Get the inside story about the fall cocktail list at MorSo. more ›

Under dozens of kitchen sinks and tucked behind countless closet doors, something is brewing in Chicago. It's beer. More precisely, it's home-brewed beer. And with more and more beer enthusiasts adopting the hobby of fermenting their own suds, Chicago home brewers Jared Saunders and Whit Nelson realized the community begged for a place to gather, learn, talk shop and gear up. From that idea, Brew Camp was born. more ›

Thanks to our sister site LAist for the heads-up on this one. Today is an important day in American culinary history - the 84th birthday of 7-Eleven. To celebrate, the chain will be giving away free 7.11 oz slurpees all over the country - 5 million of them. They're gonna go fast, so get yours early! more ›

File this under "strange packaged food facts." Consumerist informed us last Wednesday that the ingredients list for Snapple Apple Juice Drink does not include any apple at all! We've enjoyed the drink in the past, so we were a bit flummoxed to realize that the only juice in it was pear juice, and that at only 10%! When confronted, the company responded with a very terse letter which included the line "If you have a concern regarding the intake of this product, we suggest that you contact your health care provider." Whoa. more ›

We caught wind this week that over the past several months, Cody Modeer, head bartender at In Fine Spirits in Andersonville, has been busy behind the scenes concocting his own potable bitters. And not just any bitters, but a replica of the fabled Amer Picon, a French spirit akin to Italian amaro that has been unavailable in the United States for some time. (Respectively, "amer" and "amaro" are the French and Italian words for "bitter.") Modeer debuted the stuff on Wednesday. In typical bitters-fanatic fashion, 24 hours later we're bellied-up at Cody's bar, angling for a sip. more ›

Brazil's national spirit is more versatile than you think. Best known as the stuff in a Caipirinha, cachaça has been appearing outside those traditional confines lately, as the star of imaginative spring cocktails at several Chicago restaurants and bars. more ›

Making the rounds of Chicago's vanguard cocktail dens is never boring work. We're poured novelty, creativity and surprise with astonishing regularity. Then there are the changes of season. During these precious brief moments, things get really interesting. Flavors, textures, ingredients and preparations are shelved, while others are brought out and polished until they shine like new. Several cocktail menus around the city are undergoing deep springtime-inspired revisions; a few joints are even opting for complete reboots. The Exchange Bar recently did its spring cleaning, and on Friday debuted a roster of well-crafted new cocktails. more ›

Last month we reported on the debut of a cocktail app optimized to run on Mac computers. As far as we can tell, the "Cocktails for Mac" program ($4.99) remains the first and only one of its kind. At the time, it was still too new to review; we've been messing around with CfM long enough now to rate it a resounding "meh." more ›

Two of your favorite Chicagoist foodies, Roger and Caitlin, combined forces and visited the newly opened Maude’s Liquor Bar to find out if it lives up to its hype. Roger: I loved it. Caitlin: I flippin’ hate this place. more ›

One of our best flight ever was a British Airways flight from O'Hare to London's Heathrow Airport where we asked the Flight attendant for a Bacardi and Coke every 30 minutes until we passed out, then every fifteen after. We woke up at one point on the flight caked in drool with six rums and Coke in front of us. Those were the days. more ›

In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo commemorates an unlikely military victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla. North of the still-free-to-cross border (offer may not be valid in Arizona), liquor distributors and bars regard Cinco de Mayo as "Mexican St. Patrick's Day." Simply replace Guinness with Mexican beer, Irish whiskey with tequila, corned beef with taquitos...you get the idea. more ›

• Who is the chef behind the blog Butcher's Grip? Don't look at us to out him/her, especially since, for followers of snout-to-tail, it's isn't as though the chef is completely anonymous. [via Grub Street Chicago]
• Late night secret congee menus at Me Dee Café in Ravenswood. [The Food Chain]
• Delightful Pastries' second location is now open in Old town. [Drive-Thru]

Amid all the recent turnover at Sepia a few months back, seeing mixologist Peter Vestinos leave to become the on-staff cocktail guy at Wirtz Beverage Group (formerly known as Judge & Dolph) probably hit us harder than seeing chef Kendal Duque leave. Vestinos's tenure at Sepia was an unqualified success and his cocktails received raves from diners and critics alike. more ›

Sometimes you just need to face reality and come to terms with the fact that when you're thisclose to 40 like us, you need a little kick in the ass to get you to sunrise. Gone are the days when we had the world by the curlicues, when Mom lived equidistant between Marie's Riptide Lounge and the old Blue Note on Armitage, and we could stagger out of either establishment at sunrise for some biscuits and gravy. more ›

We all know how nuts everyone is about grilling during the summertime. But for us the best part of season is consuming frosty beverages. What's more invigorating after a hard day's work than sitting down with an ice-cold bottle of something in your hand? Today's New York Times has a pair of articles on favorite summertime beverages, and wouldn't you know that Chicago-area people figure in both of 'em (because if there are two things we've mastered in this town, they're how to cope with frigid winters and wilting summers). more ›

Summer has hit us with a vengeance, and we’re on the lookout for drinks that taste good very cold and with lots of ice. Lillet Blanc is a French aperitif, based on white wine with various fruits and herbs added. It’s fairly sweet and is usually served by itself, on the rocks, with a large slice of orange – the citrus perfectly compliments the sweet, alcoholic drink. Speaking of alcohol, Lillet Blanc packs more of a punch than you’d expect. It doesn’t taste like much, but the 17% alcohol content is just enough higher than wine that you need to be careful knocking them back. more ›

Red Bull has won a $680,000 lawsuit against Wet, a Loop bar that served its clubby patrons a different energy sauce when they ordered Red Bull. A manager at the company was at Wet and asked for a vodka Red Bull. She was served a vodka...Other Thing. From the Trib: more ›

Recently, during our visit to RL Restaurant, we came across two old favorites that aren’t often found (at least in non-fusionized form) on restaurant cocktail menus: the Sidecar and the Champagne Cocktail. RL’s cocktail list is filled with old favorites, but any good bar should be able to make either of these drinks. Both drinks are slightly sweet but not cloying, and both are based on brandy, a liquor not often seen in modern cocktails. The brandy lends both of these drinks a depth that vodka cocktails too often lack. more ›

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Over the holidays we received some lavender tincture from John Kinder, the sick talented bartender/mixologist at mk (some readers might remember Kinder from his days at moxie). more ›

If bars were ranked on a four-star scale, Five Star would get three big gold ones. Located at 1427 W. Chicago, Five Star is a relatively new addition to the neighborhood. Opened in May, the spot already draws a trendy, but laid-back crowd. The place is casual enough to wear jeans and Chuck Taylors, but upscale enough to show up in an after-work suit and tie and fit right in. The window-lined front wall provided... more ›

Tonight's edition of the Midwest Independent Film Festival will be featuring the Chicago premiere of a few new short comedy films. more ›

Sure you may call us hipsters or yuppies or whatever, but Chicagoist thinks we’re above social labels. And, no matter what you call us, truth is, we’re sometimes a little late to the party. We know Rainbo Club at 1150 N. Damen is nothing new, but it wasn’t until recently that we stopped by. And while we enjoyed many aspects of this cozy little bar, there’s one thing we really must emphasize: hygiene matters.
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The gallery closes, now what? Drinks are in order, but where? The Hideout gets offered up, we jump in a cab and head over there. The front bar is packed, but we snag a table in the back near the stage. People with trombones, trumpets, guitars and violins start filing in and putting their instruments on the stage. This keeps going on and on and on. The instruments are piling up everywhere. Percussion all... more ›

Site specific theater? Whatever do you mean? Bottle Can Draft is the latest offering from the Sandbox Theatre Project , and it brings together the elements of actors, audience and space in a way that breaks out of the constraints of the way we normally see theater. more ›

While there’s been little in the way of snow over the last couple of weeks, the winter doldrums continue at the movies this weekend. While Hitch with Will Smith doesn’t look too bad, Chicagoist gets the feeling we’ve seen all the good jokes in the previews (mostly because it’s the same five in every spot you see). On the other hand, it might give all the young dudes some last-minute V-Day inspiration. Still, we’ll probably... more ›