Properly Sauced: The Gage's Ginger Fizz

By Anthony Todd in Food on Oct 24, 2008 8:11PM

If you haven’t made it to The Gage yet, start walking right now. Open for about a year and half, this Michigan Avenue gastropub has garnered so many accolades for its food and atmosphere that it would be pointless to pile on one more. Suffice it to say, we like the place a lot. Today, we’re concerned specifically with the cocktail offerings at the Gage. Do they live up to the food and the hype?

Surprisingly, yes. The Gage has some of the most sophisticated drinks we’ve seen in Chicago, flavorful without being cloying, occasionally sweet without being syrupy and disgusting. Our favorite drink at the Gage, the Ginger Fizz, is a whiskey cocktail made with fresh ginger and just a hint of sugar. When we ordered it, we expected a typical fruity sugarbomb – and boy, were we surprised. The flavor of the ginger enhanced the flavor of the whiskey, allowing us to taste the alcohol rather than covering it up.

The cocktails at the Gage are not cheap. The Ginger Fizz is the cheapest on the list, at $10, and the signature Gage Cocktail goes for a whopping $14. Is it worth it? For the strength and quality they’re putting out, we say that it is. But be ready for the bill.

Gage Ginger Fizz

2 slices of fresh ginger
1 brown sugar cube
2 Lemons, cut into wedges
1.5 oz Jameson’s Irish Whisky
Club Soda

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a shaker pint. Muddle them, and add the Whisky. Top with soda and shake gently. Serve in an old-fashioned or lowball glass – the drink shouldn’t have too much soda.

The Gage is located at 24 S. Michigan Avenue. Reservations are recommended for dinner, but they have a great bar if you want to have a cocktail.