You have spoken. Or, more accurately, you have clicked furiously in our online poll to choose the mixologist with the most in our Reader Reviews Best Bartender contest. And once our hard-working tech team combed through the 75,300 votes, Chad Johnson, bartender and manager at Bungalow Lounge (1622 W. Belmont Ave. 773-244-0400), emerged as the winner and now can run around the city saying he’s the best bartender in Chicago.
“Unbelievable. This is awesome!” Chad, 27, said when he heard the news, and immediately asked if he could tell his mom. But he knows that this title comes with some pressure. “Now I’m expected to be what I am–with no screwing up. But this is exactly what I need. I’ll keep making good drinks, refining the classics.”
A Louisville, native, Chad makes a Manhattan that’ll knock you to the floor (bourbon is practically in his blood, after all). His Southern charm and self-effacing nature inspired more than one woman to make some complimentary comments on metromix.com’s graffiti board. “Chad’s amazing!” says one. “Chad is the cutest!” says another. Good news, ladies: He’s single.
He looked quite fetching in his cowboy hat when he joined the other four bartenders–Ed, Titus, Tracy and Laurel–in demonstrating his mixing and crowd-pleasing skills last week during metromix/RedEye’s bartender bash at Gracies (1119 W. Webster Pl.). Did the five buckle under the pressure when hundreds of young, thirsty revelers rushed the bar clamoring for shot-sized samples of their signature drinks? Hell, no: The top five bartenders you chose are professionals.
But the bartenders’ smooth moves behind the bar don’t mean they weren’t giddy about their involvement in the contest. Some contenders brought their family to Gracies to cheer them on, and Laurel even brought her grandfather, who seemed completely comfortable with the sweaty, boisterous crowd and the thumping bass.
Nor did our five mixologists talk trash with one another or threaten to rumble “West Side Story”-style in the alley. In fact, Tracy told us at the party that if nothing else comes out of the contest, she’s thrilled to have made four new friends. Awww. Incidentally, Chad’s cowboy hat has gone missing, nabbed by a woman in the crowd. “It’s OK,” Chad says. “Elvis lost his stuff too.”
How did Laurel, Ed, Tracy, Titus and Chad become Chicago’s top five bartenders? Your votes on metromix.com narrowed down the pool of 10 bartenders to our fab five. And where did the 10 come from? You, our fine audience, nominated your favorites through our online form, and after sifting through nearly 300 of your impassioned recommendations, we chose the 10 we thought were most outstanding.
So what’s next for Chad? Fame? Fortune? A walk-on part in “Cocktail 2: Electric Boogalooo”? Hardly. He’s just going to keep doing what he does best. “I’m going to be at Bungalow for a long time,” he says. But he does plan on hanging out with Titus, Ed, Laurel and Tracy. “A silent bond was created [at the bartender party]. We have respect and admiration for each other.”
See Chad’s skills for yourself: He works 6 p.m.-2 a.m. Wednesdays-Fridays; 10 p.m.-3 a.m. Saturdays.
It ain’t over yet!
– Don’t miss
Chad mixing it up Wednesday on the WGN-TV noon news!
– Catch Chad
and the other winners talking with LeAnn Trotter of “metromix: the tv show” at 8:30 p.m. Thursday on CLTV.
– Plus, browse photos from last week’s bartender bash, find
each contender’s bio and more on metromix.com.
