Drawing Room

Once again, Drawing Room bartenders have shown Chicago that they are a force to be reckoned with. Tuesday night, Tim Lacey and Sergio Serna took the stage in the Chicago division of the 42 Below Cocktail World Cup.  Tim’s cleverly-named cocktail “All Sales are Final, Void Where Prohibited By Law” came away with top honors.  Tim will move on to the national competition in New York.  The top three winners of that event will then go on to represent the United States in the finals in New Zealand.  Thirteen cities in the United States are each sending two competitors to New York.  Last year, Tim narrowly missed the New York  trip.  Prior to that, our own Chief Mixologist Charles Joly made it all the way to New Zealand and placed 2nd in the International competition of the Cocktail World Cup.

Tim’s inspiration for his snowcone and cotton candy cocktail was the Carnivale theme of the 42 Below competition.  “I know they were going for the more elegant ‘Carnivale’, but my drink is definitely ‘carnival’.  As in, the carnival that’s set up in the parking lot of Lane Tech with rides that are one bolt away from collapsing and killing hundreds.”  And where did Tim get the wonderful name, “All Sales are Final, Void Where Prohibited By Law”?  “It’s a line from a kick-ass Tom Waits song called Lucky Day Overture, where he sings as a carnival barker.”  In further keeping with the carnival theme, Tim was assisted by his lovely wife, Lisa, and Drawing Room apprentice Grant Hurless.  Lisa manned the cotton candy machine while Grant served as ringmaster.

For his winning cocktail, Tim chose 42 Below Manuka Honey Vodka.  He served it over crushed ice, sno-cone style, with apricot liqueur, honey syrup, lemon juice, Bitterman’s Tiki Bitters and ginger beer.  The cocktail came with a side of sarsaparilla cotton candy, which was made with sarsaparilla root, Bacardi 151, star anise and chai tea.  Carnival indeed!

This was Sergio’s first crack at the 42 Below competition.  As an apprentice behind the Drawing Room bar he is studying flavor profiles with the best to begin developing his own recipes.  His concoction, the K.T. Wellington,is named for the town in New Zealand in which 42 Below is produced.  K stands for kiwi and T for thyme.  Sergio said of his inspiration for the cocktail, “I wanted to incorporate herbs and spices to complement the fruit-driven kiwi vodka.”  Sergio’s drink began with 42 Below Kiwi vodka, fresh lemon juice, infused green tea, simple syrup and Velvet Falernum.  He smoked the martini glass with a sprig of flamed Chartreuse-soaked thyme and garnished the peridot-colored drink with a flourish of kiwi and thyme.

Congratulations to both Tim and Sergio, check back for results from the New York competition at the end of February.  Unfortunately these delicious cocktails are not available in the Drawing Room due to their intricate nature, but they are great inspiration for future Culinary Cocktails!

You would be forgiven for not knowing that January 17 was National Hot Buttered Rum Day.  You would be further forgiven for not knowing that hot buttered rum has been a staple in American beverage lore since the founding of America.  (It is said that, since the time of George Washington, would-be  politicians gave out hot buttered rum to constituents to warm their toes and sway their vote.)  What is unforgivable, though, is to let the rest of winter pass without downing at least a couple of these traditional toddies.  Stop by the Drawing Room bar for a taste made to order or use this recipe as a guideline for your own at home creation!

2 parts Brown Sugar (or white table sugar with a bit of molasses)
1 part unsalted butter, softened

Spices to taste:
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Cardamom
Clove

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Split and scraped vanilla bean

Beat together sugar, spices, vanilla and butter to form the batter.  Excess batter can be frozen for later use.  Roll in wax paper to form a log, twist the ends up like a wrapped candy, then place in a plastic bag or plastic wrap and freeze.

To make the cocktail, take a tablespoon of the batter and place it into a warmed Irish Coffee mug.  Pour in a shot of your favorite dark rum – we recommend El Dorado 5 year aged rum and a dash of Cruzan Black Strap, to help enhance the molasses flavor.  Fill with hot water and stir.  The batter should emulsify, leaving you with a rich spiced rum drink perfect for any winter celebration.  Enjoy!

There are few places in Chicago where you can get gourmet food after midnight, and really, what’s better then refined pork belly to satisfy those late night munchies?

The Drawing Room kitchen has always served delicious food and creative cocktails until 2:30 am on Friday and 3:30 am on Saturday.  Grant Achatz, chef and owner of Alinea, declared the Drawing Room “one of the few options for quality late night food and drinks in the city.”

So next time you find yourself craving a late night snack, don’t settle for a corner hot dog or bad pizza, come to the Drawing Room and finish your night with finesse!  Your body will thank you.