Jen and Erica go local with Chicago Select Club Whisky…from Canada.
Results tagged “chicago”
Episode 92 - Letherbee Malort/Besk.
Jen and Erica are trying Letherbee Malort, a variation of the Chicago classic wormwood bitter liqueur. In the time since we filmed this episode, Letherbee has renamed it “Bësk”, evidently in response to a trademark claim by Jeppson’s Malort. Letherbee’s version was developed by The Violet Hour’s R. Franklin.
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Drunk Monkeys - Episode 73 - Chartreuse.
Here’s our second video from Jen and Erica’s trip to Bistro Campagne. This time, manager and beverage director Alex Uribe is puring Green Chartreuse, the famous French herbal liqueur.
Drunk Monkeys - Episode 72 - Northshore Sirene Absinthe Verte.
Drunk Monkeys are once again on the road, this time at Chicago restaurant Bistro Campagne where manager and beverage director Alex Uribe pours out some North Shore Sirène Absinthe Verte for Jen and Erica to try.
Fun fact: by total coincidence, Jen’s skull necklace was created by Alex’s sister.
Drunk Monkeys - Episode 71 - Koval Interview Part 4.
It’s the last part of our epic interview with Sonat Birnecker Hart of Koval Distillery. Sonat tells Jen and Erica where the name ‘Koval’ comes from.
Drunk Monkeys - Episode 70 - Koval Interview Part 3.
It’s part three of our special interview with Sonat Birnecker Hart of Koval Distillery. Here we’re asking about the history and future of the distillery.
Drunk Monkeys - Episode 69 - Koval Interview Part 2.
It’s the second of our four part interview with Sonat Birnecker Hart of Koval Distillery. This segment we’re talking about Koval’s liqueurs.
Drunk Monkeys - Episode 68 - Koval Interview Part 1.
Special Feature! Recently Jen and Erica interviewed Sonat Birnecker Hart from Koval Distillery! This is part 1 of a 4 part series and in this segment we’re talking mostly about Koval’s whiskey offerings.
Drunk Monkeys - A Few Words About Watershed Bar from Fuzzy Gerdes on Vimeo.
It’s not really a full episode, but Jen and Erica wanted to say thanks to Watershed Bar, where we filmed the last two live episodes.
And now we have to take a brief hiatus until we can film some episodes. But it will be soon, we promise!
Drunk Monkeys - Episode 59 - Koval Paw Paw Liqueur.
It’s our second live episode from one of our favorite bars, Watershed in downtown Chicago. This time, Jen and Erica are sampling Koval Paw Paw Liqueur, which Watershed uses in a cocktail called “I Do Declare!”: Taildragger Amber Rum, Averna, Koval Paw Paw, Lemon.
Drunk Monkeys - Episode 58 - North Shore Silver Lining.
Live from Watershed, Jen and Erica are trying the limited release North Shore Silver Lining, an American Kräuter liqueur.
Drunk Monkeys - Episode 23 - Jeppson's Malort.
We started out our third 'season' with the very girly Girl and now we round it out with a hardcore wormwood liqueur, Chicago's own Jeppson's Malört. As Jen notes, many people have a strong reaction to their first shot of Malört, but it's been gaining something of a cult following over the last few years. Even though it's a sign of the end times.
So now we'll be taking a little bit of a break until we film our next season. This is a great time to remind you that you can subscribe to the show in iTunes and then when we do release new episodes they'll just show up on your computer or iThing like magic. Magic, I tell you. (And, you know, if you wanted to give us a five-star rating, that wouldn't be terrible, either. Magic!)
Here was the plan: a Saturday afternoon with nothing important to do, two couples, four places known for margaritas. Each person would order an appetizer and take care of the bill at one restaurant, so that it all evens out.
Stop 0: Sotol
It's important to be properly fortified before you set out on a journey like this, so we had a sip of Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol before we took the train south. Hmm... smooooth.
Stop 1: Uncle Julio's Hacienda, 855 W North Ave
We all were going to mostly stick with traditional (or at least, non-frozen) margaritas, but the Swirl is the signature drink at Uncle Julio's and I'm a sucker for a signature drink. The florescent flamingo lets you know you're not in for subtle flavors, but I did enjoy it.
Everyone else got the Julio's Gold margarita on the rocks and we got a bowl of Chile con Queso for the table. Hmmm... cheeeese.
Stop 2: Adobo Grill, 1610 N Wells
At Adobo the signature dish is the Guacamole which is prepared fresh, tableside. (I'm also a sucker for food that's a show) so that had to be our appetizer. And we had the Adobo Margarita all around. None of us were brave enough to add a "smoky floater" to our Margarita (an extra shot of del Maguey Chichicapa), which in retrospect I regret.
Stop 3: El Nuevo Mexicano, 2914 N Clark
We had a lot of choices when we were assembling the route for this tour, and Cesar's, just a few blocks north, was a strong contender with, if nothing else, their huge neon sign proclaiming that they have "killer margaritas". So I'm not sure how El Nuevo Mexicano made it onto the list, but it turned out to be a good choice if for no other reason than that it was getting to be dinner time and Cesar's was pretty packed. (Margarita tours can't wait!)
I was starting to feel the alcohol by this stop and so I ordered a pomegranate margarita under some sort of mistaken impression that the fruit juice would be healthier or something. Instead, it was a bit too sweet for my tastes and so it was the only drink I was unable to finish on the tour. We had a plate of Garnachas with ground beef which were tasty, but a small portion for four people.
Stop 4: La Fonda, 5350 N Broadway St
I was back on my game by the time we got to La Fonda. It was my turn to order the appetizer and I was feeling a bit noshy so we got two kinds of plantains (hmm... plantains) -- the Tostonachos Caribenos and sweet plantains, and some rice and beans. We got the Gold or Special or whatever (I forget their name for their Top Shelf margarita) all around. I think it might have been my favorite of the tour, though that may have been the 4 previous drinks talking.
Like I said, there are plenty of places that didn't make the cut just because of time and not drinking-ourselves-into-oblivion. Next time maybe we'll hit Frontera Grill, Cesar's, and wherever you suggest in the comments...
(Originally posted on FuzzyCo, Sept 8, 2009: Margarita Tour)
Piece (1927 W North) is already a favorite of Team Gerdes -- Erica likes the exotic pizza toppings like mashed potatoes and artichoke hearts and I like the New Haven-style Plain Crust because I'm not actually a big cheesey-pizza fan. We both like the beer -- the Worryin' Ale has, indeed, washed away many of our worries and the beermosa (a sour German beer and orange juice) is fifty times better than it sounds. Tonight, I ordered the "Brewer's Choice" to get a dollar off my beer and it was the Dolomite -- Piece's own micro-brewed malt liquor. Which they serve in a glass in a paper bag. Erica laughed every single time I took a drink and refused to let me take it out of the bag. It also got me well-buzzed. Got-a-quarter?
(Originally posted on the Chicago Metblog, May 30, 2007: Dolomite at Piece)