We joined hundreds of fellow rumheads at the Bottom Lounge's Volcano Room last Thursday for the Third Annual Chicago Ministry of Rum Festival. Early birds were treated to a Jamaican buffet, courtesy of Ja'Grill. And we're glad we were one of them--with more than 100 rums on pour, imbibing on an empty stomach would have been sheer foolishness. As it was we sampled about 15 before calling it quits. Attendees were given a handy little program with plenty of space for jotting down tasting notes. There were scores of gems. We were especially excited to sample the entire line of New Holland Brewing Co.'s rums. Their Freshwater Huron White would make for a powerfully tasty Hemingway daiquiri. Here are some shots we took while wandering around. more ›

Until Bottom Lounge (re-)opened, in order to find a good tiki lounge one had to travel to the suburbs. Within the city limits Trader Vic's closed last year, paving the way for the overpriced and subpar Lockwood restaurant. Trader Vic's was the lone standout for years after Ciral's House of Tiki in Hyde Park put up the shutters in 2000. more ›