By Chloe Konrad By Chloe Konrad | April 21, 2022 | Food & Drink, Guides,
Here are the best cocktail lounges in Chicago, no matter what type of drink suits your mood.
The Aviary/The Office
Venture to the West Loop for some of Chicago’s most inventive cocktails at The Aviary, owned by chef Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas. Double your pleasure with a trip downstairs to intimate speakeasy The Office, where bartenders serve up vintage spirits and classic cocktails in a low-lit space dotted with vintage finds that feels like it’s straight from an old movie. If nothing on the menu catches the eye, the bartender also offers the Dealer’s Choice, which lets guests share their favorite flavors and spirits so the mixologist can concoct something new. 955 W. Fulton Market
Three Dots & A Dash
Craving a tropical escape? Head to tiki speakeasy Three Dots & A Dash in River North. Cocktail expert Kevin Beary leads the expert team, who creates unique drinks served in the spot’s signature tiki mugware. Tucked inside the bar is the Bamboo Room where guests can take a guided journey through the bar’s rum offerings. 435 N. Clark St.
The Violet Hour
Pre-prohibition style libations find their home at The Violet Hour, a Wicker Park staple with a James Beard Award-winning bar program. The bar serves a seasonally rotating cocktail list and a healthy mix of “approachable” drinks, coveted spirits and contemporary craft classics. Whether you like your cocktails shaken or stirred, be sure to try the Slapstick (La Favorite Blanc, Cocchi Topo de Teatro, Lawless Fernet, House Demerara, Nux Alpina and lemon) and the seasonal punch. 1520 N. Damen
Kumiko
Food, like Miso Butter Turnips and Cod Winds, is just as important as cocktails at this Japanese favorite tucked under the El tracks in Fulton Market, where owner and mixologist Julia Momosé works magic with Asian ingredients and techniques. Stop by to sip favorites like the the Cloud Hopper, made with ingredients like green cardamom and yakult, or try out one of their component flights, such as the Moonrise Daiquiri. 630 W. Lake St.
Scofflaw
Test new flavors at this gin-focused, Victorian-style salon in Logan Square. The mixologists are creative with gin here, and the list of craft beers is extensive. Don’t miss out on some of their most popular cocktails, such as the Immortal Juice and Swizzle 39. 3201 W. Armitage
Milk Room
Steps away from the Art Institute of Chicago in the Chicago Athletic Association hotel, this former Prohibition-era speakeasy is now one of the hottest cocktail spots in town. On the second floor, an eight-seat microbar serves rare, vintage spirits with hard-to-find ingredients. The exclusive spot offers tasting flights, rare whiskeys, fine cocktails and vintage or specialty drinks. 12 S. Michigan Ave., Second Floor
The Whistler
For a little bit of everything, visit Logan Square’s The Whistler, complete with a bar, gallery, performance venue and a record label. Wednesday through Saturday, enjoy live music and tunes from DJs of genres ranging from jazz to rock to funk. The Whistler also hosts Movieoke, film screenings and other artistic endeavors. Don’t worry—the cocktail program is certainly not on the back burner. Try their eccentric sips such as the Island Time, made with sake, lychee liqueur and pamplemousse, or the Velvet Muse with blended scotch and burnt sugar. 2421 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Photography by: Photo by Karolina Grabowska/Pexels