The Best Cocktails In Chicago
By Staff in Food on Jul 17, 2013 6:00PM
Cocktail culture in Chicago has exploded over the past five years, but there are still some standbys we keep coming back to again and again. These are our favorites. Some are complicated, some are simple—all are delicious.
THE GHOST SIGN AT HOMESTEAD
Benjamin Schiller designed the Homestead cocktail menu to feature cocktails that are refreshing and perfect for sitting outside on a warn, summer day. I cannot think of a more appropriate cocktail for just that than the Ghost Sign. A combination of Blanco Tequila, Pimm's No. 1 and kumquat, it is a perfect cocktail to sip as you peruse Homestead's farm-to-table menu. Pimm's, of course, is known for being the main ingredient in an equally refreshing Pimm's Cup. It is used here for its bitter flavor, and it's a perfect partner to the tequila and kumquat. — Paul Leddy
Homestead is at 1924 N. Winchester Ave.
THE GIMLET AT MATCHBOX
Sometimes, a cocktail makes everyone's best of list because of hype, scene or good PR. The gimlet at Matchbox has none of those things. The bar is tiny to the point of non-existence and they have no hype to speak of, but that Gimlet speaks for itself. Frosty, tart and, best of all, seemingly bottomless. In what we prefer to think of as a riff on the childhood milkshake with the tin full of extra goodness, at Matchbox they leave the shaker so you can pour. And pour. And pour. You probably won't need to order another one. — Anthony Todd
Matchbox is at 770 N. Milwaukee Ave.
THE BUBBLY CREEK AT MARIA'S
Maria's, one of the best bars in Chicago, is best known for its extensive beer menu with nearly 500 selections, but its cocktail menu is an inventive blend of classics, recipes created by local notables and tributes to the neighborhood it calls home. Case in point: this simple cocktail consisting of 100-proof Old Grand-Dad bourbon, an orange bitters rinse and Maria's ginger beer (brewed for them by Filbert's), served with a green maraschino cherry. The resulting color and effervescence is supposed to emulate the notorious stretch of the Chicago River's south branch for which it's named, while the strength of the bourbon means the cocktail will go straight to your head if you pound a few back in succession. This is a cocktail intended to give you a buzz slowly, folks. Sip it with relish. — Chuck Sudo
Maria's Packaged Goods and Community Bar is at 960 W. 31st St.
THE SHRINEBUILDER AT THE WHISTLER
Doing what I do, I am fortunate to sample the many cocktail creations made by our talented bartenders around the city. I can honestly say I have never had a truly bad cocktail. There are, however, the cocktails that are so good that I can't stop thinking about them. One of them is The Shrinebuilder at The Whistler. A delicious swizzle-style cocktail made of Green Chartreuse and Verdita (pineapple juice, jalapeño, cilantro, and mint), it is spicy, sweet, herbal, fresh, and delicious all at the same time. When I have made it at home, every person who tried it has responded with, "whoa, this is great, what is it?" — Paul Leddy
The Whistler is at 2421 N. Milwaukee Ave.
THE COCKTAIL AT BILLY SUNDAY
At Billy Sunday, I like the Cocktail, made with malted rye, Spanish brandy, ambergris-laced palm sugar, and bitters. That's right, ambergris. I wrote about the whale byproduct earlier this year and it's not just a gimmicky addition—the ambergris adds salinity and an oceany aroma to the Old Fashioned-esque cocktail. It's a great story and, more importantly, the cocktail is delicious. — Amy Cavanaugh
Billy Sunday is at 3143 W. Logan Blvd.
THE MOMENT OF SILENCE AT THE AVIARY
For a place known for it's avant-garde presentations and preparations, it was interesting to see a straight-forward cocktail on the Aviary's prixe-fixe menu. The cocktail comes from an underground cocktail book called Rogue Cocktails (later Beta Cocktails) from bartenders Kirk Estopinal and Maksym Pazuniak, who compiled 40 unusual cocktails from various bartenders in the US (including Chicagoan bartenders Charles Joly, Mike Ryan, Paul McGee, and Stephen Cole). The Moment of Silence, which was created by Pazuniak, combines rye whiskey, apricot liqueur, Averna, Laird's apple brandy, and a 1/2 ounce of Angostura Bitters (usually seen just as a dash or two in a cocktail). The cocktail is very balanced with lots of clove and spice from the Angostura coming through. In the recipe, the glass is prepared with a Campari rinse. Since this is The Aviary, this last step is taken to a different level. When the cocktail is served, a server lights a pressurized spray made up of 3 parts El Dorado 151 Rum and 2 parts Campari over the cocktail. The flame not only is a neat parlor trick, but it also provides an interesting aromatic note to the cocktail.— Paul Leddy
The Aviary is at 955 W. Fulton Market.
The Weston. Photo by Anthony Todd.
THE WESTON AT THE BERKSHIRE ROOM
My favorite cocktail so far this year is at the newly-opened Berkshire Room, the craft cocktail bar in the Acme Hotel on Ohio. Sitting in the dark, cool room, you really need a dark, cool cocktail to sip on. Luckily, they've got one: the Weston. This drink packs a wallop, but it's so smooth it feels like being hit with a brick wrapped in cotton balls. The drink is modeled on mixer Ben Schiller's day off—it has flavors of coffee, Thai food, whiskey and tobacco. Yup, tobacco. Schiller macerates pipe tobacco in high proof spirits for months to make the final ingredient in the drink. Go order one right now. — Anthony Todd
The Berkshire Room is at 15 E. Ohio St.
THE FORECLOSURE AT BARRELHOUSE FLAT
It's a quiet Monday night. You've been sitting at the bar for some time with a pal. Only now have you looked out the window to notice that it's raining. The glasses in front of you both are just about empty. You know you really ought to leave, but you're easily talked into having one last round, a bracer for the nasty weather outside. These are the ideal conditions for ordering a Foreclosure, an off-menu drink at The Barrelhouse Flat. The notes I scribbled after having one indicated that it consists of Lemon Hart 151 rum (1.5 oz.); Cruzan Black Strap rum, allspice dram, and demerrara syrup (all .25 oz. of each); and Angostura bitters. I think. Don't quote me on that; things got a bit soft around the edges by the time I'd finished. It was a lovely way to get pie-eyed.— Rob Christopher
The Barrelhouse Flat is at 2624 N. Lincoln Ave.
Honorable Mentions:
The Hard Sell at Bar Deville
The Henri Presse at Henri
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