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Sable Adds Tropical Drink List

By Anthony Todd in Food on Aug 8, 2012 7:00PM

Sable Kitchen and Bar's voluminous drink list just got a little longer. Without any particular fanfare, mixologist Mike Ryan has added a page of Tropical Cocktails. Obviously, we're huge fans of all things tiki, tropical and rum-based here at Chicagoist, so as soon as we found out we rushed right down to try them out.

"We have been playing around with tropical drinks more and more at Sable, and I wanted to provide a consistent framework for our guests," Ryan told us. "Often folks would come in and order a dealers choice from someone, frequently requesting something in the tiki format, and without any touchstones on the cocktail menu if the individual bartender who made their drink isn't there they have no recourse. I really dig the tiki format, the drinks are fun and don't take themselves too seriously, although they are built rigorously and adhere to classic structures."

Right now, the list has around six drinks on it - and best of all, there are cocktails for those who aren't huge rum fans. There is a classic Mai Tai and sometimes a classic Zombie, but the rest are all original creations. The "Fantasy Island" is one of the rare breed of tiki cocktails made with gin - it combines Letherbee gin, pineapple, lime and green chartruse in a coupe decorated with an edible flower. It's a sophisticated cocktail for a drinker who doesn't want to be poked in the eye with an umbrella. Another, the "Timeout/Chillout" is made with bourbon, peach, mint, cinnamon and lemon, and tastes like the sort of tropical drink you could happily, if incongruously, sip in the middle of a blizzard.

Let's say you want to go the distance, tiki mug and all. Order the "Point Taken" by Sable mixer Alex Renshaw. This drink is much more in line with a traditional tiki cocktail - rum, pineapple, falernum, lime, punt e mes and a refreshing sprig of fresh mint that makes this slightly reminiscent of a particularly fruity mojito.

We look forward to watching this list evolve - more tiki drink competition is good for everyone.

Sable Kitchen and Bar is located at 505 N. State Street.