Kenney Marlatt

Paw paws find their way into fall cocktails — try them Wednesday night at Lost Lake pop-up

May 31, 2019 at 9:03 p.m.

Fall has arrived, which means you may be in for a surprise when you try the new limited-release spirit from Apologue. The Chicago-based company that specializes in Midwestern-inspired liqueurs is...

Lost Lake co-owners Shelby Allison and Paul McGee are joined by past and present Lost Lake bartenders as they celebrate winning the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for Best American Cocktail Bar at The Orpheum Theater in New Orleans on Saturday, July 21, 2018.

Lost Lake named best American cocktail bar

May 31, 2019 at 9:03 p.m.

NEW ORLEANS — Cocktail drinkers often call Lost Lake one of Chicago’s finest bars. Now they can officially say it’s one of the nation’s finest as well. The Logan Square...

Charleston uses Apologue's Persimmon Bittersweet Liqueur to make a variation on a Negroni.

Chicago spirit-maker Apologue delivers Midwestern flavors to cocktails

May 31, 2019 at 9:04 p.m.

Chicago bar crawlers may have noticed some unfamiliar ingredients popping up in their cocktails lately, courtesy of a new local spirits company called Apologue. It’s the brainchild of partners Robby...

Ramen Takeya devotes an entire section of its menu to "otsumami" or drinking foods — nestled among them the Japanese street snack takoyaki. The ball-shaped snacks are made with a batter that crisps up into a golden shell while remaining creamy and soft inside. Hidden away are Chiclet-size pieces of octopus, tiny surprises in the center of each ball. Six balls are served in a red and white paper boats and drizzled with sweet and salty Japanese barbecue sauce, creamy mayo, aonori (dried seaweed) and fishy-but-in-a-good-way bonito flakes (cured fish shavings). Between the crispy-meets-creamy texture and the sweet-meets-salty flavors, it's easy to see how a refreshing beer (or soda, for non-drinkers) would pair nicely. $6. 819 W. Fulton Market, 312-666-7710, <a href="http://www.ramentakeya.com/">ramentakeya.com</a> — Grace Wong

Stock your bar shelf with three James Beard-nominated cocktail books from Chicago authors

March 12, 2024 at 12:14 p.m.

Chicago has long been known as a drinking town. It may come as no surprise then that the trio of authors nominated for a James Beard beverage book award this...

Jim Meehan, pictured recently at Prairie School in Fulton Market, has filled his "Bartender Manual" with so much rich detail that it will likely serve as the go-to reference for another generation of bartenders and bar owners.

Jim Meehan’s ‘Bartender Manual’ a must-read for pros, home mixologists alike

May 31, 2019 at 9:03 p.m.

In the span of a month, acclaimed bartender Jim Meehan has opened a new bar (the West Loop’s Prairie School), welcomed the birth of his second child and published an...

Modern drink culture has exploded in the past 25 years, and award-winning Robert Simonson has documented it all in "A Proper Drink."

‘A Proper Drink’ author explores cocktail revival Monday at Violet Hour

June 9, 2018 at 2:01 a.m.

In 2007 when The Violet Hour first opened its doors in Wicker Park, it wasn't always easy to get a proper drink in Chicago. Writers at the time wondered if...

Plantation O.F.T.D. rum, pictured at the Tiki bar Latitude 29 in New Orleans on July 23, 2016, was conceived by seven spirits experts a year ago.

New rum co-created by Paul McGee launches Wednesday at Lost Lake

June 9, 2018 at 11:28 a.m.

Chicago rum fans have a new cane spirit to add to their arsenal: Maison Ferrand's Plantation O.F.T.D. overproof rum. But this isn't just any new rum -- the blend was...

19th-century Viennese chef Franz Sacher would be pleased, I think, by the version of his eponymous chocolate cake served at Café Selmarie in Lincoln Square. First, the top of each slice of Sacher torte is decorated with his name, elegantly written in chocolate script. Second, the cake is a real looker: Layers of chocolate cake are mortared with raspberry preserve and chocolate buttercream; the whole thing is then frosted with more buttercream and wrapped in a smooth sheet of bittersweet chocolate — firm enough to be eaten on its own, if you like, with a fork. Third, every bite is delicious. The devil's food cake is firm and pleasant, while the raspberry offers a deep berry counterpoint to all the chocolate. $4.20. 4729 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-989-5595, <a href="http://cafeselmarie.com/" target="_blank">www.cafeselmarie.com</a>. — Bill Daley

Download this: Cocktail recipe app features local favorites

June 15, 2018 at 8:59 a.m.

If you enjoy making cocktails at home you likely have no trouble mixing up an Old Fashioned or a daiquiri when the mood strikes. But replicating the more unusual drinks...

Bobby Heugel, left, owner of Anvil Bar & Refuge in Houston, will bring his team to Chicago for a takeover of Lost Lake tiki bar as Paul McGee, right, and his staff travel for research.

Don’t mess with tiki: Texas bar taking over Lost Lake for 6 days

June 9, 2018 at 6:22 a.m.

The staff of Avondale tiki bar Lost Lake may be leaving town next week — for a research trip to Martinique — but they aren't leaving Chicago high and dry....

The Milk Maid cocktail, left, at The Whistler in Logan Square is one of the more unusual drinks on the bar's special seventh anniversary menu.

3 must-try cocktails on tonight’s Whistler anniversary menu

June 15, 2018 at 12:56 p.m.

One of Logan Square's original cocktail bars is celebrating its seventh anniversary tonight. The Whistler was born in 2008 as a music venue but quickly established itself as a craft...

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