voted Best Luxury Hotel Brand by readers of USA TODAY and is the largest Black-owned luxury hotel company in the United States. The launch of Dōgon is part of an overall property redesign at Salamander Washington DC, creating a warm and welcoming environment for which the company is renowned.

The enhancement project will showcase a brighter and more residential design, and include striking indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, an expanded two-story spa and modernly refreshed guest suites designed by Thomas Pheasant.  

An exact opening date for Dōgon will be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, diners and those interested in exploring employment opportunities can sign up to receive updates at www.DogonDC.com  and also follow on Instagram at @DogonDC. 

HIRING EVENT

Dōgon is now hiring numerous positions ranging from hosts to line cooks, servers and executive positions. It will hold a hiring event on Saturday, July 27, the details of which are below. 

●      Date: Saturday, July 27 – Open to Public

●      Time: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

●      Location: Salamander Washington DC – Philips Room To RSVP in advance for the hiring event, e-mail Jasmine Alexander at jalexander@salamanderdc.com. 

Salamander Collection is privately owned and operated, and based in Middleburg, VA, just outside Washington, DC. Founded by entrepreneur Sheila Johnson, it has a luxury portfolio featuring the Forbes Five-Star Salamander Middleburg, an equestrian-inspired property in the Virginia countryside; Salamander Washington DC, an elegant hotel located along the capital’s vibrant Southwest waterfront; Half Moon, the storied resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica, featuring three distinct experiences including the acclaimed Eclipse; Aspen Meadows Resort, which features sweeping views on 40 beautiful acres in Aspen, CO’s west end and newly renovated Herbert Bayer-inspired accommodations and arrival experience; Hotel Bennett, a spectacular grand hotel in Charleston, SC, overlooking the city’s historic Marion Square; and Innisbrook Resort in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area, which hosts the PGA TOUR’s Valspar Championship each year on its famed Copperhead Course. www.SalamanderHotels.com.

Public Relations-Salamander DC+Salamander Middleburg – Maurisa Potts, maurisa@spottedmp.com

Matt Owen, Vice President, Communications, mowen@salamanderhotels.com