Recipe: Chicago Fizz
An Obscure Old Drink Makes a Rare Modern Menu Appearance.
Happy Friday!
First off, just a brief reminder that I will be joining my fellow writer Andrew Friedman at the wonderful new Brooklyn restaurant Swoony’s this Sunday, June 2, from 4 to 6 p.m. For just $75, attendees at the Swoony’s event will get a welcome cocktail (made with either Fort Hamilton Gin or Pinhook Bourbon), passed bites, a signed copy of both of our books, my The Encyclopedia of Cocktails (which was nominated for a Spirited Award this week!) and his new book The Dish.
There are still a handful of tickets available. follow this link at Resy. I hope to see you there.
The Chicago Fizz
Chicago has a weird reputation as an also-ran when it comes to cocktails. You’d think a city that ranked for so many decades as the nation’s second-largest (and still punches in as one of the top three) would have produced its share of classic mixed drinks to rival the accomplishments of top cocktail cities like New York, San Francisco and New Orleans. But such is not the case. New York has its Manhattan, San Francisco its Pisco Punch, New Orleans its Sazerac, and Chicago has….what?
Oh, there have been cocktails named after Chicago. But none of them were ever front page news. There’s the Chicago cocktail, which cropped up in the early 20th century. It’s basically a brandy cocktail royale, topped with Champagne. Not a bad drink, but rarely served.
And then there’s the Chicago Fizz, a sour made of rum, port, lemon juice, egg white and sugar. This drink has always been a bit of a head-scratcher to me, because Chicago’s never struck me as being a big rum town. Nor have I ever heard anyone declare, “You know what Chicagoans love? Port!”