Restaurant News: Bartenders Out At Drumbar And Charcoal Bar
By Anthony Todd in Food on Jul 12, 2013 3:20PM
Matthew Lipsky wielding his ice knife at Charcoal Bar.
It's not been a great 24 hours for Chicago's lounges and bars! Two of Chicago's best mixologists, Craig Schoettler and Matthew "Choo" Lipsky, announced within the last day that they were set to leave their jobs.
First, we heard about Lipsky. He's had quite a ride lately, from creating one of our favorite drinks at The Southern to mixing cocktails in the beautiful lounge at the short-lived Morso. He took over the reins at the tiny Charcoal Bar underneath Sumi Robata Bar, where he hand-carved his own ice, mixed wonderful drinks and, most of all, constantly posted pictures of Blue Blazers, a flaming cocktail that practically no one makes anymore.
Last night, he posted to Facebook:
"As some of you already know, tonight is my last night at Charcoal Bar. Come say hello to Julian and I for one last time."
If you want to try his drinks, head over tonight.
Next, RedEye's Kate Bernot posted this to Twitter early this morning.
Morning news: @CSchoettler to leave his post at Drumbar for mixology gig at Aria Hotel in Las Vegas. More info to come.
— Kate Bernot (@kbernot) July 12, 2013
Drumbar, which opened with an amazing space and mediocre drinks about a year ago, scored a total coup when Schoettler, opening bartender of the Aviary, came up to their rooftop. His drinks were great, he brought in whiskey from the Scotch Malt Whiskey Society and, if you went on Tuesdays, you could try some of his crazy concoctions. No more.
Looks like there are some good job openings for high-end bartenders.