In the very late 1800s, close to the very early 1900s, they built the present building that we’re in now as an outlet for their goods. On the side of the building, it says Walter Roberts, hay grain, flour, and feed. And we kept that as a reminder of what it was. The warehouse right across the alley was John Fitzgerald’s warehouse. It was actually a place at one time where whiskey was aged and kept in barrels, along with other items such as various grains. Let’s just say during that nasty era of Prohibition, it was providing comfort for those who could not find comfort elsewhere, if you know what I mean.”

Today, the restaurant is owned by another Old Town Alexandria family, the Smiths, which includes William and Cammy Smith, Gene and Sue Smith, and Melissa and Lindsey Reading. Gale’s wife, Lisa Gale, is also part of the management team that keeps this hidden gem operating at its peak. The staff and the bartenders are all top notch, as evidenced by the volume of cocktails sold — the house Old Fashioned, named for Elijah Craig, is ordered nearly 10,000 times a year.

“I don’t need to tell you the number of different things in the whiskey world that exist. One which takes paramount are the stories…[but] are they all 100 per cent true? I’m not here to attest they are, but I’m not saying that they’re all not true, as well. Elijah Craig, as you know, was a Virginia boy, and he led the largest mass exodus of Baptists from this part of the world into the county, and I emphasize county of Kentucky at the time, because Kentucky didn’t become a state until 1792. With all the different stories, did the barn burn? Did they char the barrels? I still believe it was his wife and the ladies of the community that cleaned the barrels up and made the whiskey.”

That story, of course, is the story that Elijah Craig, a Baptist preacher, invented the use of charred barrels in bourbon-making through an accident. As lore states, either his barn burned and his staves were leaned up against the wall and he decided to use them anyway, or he had a salted fish barrel that he wanted to store whiskey in, so he burned the inside to get the fish taste out. Neither of these is a likely story, as Gale alludes, but it’s been told so many times that it’s forever part of bourbon mythology. It’s also on the label of every bottle of Elijah Craig Bourbon.

“We selected this whiskey not only for the quality, but also for the history and for the esprit de corps about the whiskey itself to say when we look at Virtue, does it reflect and is it bourbon of an old fashioned nature?” Gale explains. “And so we selected Elijah Craig as the Father of Bourbon to be our lead whiskey, if you will. The Old Fashioned cocktail has a number of different variations. I still go back to the genre that it was originally a morning tonic. And there are a number of different variations you can put on it. We selected one in particular that we could duplicate each and every time. This is why we selected the Bittermilk Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Fashioned Cocktail Mixer. Everything came to be, it’s like the planets aligned to say this is what we want it to be. Bourbon forward, sweet enough to be enjoyed.”

For such a high-volume drink, the notion of using a standardized mixer ensures that each cocktail is exactly the same no matter who is making it. The majority of the other cocktails on the menu, which rotates periodically, are scratch made. Gale says each cocktail on the menu has to meet five criteria: it has to be pleasing to the palate; ingredients have to be readily available; it has to be an easy build so it doesn’t slow down service at peak times; it has to fit within the restaurant’s bar budget; and it has to be able to be offered to guests at a reasonable price.

“The Father of Bourbon cocktail is our number one without a doubt,” Gale says. “Number two would be our Buffalo Blackberry Bourbon Smash. [That is] for the bourbon drinker who wants to experience Bourbon 101, not so much for us aficionados who like it neat or on the hard rock. The Basil Hayden Lemon Julep, a constant performer, not only in the springtime, but one that’s been on our menu forever and a day. The perfect Manhattan, for that we use Maker’s Mark. Ours is a bit different in that we use Carpano for the bitters, Giuseppe Carpano being one of the creators of the vermouth as we know it today. We found that quality is going to be remembered when the price is forgotten. So that one is very much on the far reaches of being within budget, but still a great cocktail.”

Aperol Spritzes and Espresso Martinis are also very popular right now at Virtue Feed & Grain, though whiskey and whiskey cocktails make up the bulk of bar sales. In fact, Elijah Craig alone makes up a significant portion of bar sales at this watering hole.

“We are the single largest purchaser of Elijah Craig small batch in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Gale reports. “Within our category we are 12th in the world, 42nd overall, and I’m talking about competing with individuals such as JW Marriott, MGM. The largest purchaser of Elijah Craig is actually Walt Disney, which I find to be pretty wild, so Mickey Mouse is having a good time.”

The menu rotates periodically and can change for seasons and holidays, but the core cocktails are always available. When choosing a whiskey for a particular cocktail, it has to be pleasing to the palate and price-conscious, and those cocktail recipes need to showcase the main ingredient rather than hiding it.

“We have two major bars here at Virtue,” Gale says. “We’re in an old hay, grain, and flour warehouse. We have one up and one down. We are currently renovating the two bars as we speak, especially what we call the up bar. The up bar is going to receive some special attention. We’re going to showcase our private barrels, special sections, and selections of private barrel items. The bars are going to be redone of an imported wood.”

Currently, Virtue Feed & Grain carries more than 390 separate whiskeys in addition to a full selection of wine, beer, and other spirits. There are currently five private barrel whiskeys included on that list, making it a destination for whiskey lovers.

“From Maine to Spain and Austin to Boston, it’s the power of social media!” Gale says of his clientele. “Being just across the river from the Capitol, Washington, DC, you’d be surprised how many folks will, I call it, ‘come from overseas’ to come visit us and partake of our spirit selection. Having a selection of spirits is what we call a blurse: a combination of a blessing and a curse!

“We have a selection of different spirits that is fairly-priced throughout the Commonwealth and this part of what we call the DMV, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia,” Gale continues. “We have servers that have been with us some 10-plus years. So that says a whole lot about our operation. Virtue Feed & Grain is actually one of the most visited places in Old Town, Alexandria, because of the nature of the building, the history that’s behind it, and the location right here on the waterfront. It’s like a triple hit. Every day is a holiday, and every meal is a feast!”

See some delicious cocktail recipes below.

Father of Bourbon Old Fashioned

• 2oz Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon

• 0.25oz Bittermilk Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Fashioned Cocktail Mixer

Combine ingredients in a rocks glass with a large ice cube and stir. Approximately 10,000 of these cocktails are served each year!

Maker’s Mark Perfect Manhattan

• 2oz Maker’s Mark bourbon

• 0.5oz Carpano

• 0.5oz dry vermouth

• 2 dashes of Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail tin with ice and stir. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a cocktail cherry.

Basil Hayden Lemon Mint Julep

• 1.5oz Basil Hayden bourbon

• 0.75oz St Elderflower liqueur

• 0.5oz lemon juice

• 0.75oz simple syrup

• 4 mint leaves

Combine bourbon, St Elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a rocks glass with one large cube. Garnish with mint leaves.

Buffalo Blackberry Bourbon Smash

• 2oz Buffalo Trace Bourbon

• 1oz simple syrup

• 2 lemons (1 juiced, 1 for garnish)

• 2 blackberries

In a rocks glass, muddle juice of one lemon and one blackberry. Add ice, bourbon, and simple syrup and stir vigorously. Garnish with remaining blackberry and lemon slice.

Paper Plane

• 0.75oz Woodinville bourbon

• 0.75oz Aperol

• 0.75oz Amaro Nonino

• 0.5oz lemon juice

• 0.5oz simple syrup

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.  

Photos © Igda Warner Photography; Virtue Feed & Grain