Cocktail Snob - quality matters!

Violet Hour is a new bar in Chicago's formerly arty - and now very trendy spendy - Wicker Park neighborhood.

Opened quietly with little ballyhoo in the summer of 2007, the bar is owned by several different investors. One of them is Toby Maloney, a former employee of Manhattan's amazing Pegu Club. Although Violet Hour has a completely different style of decor compared to Pegu, Maloney has clearly been influenced by his erstwhile boss Audrey Saunders. Violet Hour brings to Chicago the classy atmosphere and amazing drinks that New Yorkers have been enjoying ever since finding themselves at the leading edge of the cocktail revival (vive le cocktail revival, by the way. HELL yeah.).

Violet Hour is invisible from the street, hiding in an completely unmarked space (perhaps taking a cue from another Manhattan cocktail bar, Milk and Honey), and will only allow as many customers through the doors as will fit comfortably in the room. The upside of this is that the room is never crowded, but the disadvantage is that you may have to wait in a very slow line, even on a weeknight. Both of the doormen I have encountered to date (a few times each) are courteous and professional, and one of them is even almost friendly.

Inside, Violet Hour feels like some sort of 18th century French parlor, with periwinkle blue walls, and a big heavy drape in that same shade of grey-blue dividing the room in half. Candles provide most of the illumination in the dim rooms, but some crystal chandeliers add a bit of light as well. The bar runs through both sections of the space, with the drapery landing in the spot where the centermost bar stool might sit. Tables and booths are surrounded with plush, high-backed seats that give each seating area a feeling of privacy. Music is always audible, but never loud, so you will always be able to have a conversation at Violet Hour. I have enjoyed some classic jazz there, but things also may shift to a mix of Tom Waits ballads (good), and another mix that alternates between Johnny Cash (good) and Kenny Rogers (someone's attempt at humor, I was told).

No television, no gambling machines, no video games, and a no cell phone policy.
I love this.

Violet Hour features a small menu of light food (a dozen selections at $8 to $12), but I know what you're here for: cocktails.

Let's go.

All drinks are $11.

The menu contains about thirty drinks, that (of course) rotate seasonally.

Gin and Rum drinks are the most plentiful, followed by Rye and Brandy concoctions. There are also a few cordials, some wine and champagne drinks, selected tequila cocktails, and (as it should be) only two vodka drinks.

The Cocktail Snob and Gal Friday have made a dent in the menu over the course of several visits, and we'd like to tell you all about it...

My first drink was the Mai Tai Roa Ae, which is the proper name of the drink that Trader Vic invented in 1944. Using great Matusalem and Brugal rums with orange Curacao, fresh lime, and Orgeat, this drink is a worthy take on the Trader's signature beverage. The only thing they missed is the mint sprig garnish. More, please.

Sticking with the rum for a sec, we also tried a Golden Age, which sticks with the Brugal, and adds Cherry Heering, egg yolk, Lemon Bitters, and dashes of lemon juice and simple syrup. Toby served us one of these, and then a few weeks later Michael (another New York expatriate) served us another one that was more or less identical. Nice job on the consistency, guys. In the case of both efforts, we enjoyed the drinks, but we felt like it was not the best thing on the menu. Upon reflection we decided that if this drink were served in almost any other bar, it would be a miracle. But at Violet Hour, miracles are daily occurrences, and there are a grip of drinks on the menu that are much better than the Golden Age.

For example: Poor Liza. I ordered this one because the list of ingredients on the menu made it look like it might be a complete train wreck. I wanted to see if they could surprise me by making it work. They definitely did. It rules. But check it out: Pear Brandy, Green Chartreuse, simple syrup, lemon juice, and Peychaud's Bitters.
Whaaaa?
Trust me.
Go get one.
They also do this thing with a flaming orange peel.
Flaming cloud of zest.
Dig it.

Cocktail Snob is also a fan of the Corpse Reviver #2. Bombay Gin, Lillet, Orange Curacao, and a few drops of Absente in the bottom of the glass. This is great stuff, and once again we found that ordering this drink from a different barkeep on a different night still resulted in more or less an identical beverage.

I am a Sidecar fan.
I like that the drink is simple, consisting of equal parts of three basic ingredients (lemon juice, Brandy, and Cointreau), but can be easily made more tart, more sweet, or more boozy just by altering the ratios a little bit. The variations are endless. I sometimes use it as a litmus test in borderline bars: if they can make a Sidecar, they're in, and if they can't then too bad, so sad. Violet Hour's Autumn Sidecar uses Landy Cognac, Cointreau, lemon, and adds a few drops of Pimento dram. Perfecto. Their Summer Sidecar substitutes homemade Limoncello for the Pimento dram. Good stuff, recommended.

I am not much of a Tequila fan.
Nevertheless, we sampled the Spanish Margarita along with the El Diablo, and found both to be agreeable drinks.
The former is Sauza Plata, lime, Licor 43, and Hell-Fire Bitters. Licor 43 is tasty stuff (and a key ingredient in my pal Dave Wolfe's classic drink the Concubine). The latter is made of Sauza Hornitos, lemon, soda water, and ginger syrup, with a float of Creme de Casis. This is the better of the two, with the soda's fizziness giving way to a lingering ginger flavor on the tongue.

We're not done yet!
Exploring the whiskey section, it was mandatory that we take a cruise with the Irish Pirate, which is Red Beast Irish Whiskey, Sailor Jerry Rum, Demarara syrup, and house-made Autumn Bitters. This one is an ass kicker. There's no subtlety here, just a glass of booze with a big iceberg in the middle of it all. Sailor Jerry isn't exactly my favorite rum, but I guess it fits the theme of the drink.
It'll put hair on your chest.

In the Wine and sparkling section, the Cocktail Snob testing team perused an Airmail (Gruet Sparkling, Brugal Anejo, lime and honey) which we found to be a tasty treat, worth ordering a second time. The Rio Jockey Club (Gruet again, with pineapple, Cointreau, and Orange Bitters) seemed like it might be another winner at first, but our eventual reaction was a bit indifferent.

Finally, Violet Hour offers a dozen wines mostly in the $7 - $10 range (per glass) and another dozen beers, mostly $5 per bottle.

Having worked our way through barely half of the ever-shifting menu, we're due for a few more visits to Violet Hour.

See you ~~in line~~ there!

Violet Hour Nacional 27 Weegee's Lounge
In Fine Spirits The Whistler more

Nacional 27
325 W. Huron St., Chicago, Illinois; (312) 664-2727
back to cocktail snob

October, 2007
v1.1
Cocktail Snob review by James Teitelbaum

Nacional 27 is a trendy Latin restaurant in the spendy West Loop area of downtown Chicago. It has been delighting Chicago area foodies and wine fans since opening in the late 1990s. A modern-feeling dining room serves a variety of dishes inspired by adventures in South America. Live music and Salsa dancing happens in the lounge area on weekends.

The restaurant is owned by a company called Lettuce Entertain You. Lettuce owns several dozen Chicago-area restaurants, each different in vibe and approach, but all united by serving food that ranges from above average to very good. The atmosphere in many of them can be a little corporate; what Lettuce-owned places will never be able to give their customers is that homey warmth that comes with going into a restaurant and knowing that the owner might walk over at any minute to greet you, and that his family are all at work there.

Of all of the Lettuce restaurants, we like Nacional 27 the best, and that is because of their secret weapon, Adam Seger.

Adam is the General Manager and Sommelier at Nacional 27 (the job description on his business card is "El Presidente"), and is also the designer of the cocktail menu. He has contributed to the cocktail menus of other Lettuce restaurants as well. The man has a real feel for the art of cocktails, and has advanced his craft to degrees rarely seen anywhere. Having moved past the limitations of sweet / sour / fruity / bitter, Adam is known for raiding the kitchen in order to incorporate a vast array of flavors and spices not normally found in cocktails - and with great success.

These recipes in the wrong hands might be recipes for disaster, but the man knows his flavors, his textures, and his balances, and has a real passion for booze to boot. As if that wasn't enough, he passed the Advanced Exam of the Court of Master Sommeliers in one try. (That sounds pretty serious, and very secret, and kind of creepy. If you accidentally learn their secret symbols, you'd better forget them, or else some guy is going to attack you in your sleep with a corkscrew and leave arcane symbols scrawled in Merlot on the nearest wall).

Anyway, Adam has got his bar team at Nacional 27 trained well, and this crack squadron of shaker monkeys can usually be counted upon to bring his creations to life with skill and enthusiasm. Given the South American vibe, there is an emphasis on original Tequila and Mezcal drinks, as well as a few different takes on the Mojito, Caipirinha, and yes, even Margaritas.

Blood Orange Caipirinha

Trinidad Beachcomber is a great tropical drink for $9.
Were Don the Beachcomber still alive, he'd have been proud to have come up with this drink, which is clearly named in homage to him. By the way, Don would have been 100 this past February (2007), and yes, there was a party. Speaking of celebrations, this drink needs to be celebrated in it's own right. Jeff Berry, please write book #5, and put this one in it! Trinidad Beachcomber is essentially Adam's recreation of Pimm’s Cup #4. It is tart and and refreshing (Ten Cane Rum, Grand Marnier, house-made lime aid, and of course a 'secret ingredient'... which would sort of have to be Pimm’s... right?). A few places serve the Pimm's Cup #1, but you don't see the #4 too often. That's a problem. Spread the word about this one.
I tried three of these over the course of 2007; two of them were absolutely great, and the third tasted like overly-sweetened lemonade (see above, re: "can usually be counted upon"...).

Nacional 27 keeps things lively by continually rotating their menu, including drinks made with seasonal fruits. One example from early 2008 is a Blood Orange Caipirinha, a variant on the classic made with - guess what - blood oranges. It is a completely different drink from what Caipirinha fans will be used to, but it is a beverage well worth having sampled.

We have also sampled -- several times -- the house specialty at Nacional 27, El Corazon, $12 (ask for it ‘pimped’).
The Del Maguey Co. makes a variety of Mezcals, each named for the recipes used in one of several local villages (such as Minero). Nacional's El Corazon uses the Minero Mezcal, with a passion fruit and pomegranate vibe going on, a salt and peppercorn rim, a dash of Del Maguey single billage Mezcal for that smoky flavor, and then a variable seasonal fresh fruit. This is probably a good place to mention that all of the drinks at Nacional 27 use seasonal fresh fruit from a local market. All of the herbs are grown on site in the restaurant, and a wide variety of interesting bitters are hand made by Seger. Out-freaking-standing.

Mango-Ginger Habenro

Nacional 27's Smoking Orchid is $11.
We like the rich, fruity quality. Lime, Ten Cane Rum, Aqua de Jamaica, Hibiscus infused Rum, Navan, Mezcal. Sugared glass rim.
Good stuff.
Also worth having sampled, but not our favorite, is a Mango-Ginger Habanero. This creamy drink is made with mango puree, Ten Cane rum, a dash of house-made Ginger Habanero syrup, and then Chinese five-spice along the rim of the glass. Interesting flavors, but there are others that we prefer.

Nacional 27's take on the classic Sidecar is called a Havana Sidecar ($9), and uses Gran Torres Orange Brandy (sort of combining the traditional Brandy and orange liqueur into one ingredient there), lime (replacing lemon), and Bacardi Anejo Rum. A thin sliver of lemon and another sliver of lime float in the glass, which of course has a sugared rim. This configuration actually brings the drink closer to Jeff Berry's drink, the Outrigger (see his Grog Log for details) than the traditional Sidecar, but that is no complaint - we're just sayin'. It is delicious.

On a recent visit to the bar, we were treated to the joy of finding Adam in a creative mood, and he shared some of his current projects with us. First is a berry imported from South America called Acal. This obscure fruit has antioxidant properties that put even pomegranate to shame. It inspired Seger to develop an organic, healthy cocktail (if such a thing is possible, he is the man to do it). Combining the Acal with organic Tequila and a few ingredients that we won't revel until he nails down a solid recipe, the man is on the right track towards another winner. The tentative name: Look Better Naked Margarita!
(Update: As of January 2008, it is on the menu).

Another improv that needs to be added to the Nacional 27 menu (and/or your menu at home) is a Brazilian Southside. This is essentially a Gin Mojito with added Acal, garnished with a healthy sprig of mint and a thin slice of sugar cane. Adam told us that Cocktail Snob were the first people to try this one, and it is an honor to have inaugurated such a tasty treat. Hopefully, we'll see that one on the permanent menu soon.
(Update: As of January 2008, it is on the menu).

Weegee's Lounge

3659 W Armitage Ave., Chicago, IL 60647; (773) 384-9423

back to cocktail snob

October, 2007
v1.0
Cocktail Snob review by James Teitelbaum

Weegee's lounge was opened in mid--2006 by Alex Huebner, in Chicago's slightly rough Logan Square neighborhood. Like the work of the bar's namesake - Arthur "Weegee" Fellig, a famous 1940s street photographer - there is a gritty feel to the neighborhood. This may actually enhance the flavor of the bar, which feels vaguely retro without going over the top or hammering customers over the head with a 'look how vintage-hipster we are' attitude. Still, the photo booth, the shuffleboard game, the Weegee photos on the walls, and a giant antique photo enlarger, all make Weegee's feel sufficiently mid-century. Huebner was once a photography student himself, so the choice of theme seems relevant. The vibe is made complete by a restored tin ceiling, classic Baldwin back bar, and the soundtrack of terrific classic jazz records that are never too loud. I think that if the real Arthur Fellig's photos and name were not plastered up in the place, he might have felt comfortable sitting in this bar, after working the crime photo beat in this neighborhood.

We've had good, if occasionally standoffish, service from a few different bartenders, but if you manage to make it to Weegee's on a night when Alex himself is manning the vintage mahogany bar, then you're in for a treat. Alex has filled a sorely missing void in the Chicago area, which is a bar that serves high quality classic cocktails, but in a low-key, unpretentious neighborhood bar atmosphere. Unlike Nacional 27 and Violet Hour - two other Chicago bars that the Cocktail Snob adores - Weegees has a casual midwest corner bar feeling to it, while still insisting on serving high-end cocktails. Their wine and beer lists are also impressive.

Most of Weegees drinks are in the $7 to $9 range, with a few peaking at up to $11.
We recently sampled their take on a Sazerac - soon to be added to their official menu - and were not disappointed. Alex used excellent rye, exactly the right amount of that oh-so-dangerous Pernod, and muddled an orange slice with some sugar until it was quite sufficiently pulverized.

Laird's Applejack and locally produced maple syrup are complimented by a touch of orange and a peel of lemon in Weegee's version of the Jack Rabbit.

Their martinis are perfect, naturally, but our only real disappointment was that they used sour mix instead of fresh lemon juice in the Sidecar that we sampled.

Overall, we're going to put the cocktails at Weegee's at a notch below Nacional 27 and Violet Hour, but it should be noted that this also puts Weegee's about five notches above most of the other bars in town. Any town.

If you want very good cocktails in a vintage 1940s-feeling Chicago neighborhood environment (and really, don't we all?), Weegee's is strongly recommended.

Bonus points: No television, Savoy and Trader Vic's books behind the bar.

Violet Hour Nacional 27 Weegee's Lounge
In Fine Spirits The Whistler more

In Fine Spirits

5418 (shop) - 5420 (bar) N. Clark St., Chicago, Illinois; (773) 334-9463

This Andersonville wine shop with adjacent bar was founded by Jill and Shane Kissack in 2004, with Johnnie Grozenski and Paul Hasenwinkel joining the partnership in 2007 to develop the bar half of things. The bar half is a large and spacious place with - of course - a great wine list. Their cocktail menu is several pages long and is rather detailed.

Unfortunately, the pair of drinks that Gal Friday Night and I were served did not really impress me much. As readers of this site may know, I like to use a Sidecar as a tester drink if I am not sure that a bar measures up. If they can handle the Sidecar, I move on to more interesting things, and if they can't handle it, I move on to a more interesting bar.

The cocktail menu at In Fine Spirits implied a dedication to the craft of mixology, but my gut instinct told me that the gentleman behind the bar that day wasn't the man to make that menu leap to life. My instincts proved correct: the Sidecar was barley adequate.

All of this said, I still have a good felling about In Fine Spirits, and plan to return for a second appraisal, that I trust will be an improvement.

The Whistler (The Whistle Stop)

2421 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, Illinois; (773) 227-3530

This is a small bar meets art gallery meets live music venue which opened in the early autumn of 2008.
A new site-specific art installation is unveiled in the front display window every two months. Acts on the small stage are alternated with local DJs. It is easy for volume to get way out of control in a room as small as this one (it feels crowded at half of its maximum capacity of 74, but at least there is a patio that holds another fifty in Chicago's brief annual temperate period). But when I visited the act playing was a solo fella who was a sort of Woody Guthrie cum early Bob Dylan sort of chap, and wasn't too overbearing.
The Whistler never charges a cover for this entertainment, and the cocktails are priced relatively reasonably at $8. The usual array of microbrews (mostly $5-$6) and ironic PBR (still only $2) is also available; the crowd I observed seemed equally interested in both ends of the spectrum. Said crowd is mostly skinny guys in their late twenties with a lot of facial hair with their arty Logan Square girlfriends.

The cocktail menu usually contains about eight drinks at a time, and is a mix of classics like Sazerac, Hemingway, or Blood and Sand with house creations like Hibiscus Sour and Violette Fizz. I tried the Hemingway and the Hibiscus Sour. The latter uses a house-made hibiscus syrup with Maker's Mark and fresh lemon. I found the Maker's and lemon to be predominant, with the hibiscus barely present. I would have upped it a bit. The Hemingway (Matusalem rum, fresh grapefruit, and maraschino liqueur) was a bit more precisely balanced, but is a bit sweet for my personal taste.

My bartender was friendly and enthusiastic about his craft.
This is one to watch: as long as the place doesn't become overcrowded and unpleasantly noisy (both risks), the combination of art, music, and cocktails in an unpretentious environment is an exciting proposition. I hope it succeeds.

Violet Hour Nacional 27 Weegee's Lounge
In Fine Spirits The Whistler more

More in Chicago...
The following reviews are Cocktail Snob 'bonus content'.
These are places that we have checked out and which bear mentioning for one reason or another -- even if the drinks aren't necessarily exceptional (they may range from poor to very good; see individual reviews for specifics).

The Green Mill

4802 N. Broadway, Chicago, Illinois; (773) 878-5552

The Green Mill is an historic Uptown bar that was once owned by Al Capone's lieutenants. The bar opened in 1907, but had fallen into disrepair by 1986. At that time, Dave Jemilo bought it and restored the Capone-era decor. Now, the spruced-up Green Mill offers live jazz seven nights a week.

Although the period decor is often associated with cocktails, and although some people claim to enjoy the drinks at the Green Mill, I find them to be average at best. The staff there - from doormen to barmen - are universally surly and/or arrogant. I stopped going there a number of years ago, tired of paying too much money for indifferent drinks in an unfriendly atmosphere.

There are other historic lounges in Chicago, there are other jazz bars in Chicago, and there are other cocktail bars in Chicago. However: the Green Mill offers all of these things at once. So, if you're visiting Chicago this mix of history, a wide array of talented jazz players, and restored 1930s murals make it worth a peek.

Pump Room

Ambassador East Hotel, 1301 N. State Parkway, Chicago, Illinois; (312) 266-0360

October, 2007

v1.0
Cocktail Snob review by James Teitelbaum

The legendary and no longer elegant Pump Room has been a staple of Chicago night life since 1938. It was the haunt of visiting west coast celebrities for half a century, as evidenced by hundreds of framed 8x10 glossies covering three huge walls. Unfortunately, the grandeur and class that the Pump Room once symbolized has slid into squalor over the decades, and as of my last (I do mean last, not 'most recent') visit there (December 2006) it was a mess.

None of the bartenders had ever even heard of a Sazerac or a Rob Roy, the place was stinky and run down feeling, and I was told that all of the classic photos were being permanently removed just a few weeks later in preparation for a full renovation.

I guess it is good that they're fumigating the place, but with the photos all gone, the complete cluelessness of the staff, and the final removal of any furniture or decor evocative of mid-century style, there is no longer any reason at all to visit the Pump Room.

Redhead Piano Bar

16 W. Ontario St., Chicago, Illinois; (312) 640-1000

October, 2007

v1.0
Cocktail Snob review by James Teitelbaum

Spotting the Redhead while striding tipsily down Ontario Street, it seems as though the place could not fail to be amazing. From the cool 1960s winking cutie on the sign, to the dark garden doorway (that means a few steps below street level, in Chicago parlance), the stage is set for a classic.

Inside, things aren't as red hot as you might hope. The decor is a bit renovated-in-the-1980s, the cocktails are expensive and nothing special, and it all feels a bit run down. Perhaps you wouldn't want to see the place when the lights came on. The crowd will be almost exclusively tourists.

That said, the piano players are uniformly good to great (try to show up when Phil Baron is on the ivories - currently late-night on Tuesdays... you've got nowhere else to be then), occasional singers spice things up, people usually seem to be having fun, the wait staff are usually attractive, and a dress code is enforced - so the Redhead is making some effort.

Better cocktails would go a long way... but isn't that the case everywhere?

Tydirium Multimedia
Left Orbit Temple
Tiki Road Trip
Big Stone Head
Send e-mail to James
Last updated on October 23, 2008

"Tiki Bar Review Pages", "Tiki Road Trip", "Tydirium Multimedia", "Left Orbit Temple", "Chester Century", "Big Stone Head", "TiPSY Factor", "Johnny Clash", "Tiki TV", "Cocktail Snob", and "Blue Harvest Magazine" are trademarks of James A. Teitelbaum.