The Violet Hour: An Appeciation
One of the Founding Bars of the Cocktail Renaissance Has Closed.
The Violet Hour, cocktail bar that opened in 2007 and, more than any other, helped to define the craft cocktail scene in Chicago, announced a few days ago that it had closed after 18 years in business and would not reopen.
As usual in these situations, an uncooperative landlord figured into the equation. “Several weeks ago, we closed temporarily due to unexpected damage to the building,” the Instagram post read. “Despite extensive efforts and negotiations, we were regretfully unable to reach a resolution with our landlord.”
It’s a heavy loss for a city that has been one of the nation’s leading cocktail centers for 15 years now. When The Violet Hour opened, there was virtually no craft cocktail scene in the city. Toby Maloney, one of the partners, had bartended at Milk & Honey, Flatiron Lounge and Pegu Club in New York and brought that experience and skill set to The Violet Hour. By his own acknowledgment, the bar was heavily influenced by what was happening in New York, the city that, along with San Francisco, largely led the cocktail revival in The United States.