Cocktail craft at Django

UPDATE: Django has since closed and is in the process of re-opening at 1420 Locust St in late summer 2018.

Living around the corner from Django makes its a go-to place for a highly civilized drink. Among their house cocktails are the Django Vesper, left, with Bombay Sapphire gin, Ciroc vodka, Lillet Blanc, and lemon twist; and a Waistcoat and Tar, right, made with Templeton Rye, Pimm's No. 1, dashes of simple syrup and Peychaud's Bitters, plus muddled orange and grape.

Seasonal cocktails of late featured Django's housemade syrups and bitters from Fee Brothers. A Rhubarb Gimlet, left, blends gin shaken with ice, lime juice, a rhubarb and pink peppercorn syrup, and rhubarb bitters. The Strawberry Smash, center, adds bourbon, lemon juice, a honey-thyme syrup, and peach bitters to muddled strawberries. Spying a bottle of Aztec Chocolate bitters piqued my interest. Barkeep Kira Barker obliged my curiosity with an on-the-fly creation, right, featuring the bitters with vanilla vodka, Frangelico, Baileys, and a black cherry with a drizzle of cherry juice on top.