Owner Stephen Cole created the Whac-A-Mole for hop lovers; the IPA beer cocktail features mezcal, Cynar, lime, simple syrup and mint. Photo provided by The Barrelhouse Flat.
The Barrelhouse Flat, a Chicago cocktail lounge located in the heart of Lincoln Park, unveiled its new list of seasonally-rotating featured cocktails creating by its bar team.
For this rotation of the menu (which changes every eight weeks), the bar team created their own contemporary takes on classic cocktails, along with crafting some new nostalgia-tinged libations inspired by young adult mischief.
Seasonal cocktails include Jessica Tessendorf’s Buick Century Makeout Session, a bourbon-based ode to teenage debauchery with honey, lemon, peach shrub and vanilla-cardamom bitters, topped with sparkling wine.
Owner Stephen Cole created the Whac-A-Mole for hop lovers; the IPA beer cocktail features mezcal, Cynar, lime, simple syrup and mint.
In addition to collaborating with Tessendorf on the Octopussy cocktail, Mark Brinker crafted the Horchata Borracha, a drink that took months to perfect. The Mexican-inspired drink is made with the traditional rice and almond water, three kinds of rum, cream and orange flower water.
A selection of punches along with three housemade bottled cocktails, available in single or six-pack servings, round out the featured cocktail list.
“Our team always does a fantastic job of coming up with cocktails that tell a story, but this menu feels especially fun and personal,” says James Wright, general manager of The Barrelhouse Flat. “Our guests inspired a few of these cocktails. The people who come here regularly serve as our taste testers as the drinks develop.”
Mark Brinker and Jessica Tessendorf created Octopussy for The Barrelhouse Flat. It features Gin, Cocchi Americano, Carpano Bianco, grapefruit bitters, lemon and sparkling wine. Photo provided by The Barrelhouse Flat.
Octopussy | Mark Brinker and Jessica Tessendorf
Gin, Cocchi Americano, Carpano Bianco, grapefruit bitters, lemon, sparkling wine
Buick Century Makeout Session | Jessica Tessendorf
Bourbon, honey, lemon, peach shrub, vanilla-cardamom bitters, sparkling wine
Bitter Newcomer | Jess Keene
Amaro Nardini, gin, Luxardo Bitter, Amer Picon, lemon, Angostura Bitters, Regans’ Orange Bitters, soda
Whac-A-Mole | Stephen Cole
Mezcal, Cynar, lime, simple syrup, mint, IPA beer
Shady Grove | R. Daniel Smith
Rum, bourbon, lemon, Luxardo Bitter, Amaro Nardini, grenadine, simple syrup, chili de arbol bitters
The Rivera | Toby Maloney, Violet Hour
Gin, Campari, Luxardo Maraschino, pineapple, lemon, simple syrup, egg white
Horchata Borracha | Mark Brinker
Rice and almond water, rum, cream, orange flower water
Swear Jar | Mark Brinker
Rye, Cocchi Rosa, Gran Classico, root beer bitters
Colfax | R. Daniel Smith
Rum, sherry, Cynar, grapefruit bitters, house orange bitters
Unrequited Lust by Jessica Tessendorf features Mezcal, Cachaça, orange, coconut, lime, cucumber, Angostura Bitters and vanilla-cardamom bitters. Photo provided by The Barrelhouse Flat.
Unrequited Lust | Jessica Tessendorf
Mezcal, Cachaça, orange, coconut, lime, cucumber, Angostura Bitters, vanilla-cardamom bitters
Megy Karydes is professional freelance writer and founder of Wandering Tastes, a lifestyle and travel site that is meant to inspire adventure and exploration through traveling and food. She’s also a regular contributor to USA Today Travel, 10best.com, TravelingMom.com as Foodie TravelingMom and writes for several other print magazines and online media outlets. Find her at KarydesConsulting.com or onTwitter @megy.
