Fruit Bat, the new South American-inspired bar from Wisdom's Erik Holzherr, will officially open Friday at 1236 H St. NE, Holzherr tells TBD. A series of invite-only soft openings will take place tonight and Thursday prior to the official launch.

Holzherr describes the concept behind Fruit Bat as a blend of coffee shop atmosphere alongside elegant craft cocktails. There will be a heavy emphasis on fresh juices in both the drinks and the food, the latter of which will take cues from traditional South American street food, things like pupusas and fried plantains. Customers will also be offered a number of customizable options for their drinks, with a variety of flavors and sweeteners from which to choose. Urban Daddy has a photo of the interior and a bit more on the decor.

"We're trying to have a little cheaper price point, to make these kinds of cocktails more accessible," says Holzherr.

Fruit Bat replaces the old H Street Martini Lounge, which closed earlier this year after a series of violent fights broke out at the bar. D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier ordered the lounge to close for 96 hours after an Oct. 27 skirmish that involved a pair of off-duty D.C. firefighters. Owner Cliff Humphries decided to sell shortly thereafter.