The drink had layers of dark turquoise and green. Poured into a clear martini glass with a translucent orange ball-shaped base, it looked a little like a murky swimming pool resting atop the setting sun. "Taste it," the bartender said, pushing it toward us.

We took a sip.

Ugh.

"Too harsh."

"Too many different liquors."

"Too girly."

"Too ugly."

For the sleek Degrees bar, just two weeks away from opening in the new, starkly modern Ritz-Carlton hotel in Georgetown, the process of creating a signature drink was not going well. A worried Damien O'Riordan, the new food and beverage director, shook his head at the colorful concoctions lined up on the black granite bar. He looked like he needed a ...