Karl Klockars

Imbibing Through Time – Chicago’s Classic Cocktails

I need a fedora. Immersing yourself in the most storied, hallowed halls of gin joints, speakeasies and nightclubs makes you feel part of a different era. In tracking down some of Chicago’s classic cocktail spots, I feel like a man out of time. Rather than downing another set of choco-tinis, sake-grias and other frankenstein-esque drinks, it’s time to find something new. Er, old. Okay, maybe “vintage” works best here.

Everything old is new again at these keepers of the cocktail flame. Remember when grandma would sip a gin rickey in the afternoon, or talk about whooping it up with a Tom Collins or a sloe gin fizz? These were the drinks of choice for a different generation, but there are still more than a few places where one can take a step back and appreciate the taste of an older age.

The Coq D’Or: Drink Like a Princess

Knowing full well that the Drake has served any number of presidents, royals, celebrities and other high rollers, going into the Coq D’Or is more than a little intimidating. Dark, leather-clad and extremely intimate, the Drake bar is one of a kind in Chicago, and knows their old-school cocktails. Unfortunately, it seems that most people only think of the Drake as a Lakeshore Drive landmark rather than a destination.

Sitting at the bar with any number of tourists and travelers, I ordered an Old Fashioned on the rocks. At first, I thought the bartender didn’t know what the drink was, but quickly realized that I was just being asked my bourbon preference – Makers Mark, thank you. Oranges and cherries are muddled with bitters, with bourbon and soda water floated on top to make a sweet, tart, and smoky concoction.

The Coq D’Or is much smaller than I had anticipated, with low ceilings, dark booths, murals on the walls, and a piano rounding out the room. The cuisine is more modern than I would have thought – nachos and sandwiches were being served around me while I was trying to imagine creamed vegetables and huge cuts of prime rib. A trip to the Coq d’Or isn’t cheap – my Old Fashioned ran $12 – but a trip into Chicago history isn’t complete without it.

The Pump Room – Party like it’s 1949

It’s easy to imagine columnist and bon vivant Irv Kupcinet lording over this grand eatery in the once swinging, now shuffling Gold Coast. The large wraparound bar looks out over the whole of the dining area, and one could easily conceive of dozens of tuxedoed diners daintily chewing on roast pheasant and creamed potato while a jazz combo tootles deep into the night.

Nowadays, the crowds aren’t as hip, and the Playboy mansion is across the country rather than a few doors down. However, the Pump Room continues to produce memorable drinking and dining experiences for Chicagoans who remember the Pump Room’s heyday, as well as for those who don’t know the half of it.

With floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto State Street and a bar area wallpapered with black-and-white pictures of celebrity diners, Billy Crystal’s “Fernando” would feel right at home here. (Even the references in this piece are old.) I had a date with a Tom Collins, however; $8 and a few minutes later I had a new appreciation for gin.

Standard Bombay gin, soda water, lemon juice and simple syrup mixed together and served with a lime twist, making this drink almost tropical. A fruit garnish is an option with the Collins, which I skipped, opting to let the gin do the speaking in this particular cocktail. Breeze-light and citrus-sweet, an enterprising bartender could rebrand the Collins as a hyper-trendy gin-gria or something. But “Tom Collins” was good enough for me.

Gene & Georgettis: New Martini, Old Martini

I really wanted to enjoy a martini at a Chicago steakhouse. The two seemed to go hand in hand, and I could picture high powered executives having a porterhouse at a two-martini lunch. Or three martinis, or four, all on the expense account. For old-school Chicago steakhouse culture, it doesn’t get any more classic than Gene & Georgetti’s.

So could it be that the years of martini erosion have changed the drink at this bastion of beef and booze? Indeed. Ketel One is the base for this drink – damn you, James Bond, with your “vodka martinis, shaken not stirred”! Yes, sadly, if you want your martini in the old style, you have to request the gin. Otherwise, it’s a “martini” in name if not in practice; the dry vermouth, the shaker, the olives are all still a part of the program.

It’ll run you $9 for the pleasure of the drink, whose olive options thankfully include the standard pimento, as well as bleu-cheese or anchovy stuffed.

Matchbox: A New York State of Mind

Not every cocktail on this list has to be imbibed in swanky digs like huge hotels or classy ballrooms. Sometimes a good drink is best consumed in close company, and it’s hard to imagine anyplace where space comes at more of a premium than Matchbox. Legal capacity being just over two dozen, if you want one of the hallowed Matchbox Manhattans you’re going to have to treat it like voting: show up early and often.

With a history dating back to the 1800′s, the Manhattan is classic to the core. Made with bitters, bourbon, vermouth, cherries and a little juice, this drink is almost the cheapest on the list. House bourbon is Jim Beam and will set you back $6.50, one with Makers Mark runs $7.

The real treat to this drink is the brandy-soaked cherries, called “griottines.” Imported from France and soaked for 5 years, the cherries have a richer sweetness that maraschinos straight from the jar just can’t hold a candle to.

The cocktail had a deep, masculine taste, like the memory of a pipe-smoking grandfather. This libation comes straight up or on the rocks, and it shouldn’t be missed, especially since it’ll only set you back $6.50 with Jim Beam. My preference, straight up with Maker’s, raises the ante to $7.

The Green Mill:

On the last stop in my trek through time, I left it up to them. Jazz and the cocktail culture both came of age during the prohibition era, and the Chicago jazz scene throughout the 20^th century means a stop at one the most famous bars in town – the Green Mill. I knew I was going to find something I hadn’t thought of before, and I was proven right.

Explaining my story to the bartender, I was presented with a list of heretofore unmentioned drinks. Options included the stinger, the grasshopper, the gin fizz and the Rob Roy, all drinks from a bygone age. I settled on a Brandy Alexander, not knowing even what was in it. It sounded old enough to me, and dates back to the early 1900s.

As it turns out, it was the sweetest and thickest drink I’d have – glad I saved it for last. Made with brandy (of course) mixed with Crème de Cacao and heavy cream, this is not a drink you can pound all night. (The so-old-it’s-new-again pint of Pabst is better for that.) Rather, it’s a cocktail one can sip in the veranda, after dinner, maybe over a couple hands of canasta. At $6, the price was almost as old-school as the cocktail itself.

By the end of this trek, it was less about the cocktail than it was the experience. Even after over a hundred years of existence, the Green Mill manages to remain a vital part of Chicago. The music, the poetry slams, the cheap beers and gritty feel, all housed in a place which practically bleeds pure Chicago history.