Chicago bars and restaurants have taken a fresh perspective on sake lately, turning out a growing crop of creative, expressive, well-balanced cocktails that honor sake's delicacy while taking advantage of its broad range of flavors and rich texture. And this experimentation is happening where you might least suspect. More

Alinea chef Grant Achatz wouldn't have any ole gin and tonic at his soon-to-open experimental cocktail bar Aviary. He'd do one up with Anchor's junipero gin, yellow chartreuse, and cucumber alginate encapsulation, a fancy name for those cucumber bubble tea balls—and there are 100 in this glass! Imagine making 200 of those drinks a night. That's 20,000 balls, people! More

[mercaditorestaurants.com] Chicago isn't quite as far along as New York in our imbibing IQ; I'd kill for more spots like Death + Company, Milk and Honey, and the like. Violet Hour is rocking for sure, and Bar Deville and In... More

"A great Negroni makes you want to munch like you just smoked a Snoop Dogg's bong worth of hash." What do you get when President Obama's favorite chef (Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia) decides to do a restaurant side project at... More

At one point, Chicago's Le Passage was sort of the windy city's modern version of Studio 54. It had a storied history of celebrity appearances, exclusivity, and general craziness. Fast forward to last November when the club changed hands and the VIP section transformed into The Drawing Room, a modern cocktail lounge. More

The drink that stole the show—or maybe I should say my sobriety—was Seger's Ham and Cheese, an Iberico Pata Negra Ham-infused Hennessy-based cocktail augmented with lime, honey, and cinnamon, and a Manchego cheese tuile. It was basically a sweet, smoky glass of liquid Spain. More