What makes this a great town for drinks? The great people who make them. Here are six of the most talented, brilliant and innovative makers you need to know now, plus their top picks for the season.
LANIE BAYLESS
As the daughter of celebrated chef Rick Bayless, the spirits director of Bar Sótano practically has mezcal running through her veins.
"I am not a cook, as my father is fast to admit, but I always had a knack for balancing flavors in drinks—I would make big punches in college. So the bar world is where I felt I had the techniques to thrive.
Oaxaca, Mexico, is probably my favorite place in the world. I always felt connected to the mezcal community there, but it's not just about making a spirit. There's a whole culture—you eat specific food; people work in a certain way.
Where we were in Oaxacan markets doing research for Bar Sótano, the herbs called to me the most. That's where we got the idea for the Poleo Negroni. It was the inspiration of what a market is like—having gorgeous fruit available year-round, drinking alfresco–that really helped drive the menu.
The Paloma has become really popular recently. Our Jalapeño, Grapefruit cocktail is a spicy riff on it. Spritzes are also great for summer. Anything with bubbles is always very fun."
What she's pouring: Inspired by the fragrant chile stalls of Oaxaca, the Pasilla, Orange cocktail from Lanie Bayless gets a spike of flavor from Ramazzotti amaro and dry curaçao, rounded out by El Tesoro Añejo and orange bitters. A toasted pasilla chile is placed on top. barsotano.com –AC
MARINA HOLTER
When the co-head bartender for The Whistler isn't thinking about food, she's thinking about making drinks that remind her of food.
"My first real industry job was working at Doughnut Vault, slinging doughnuts at people with this fast-paced intensity. I think that gave me a sneak peek of why I like bartending so much. You have to be efficient at all times.
I had no idea what I was doing on my first day at Table, Donkey and Stick. I was double shaking two egg-white cocktails, and they both opened up over me. I thought to myself, 'This is as bad as it gets in this career, and I feel pretty fine.' That job really taught me how to command a bar.
I think about food a lot. My roommate and I make these huge bowls of popcorn. Sometimes when I come home at 4 in the morning, that's all I want. I was sitting there with my popcorn and bottle of sherry—I just wanted to have the two things at once.
One of the first cocktails I put on the Whistler menu was a buttered popcorn sherry martini.
Right now I have a drink based on Mapo tofu, one of my favorite dishes. I don't expect everyone to like it, but I love when people are willing to be adventurous."
What she's pouring: Taking cues from Mapo tofu, Pulling Strings is a “salty, fatty Moscow Mule kind of thing,” says Marina Holter, who starts with sesame oil-washed Haku rice vodka and mixes it with housemade ginger liqueur, lemon and a hot pepper tincture. It’s served with candied ginger, cucumber and a spritz of soy sauce. whistlerchicago.com –JJ
ED HONG
A former music teacher, this Cindy's bartender knows how to get the tasting notes just right for guests.
"This is my second career. I went to school for trumpet performance at UW Whitewater. I started as an adjunct professor and picked up bartending on the side. I started doing bartending competitions pretty quickly. I was doing a competition here and saw that the scene was electric, so I moved.
A lot of trends right now are kitchen-centric—ingredient-focused and super seasonal. Some bar programs take it too far, so it's hard to conceive as a guest, but what makes or breaks a cocktail is the interaction with your bartender. I'm trying to make sure that customers are ultimately comfortable. That's what we all seek, whether we're going to a Michelin-starred spot or trying to find a late-night Chicago dog.
People see competitions as showcases of technique and flair, but the underlying importance is the story behind it. When I compete, I take my history and use that to enhance what I'm doing. Maybe it's the flavors of something familiar, but it could also be the story from an Italian opera that inspires me."
What he's pouring: For the Farmer’s Gin and Tonic, “we’re using a lot of ingredients that you wouldn’t think of in a liquid format,” says Ed Hong. This blend of Hendrick’s Orbium gin, Acha vermouth blanco and Fever-Tree Indian tonic is taken up a notch with iceberg lettuce syrup and watermelon radish. “Very botanical,” he notes, “but also extremely earthy.” cindysrooftop.com –JJ
JOSH PERLMAN
The partner and beverage director at ever-popular Giant and City Mouse leads the way on Chef's Special Cocktail Bar, set to open this summer.
"We're doing American Chinese food. It's unassuming and approachable—very nostalgic food. Not authentic by any means. We're making it how we remember it from our childhood.
I worked in restaurants starting back in high school, but it wasn't until I moved to Chicago in '04 and started working in some of the upper-echelon places that it really clicked with me. I loved the education and the learning.
The cocktail menu will have a spritz section, a stirred section for things a little more spirit-forward and a mixed section. As seasonal as possible. We'll be doing all of our own juicing. Nothing prepackaged.
For the wines, high acid. Aromatic. Nothing too floral—more fruit-driven. Cold climates will play a big role.
We're all about making sure something tastes good first before doing something because of the idea."
What he's pouring: The Chef’s Special #2 blends Aperol, La Cigarrera Manzanilla sherry, Tempus Fugit crème de banane, Atxa vermouth blanco, lime and Raventós cava. “We’re fans of the low-ABV cocktail,” Josh Perlman says. “We feel by using top-quality ingredients we’ll be able to showcase how a good spritz can be great.” chefsspecialbar.com –DZ
JULIA MOMOSE
Spirit-free is the way to be for the partner and creative director of Kumiko, whose beautiful, delicate cocktails mirror the refinement of her favorite Japanese spirits.
"I've been making nonalcoholic drinks since I was pretty young. When I started working in cafes, I could do different juices and explore different teas and layers.
It was a lot of experimentation, but at the heart of it, I was hoping that one day my parents would be able to come in and have the bar experience without the alcohol.
Japanese whisky is certainly in its moment right now and on everyone's radar. But there are categories of beverage in Japan that are not as well known, and those are, for me, equally—if not more—steeped in history and tradition. And those are some things I would really love to introduce people to.
One drink really near and dear to my heart—the one I insist on being the person to make at Kumiko—is the Amakazé. It's around a 15-hour process, and it's essentially rice water on its way to becoming sake. Some people compare it to horchata. I love that it's nostalgic for them in a totally different way."
What she's pouring: With her trademark finesse, the Tequila Sonic highball from Julia Momose is a bright blend of Fortaleza blanco tequila and the earthy, floral Suze gentian aperitif paired with Q club soda and Fever-Tree elderflower tonic. barkumiko.com –AC
JAY SCHROEDER
This agave spirits authority—his book, Understanding Mezcal ($25, Prensa Press), just appeared—hit it big with Logan Square's Mezcaleria Las Flores, and now helms Quiote and its downstairs sibling, Todos Santos.
"I was working in a bar focused on Mexican spirits and started tasting stuff. That was all tequila. And then I tasted mezcal, and it blew my mind a little bit.
It's not too intense. It's pretty mellow and generally more about the sense of flavors than it is about smoky/not smoky. Smoke is a byproduct of the roasting process, and it's going to be there no matter what. Almost never when w sit down professionally to taste the stuff do we use the 's' word.
To be able to bring somebody into something so dynamic and so foreign and so unique takes a level of finesse and a level of kindness. I want you to be here, and I'll take my time and not get impatient and not be snooty.
Honestly, the thing that really hooked me, besides the fact taht it is really delicious, is the fact that I realized I was going to continue to be able to learn about this thing at length."
What he's pouring: Led by fresh coconut cream and Kalani coconut liqueur, and made potent by Banhez Ensemble mezcal and Bols Genever gin, the Unexpected Victory also “features some sneaky dark flavors,” Jay Schroeder says: coffee liqueur, crushed black sesame and angostura bitters. todossantoschicago.com –DZ
Photography by: Anthony Tahlier
