Chicago has some top spots to check out the latest beverage trends and product innovations. Here is a preview of some places you might visit on an Imbibe trend walk around Chicago:
In addition to being proud that they’re local, they value supporting other communities. Ten cents of every pound of their Guatemala beans goes back to the farm to invest in development. It’s a hole in the wall – careful, or you might miss it. Menu items include (or have included) a vanilla bourbon latte, black ginger latte and café con miel (coffee with honey). Pride themselves on the fact that they prepare coffee fully manually.
Their menu changes seasonally, but at one point in time had items called Koopa-Troopa (peanut butter m
ousse & dark chocolate latte), Cool But Rude (fresh ginger and curry sauce latte), and Cruel Summer (rhubarb, cascara, bitters).
Cindy’s Rooftop
You can definitely eat and drink well in this rooftop restaurant, but if you’re craving a mocktail, you won’t be
disappointed. Enjoy a house-made tisane or mocktail like The Virgin Pillar (Mallorca melon shrub, candied hibiscus, mint, lemon, soda) while watching the Navy Pier fireworks (Wednesdays and Saturday nights from Memorial Day through Labor Day). For a little detox, try the Reanimator (blueberry, ginger, demerara, lime, activated charcoal) while watching the tourists visit the famous Cloud Gate (The Bean) sculpture at Millennium Park.
Neighborhood: West Town/Humboldt Park
This diner/bakery combo makes pairing recommendations for alcohol and their home-made libations. On the soda side, there’s a red velvet ribbon (cranberry soda, bitter orange, spruce, ginger, honey) that pairs with gin, tequila or vodka, that you are encouraged to bring. They also serve floats more than just the traditional root beer that you can also kick up a notch with rum or whiskey.
