We like to share the Chicago food love wherever we go. So wherever you may be traveling this holiday season, share all the good stuff made right here in the city.
10 Chicago Treats to Bring Home for the Holidays
North Shore Distillery Announces New Limited-Edition Spirit
The new brew, "Eldergin," joins the star-studded pantheon of North Shore's limited release spirits.
Celebrate Thanksgiving with North Shore Distillery
Stop in for pre-and-post Thanksgiving drinks, and enjoy discounts on North Shore products and cocktails.
Our First Taste of Sol
As part of the North Shore Distillery Tour, we also got to taste their new infused vodka, Sol.
Visit the New Tasting Room at North Shore Distillery
We got a first look at North Shore Distillery's brand new tasting room, which opened to the public on Friday.
Restaurant News: North Shore Releases New Spirit, Rick Bayless Makes Granola
-Time Out announced yesterday that North Shore Distillery, a Chicagoist favorite, will be announcing a new addition to their line-up. Sol Chamomile Citrus Vodka will hit shelves on June 1. "We wanted it to be a fun, not so serious, really delicious spirit that is accessible to a broad range of people," says co-owner Sonja Kassebaum. This isn't one of their super-secret limited edition spirits, so it will be available permanently.
Looking Local for WhiskyFest Chicago 2011
This year, we looked at two distilleries that have contributed to the explosion of local craft distillers in recent years.
Do This: North Shore Cocktail Hour at Bar Deville
No. 1: This damned month called February is over; let's celebrate. No. 2: Post-Oscars appraisals are a great way to break the ice. No. 3: Discounted Martinis. As a service to readers, we've supplied the preceding good reasons in case you felt like you needed one to justify going out this coming Monday. The occasion is a special cocktail hour at Bar Deville hosted by North Shore Distillery.
Do This: Cocktails, Shopping and Charity with LUPEC
LUPEC, the Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails, is having the prohibition-era equivalent of a pub crawl. The Chicago chapter is led by Sonja Kassebaum of North Shore Distillery, and with a slogan like "Dismantling the Patriarchy, One Cocktail at a Time," what's not to love? On November 12, LUPEC is hosting "Women Helping Women," an evening of shopping, drinking and charity. Participants (ladies or gentlemen) will take a tour through the fashionable shopping of the West Loop, visiting boutiques like Bess and Loie, 2 Sisters and Smitten. At each of the twelve stops, enjoy shopping and try one classic cocktail.
Properly Sauced: The Chicagoist Cocktail
In the weeks leading up to our anniversary party Saturday night, Whistler mixologist Paul McGee was in touch with Sonja and Derek Kassebaum of North Shore Distillery to work on the cocktail that many of us downed in large numbers. McGee came through with flying colors with an eponymous, deceptively potent concoction with North Shore No. 6 gin as the base spirit. "I like the botanicals in No. 6, which is one of North Shore's lighter gins," McGee said.
Chicagoist Podcast 3/23 - Booze! Glorious Booze!
This in-between-seasons non-winter and non-spring bullshit tends to get us down, and we tend to treat our self-diagnosed Seasonal Affective Disorder with liberal quantities of intoxicants. So we figured it'd make sense for us to talk about liquor this week.
LUPEC Chicago: Cocktailing for the Ladies
You'd think that, writing for a large blog, we'd be able to keep up with RSS feeds and tips. So how the Chicago chapter of the Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails went past our head is beyond us. Should've known that Sonja Kassebaum of North Shore Distillery was the mastermind behind this. Currently, LUPEC Chicago has nine members, including Master Mixologist Bridget Albert of Southern Wine and Spirits of Illinois.
North Shore Distillery Looking for Modern-Day Van Gogh
The fine folks at North Shore Distillery (by the way, their Distiller's Gin No. 11, the second highest-rated American made gin their Distiller's No. 6 is the highest rated) are looking for some good local artists to help them design some artwork for future advertising campaigns. To that end, they've decided to hold a contest to choose a winning design and want local artists to enter their best submissions.
Localvore Challenge Update: Exceptions and A Breakfast of Champions
So I'm a week into the Green City Market Localvore Challenge and doing well. I've been able to find really good, in-season fruits and vegetables without spending a small fortune and the meats I stockpiled over the summer in the freezer are coming into good use. I've also been surprisingly creative with my daily menus. For example, yesterday I was hard-pressed for a breakfast idea and didn't want to resort to the standard bacon-and-eggs.
Chicagoist at WhiskyFest
Another year, another WhiskyFest down in the books. Malt Advocate magazine's annual festival celebrating all there is to celebrate about whiskies was, by all notes, a rousing success. Many exhibitor booths were four-to-five deep with patrons and customers paying $110 a pop to sample whisky. This having been our third WhiskyFest, we had to look long and hard for some new brands.

