I was out of town over the weekend. My husband and I visited an ambitious cocktail bar there that we generally liked — a unique, creative menu, a seasonal focus, really well-made drinks. But one thing caught me off guard: the bar doesn’t carry vodka. On principle.

I don’t even remember how the topic came up in conversation. I’m no big vodka fan, and we weren’t trying to order a vodka drink. I think we noticed the spirit didn’t appear anywhere on the menu, and started talking to the bartender from there.

I’m not going to lie: the idea came off to me as a little snobby. There are drinks I at least occasionally order featuring vodka, whether it be a Moscow Mule, a Vesper, etc., even if I tend to gravitate more towards other spirits. I’ve never encountered such a policy in D.C. in my memory, though perhaps I’m missing a bar here with a similar restriction (as an infrequent vodka drinker, I could have easily not noticed it somewhere). I’m curious if D.C. bartenders could generally even pull off having such a stance; customers here can be rather particular about what they like (I’ve known bartenders who have even had to stock certain conventional brands of a particular spirit to keep their clientele happy).

I think the idea wouldn’t be an issue for me at a bar with a particular focus (say, somewhere exclusively devoted to whiskey drinks). And I’m not one who thinks ordering a vodka cranberry at the Columbia Room is a good way to spend your money. But the idea of not carrying the spirit at all at a bar with a generally wide selection did rub me the wrong way. Meanwhile, my husband wasn’t really bothered by the idea, so it’s clearly not a universal turn-off.