Whisk(e)y – American, Canadian and Japanese

Jack Daniels Old Tennessee Whiskey sets itself apart thanks to the charcoal mellowing process used during distillation and the proprietary barrels used to mature the spirit. The classic spirit is smooth and easy on the palate. No wonder it’s synomous with American, albeit Southern, culture – it’s the never ending crowd pleaser. Although the spirit is distilled in Canada, Canadian Club whisky was one of Al Capone’s favorite indulgences. During Prohibition, Capone funded the building of a tower in Canada that was used to signal when he could safely cross the Detroit River to pick-up bottles Canadian Club. Now, it’s the only Canadian whisky that’s pre-barrel blended before aging to allow the flavors to marry resulting in an exceptionally smooth and mellow spirit. Japan is making its mark with Suntory’s Yamazaki single malt whisky (12 and 18 yrs) and Hibiki (12 yrs) – two expressions that are popping up in some of Chicago’s most stylish cocktail bars. Whether it’s served neat, on the rocks or in intricate cocktails, whiskey lovers have come to enjoy the newcomers from Japan. When searching for the perfect nightcap, opt for the Yamazaki 18 year old as it complements chocolate dessert and has notes of toffee, honey and butter cream.

Best places in Chicago for Whisk(e)y:
• Sunda and Bar DeVille for both Yamazaki expressions - 12 yr old and 18 yr old
• The Gage for the Finish Line, made with Russell's Reserve 6 yr rye whiskey, spiced simple syrup and Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
• Delilah’s continues to offer the most robust whiskey selections in the city
• Fountainhead offers over 100 bourbons, Canadian, Irish and American whiskies.

Bourbon Cocktails

Basil Hayden's small-batch bourbon has a unique flavor, derived from a family recipe that dates back to 1796, which uses twice as much rye as traditional bourbons to create a smooth, balanced blend. Aged eight years, it has a relatively mild 80 proof which means that it can be sipped neat or can be used as a base for a traditional cocktail. It’s is part of the small batch bourbon collection, a celebrated group that also includes, Booker’s, Baker’s, and Knob Creek and continues to be a favorite for both aficionados and culinary enthusiasts. Similarly, Jim Beam, a Ketucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, is a great introduction the bourbon family. Aged for two years, Jim Beam is versatile, easy on the palate and a great base spirit for cocktails. Bulleit Bourbon is winning the hearts, minds and palates of Chicagoans. Found in cocktails all over town, Bulleit, similar to Basil Hayden, has a unique recipe with high rye content that creates a certain dryness with a smooth distinctive character.

Best places in Chicago for bourbon cocktails:
C-View for the Ginger B made with dried cherry and vanilla bean infused Jim Beam, ginger beer and Hum botanical spirit
The Southern for The Presbyterian, which incorporates Jim Beam Rye, club soda and ginger ale or the Georgia Julep, which blends Bulleit, peach schnapps, mint and bitters
Longman & Eagle for an Old Fashioned, made with Bulleit
Big Jones for the Northern Woods, made with Woodford Reserve bourbon and Fee Brothers barrel-aged bitters and a splash of amontillado sherry

Julie Reiner, expert mixologist, shares her two favorite Basil Hayden bourbon cocktails for the fall.

Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Buck
2 parts Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
¾ part Lemon juice
½ part Pineapple juice
¾ part Simple Syrup
1 part ginger beer

Directions: Shake and strain over fresh ice in a Collins glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel and candied ginger

Sir Hayden’s Smash
2 parts Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
½ part Cio Ciaro Amaro
¾ part Fresh Lemon Juice
¾ part Simple Syrup
Blackberries
Mint Leaves

Directions: In a mixing glass, muddle 3 blackberries and 8-10 mint leaves in ¾ part Simple Syrup. Add Basil Hayden’s Bourbon, Cio Ciaro Amaro, and Lemon Juice. Shake and fine strain into a wine glass over crushed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig and a blackberry.

Lollapolooza 2010 - Music Lounge at Hard Rock Hotel

Party Like a Rock Star - Lolla Invades Chicago

Most go for the music. Some go for the celeb sightings. And others opt to channel their inner Mick and Bianca. Motives aside, last weekend proved that once again, Lolla rocked.

The three-day festival is all about the music. I get that. I’ve gone for the full three days for the past 4 years. So if you want music reviews and a performance analysis, check out our fab Sounds section. But you’ve made your way to the Scene section, which inherently means that I’m going to give you the glitz and glamour, the booze and the babes and the star studded happenings of the weekend. Because after all, a Dos Equis, some popchips and a disheveled Ke$ha always does the body good.

Leave it to the Hard Rock Hotel and to play host to generous VIP lounges, chic pop up shops, gifting suites and pre and post parties. Perez Hilton kicked off the weekend with his “One Night in Chicago” party on Thursday, which included performances by Chicago native Kid Sister (her big bro is part of Flosstradamus, a electro-pop duo who performed on Perry’s Stage) and B.o.B.

The Music Lounge, which celebrated its fifth anniversary, was a three-day VIP + Artist retreat that included the Express Rocks! at the Music Café (guests noshed on food from China Grill, drank UV Vodka and Red Bull and hydrated with smartwater while taking in acoustic performances from veteran and emerging artists) and Belvedere Nights (invite-only post-Lolla concerts on the 4th floor of the Hard Rock where the likes of Phoenix, Temper Trap, Hockey and Mike Posner performed). If one needed a caffeine boost Café Bustelo was onsite with unbelievably strong and utterly delicious coffee beverages. Like hoopsters, I predict the next indie trend will be sporting the eponymous yellow, Café Bustelo t-shirts and fanny packs. They have clever marketing. I’ve only seen the brand at influencer events. So maybe hoopsters won’t latch on. It’s not campy enough.

The lounge was decked out with fab swag like Carrera Sunglasses (worship), Onitsuka Tiger Shoes (too hipster for me but very cool) and the Bugea guitar boutique (wish I played). If you wanted to get pampered, guests could pop into the Garnier Fructis Rock Star Salon and get their hair teased a la White Snake, or should I say a la Ke$ha, who I literally bumped into six times. Other artists who where at the lounge included Cut Copy (best show of the weekend, well, that and Gaga), Semi Precious Weapons, The Constellations, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Zoe Kravitz, Hayden Panettiere and Erykah Badu.

Want a mani and a facial? The FUZE® Refresh Lounge had spa treatments galore.

Craving a floor length fur vest? Chicago’s beloved Sofia Vintage had a pop up shop on the 3rd floor (Moneypenny stopped by to get outfitted for an Artist Collective they were hosting).

It’s also worth mentioning that the food on site at Lolla was top notch: Kumas, Sunda, Graham Elliot and More Cupcakes were just a taste of what was available.

Party on Garth.

New York, New York

Elton John said it best: the Bitch is Back.

As loyal readers know I’ve set up shop and am a permanent New Yorker. Fear not. I’ll always be Chicago girl at heart but now I’ve brought the Cheekiness with me to the Big City.

I look forward to sharing tips and tidbits, drink trends and dining destinations that inspire and intrigue. I’ll still be your resident Scene contributor, only now my columns will be penned from a New York State of Mind.

I’ve already managed to take a dive into the cocktail culture of the city. It started with a private tasting session with master mixologist Alex Ott who is working with New Amsterdam Gin. As you recall, I chronicled the spirit earlier this summer and shared signature cocktail recipes and tips. Alex developed the cocktail menus for Buddah Bar and Sushi Samba and consistently finds himself flying across the country to mix cocktails for celeb studded events like the Academy Awards. Under the direction of the world traveling mixologist, I got a crash course in how to incorporate simple ingredients into gin cocktails: consider shaking strawberry jam with a hint of mint and a couple ounces of gin for a fresh twist.

I also took home a bottle of Rose water (a must for cocktail queens) and fresh sandalwood, one of Alex’s signature Indian spices.

The gin tasting was the first step in the NYC cocktail immersion.

The second step was tagging along with Alex as he made the rounds to several NYC cocktail lounges on a Saturday night. First stop was Angel’s Share (see images in post below), a chic Japanese cocktail abode that’s discreetly tucked behind a wall in a different Japanese restaurant.

The education began.

First was a lychee martini made with citron vodka, quickly prepared with the precision that only comes with Japanese discipline and custom bar tools. If Japanese knife ware is considered art then so too should the gleaming silver shakers and strainers used to craft the cocktails - they‘re beautiful. Then it was on to an artfully crafted and beautifully layered drink, too elegant to be referred to as a shot, but that’s how we consumed it.

Dinner followed, but the drinks continued to be the highlight.

Sake, order by Alex (an off menu selection, naturally), was enjoyed with several Japanese servers .

“I stay with him whenever I’m in Tokyo,” Alex said, referring to a slender 25-year old server who was covered in black and white tattoo sleeves.

In addition to the rounds of sake came a 40 oz signature Japanese beer that complemented the quail eggs. I drooled for the green tea tiramisu but I knew that another destination was still in the cards.

The evening ended at Zinc, a quiet and cool jazz club in the West Village where tequila was ordered and taken with fresh slices of orange sprinkled with cinnamon (I’ll never have a lime again), Hendricks gin was the middle course and the night cap was a bourbon cocktail paired with the soulful live Brazilian jazz.

If my New York cocktail adventures continue to be as fun as this one, Cheeky readers, you are in for a treat.

Table Kits at the Underground

Bottle service is SO last year. Why don’t you forget it and opt for a table kit instead? What’s a table kit, you ask? Well, I headed to the Underground to find out what Benjamin Newby, GM and cocktail creator, had concocted.

The latest offering is a cocktail experience, where well-trained servers in Cold War Era booty shorts take an artisan approach to pouring a drink.

Seeing that I had just come from Rockit (where I had my first Kobe beef with brie burger, followed by a couple of vodka martinis with three bleu cheese olives - more on that obsession later), I could really only handle two of the kits. I was already familiar with Cosmos and Mojitos, so I settled on the Absinthe and the St. Germain table kits.

And out they came.

The Absinthe Table Kit was served on a silver platter with glasses reminiscent of Waterford crystal. It was as if we were about to enjoy tea at the Dorchester, except Absinthe had taken the place of Earl Gray (okay, okay, it was dark and I may or may not have had a couple of martinis, but hey, they looked beautiful). As I took my quick drink of Absinthe (you drink it as you would a shot, but with more revere - you’re drinking Pernod Absinthe, the oldest Absinthe brand in the world - show some respect, people!). I couldn’t help but feel as if I were entering a forbidden world. A round of Absinthe drinks are made in the traditional way with sugar and fire and served per person ($15 each). Each table is limited to one round and this particular kit is only available until midnight.

Next was the St. Germain Table Kit. For those yet to experience the lovely nuances of the French elderflower liqueur, I encourage you to try it as a secondary flavor with your next cocktail (Champagne, sparkling water, St. G). It offers a fantastic flavor - one of my favorites. St. Germain naturally enhances the flavors of Champagne (or sparkling wine) and brings out notes that you may not normally pick up. Add a dash of St. Germain to your Champagne flute and suddenly peach, pear and citrus flavors can be detected. At UG, the St. Germain cocktails are served on the rocks with a silver straw spoon. A carafe serves about six for $75 and you have the option of adding on a bottle of Champagne for $50.

I didn’t have a chance to try the Cosmo Kit or the Mojito Kit, but you can imagine that high attention to detail is provided to ensure the ultimate cocktail experience.

And for those who like to detox to retox, Sunday brunch at Rockit can either be the perfect hangover cure or just another excuse to keep the party going. Rockit has one of the best gourmet Bloody Mary bars in the city and they’re channeling UG with their Mimosa Kits. The Sunday Funday Kits feature an assortment of fresh fruits and seasonal juices, including orange, pineapple, mango and pomegranate, served in carafes and accompanied by a bottle of Champagne: $50 for Veuve Cliquot, $30 for Domaine Chandon or $5 per glass.

Debut in Cheeky Chicago

As most of you already know, last week I made my debut in Cheeky Chicago. For those of you not familar, check it out: www.CheekyChicago.com It's a pretty fun site geared towards smart, saavy, cosmopolitain, tres chic Chicago women. I'll be writing and editing weekly columns for the SCENE section, so sign up for our weekly newsletters for the latest and greatest in Chicago. I'll still be penning monthly Drink Reports for Chicago Scene, but think of this as your quick go-to guide when you can't find anything to do. Our SCENE section is new every Friday, so see you soon...

The Cheeky Girls on ABC 7's 190 North

Janet Davies chats with Jessica and Erica on a Novemeber episoide of ABC 7's 190 North.

http://www.190north.com/shows/110908_cyber.htm

Moet & Chandon White Star...Chicago Scene Style

Received two bottles of Moet & Chandon White Star embossed with customized crystals. My girl Kimberly Burt sent them to be photographed by the Chi Scene creative team. Keep a look out for these in the Dec. Drink Report. Customized bottles like this are available exclusively at Martini Park.