Having a drink at Captain Blacks on the patio is a real Capitol Hill summer tradition. On a slow, sunny afternoon, Matty the bartender — and drummer in the band Cat Toy, playing their first show October 19th at the Belltown Yacht Club — made a Gun Smoke, a concoction of his own design. Made with lime juice, a sugar cube, mezcal, Aperol, and muddled jalapeño, Matty calls the drink “spicy, bitter, sweet.” While peppery, the spice only hangs out for a second. A solid cocktail for a hot day.

I drank this on Capitol Hill is a semiregular photographic tour of some of Capitol HIll’s best cocktails and libations. Have a suggestion for something we should drink? Let us know in comments.