|
STORIES
BARS + CLUBS
Chicago Bars
Chicago Nightclubs
|  |
 |
 |
|
Subscribe in your favorite reader using the links below. To learn more about feeds and RSS, click here.
 | |||||
|
Articles
Sections
>>
>
|
|||||
|
Mixing Politics and Pleasure
Sunday Jul 01, 2007.
By Dana Kavan
|
|||||
| |||||
The damage: $8
Thousands of bars in Chicago, why this one? Despite its moniker, Plan B was my first-choice, post-work destination last Friday, partially because its vague name peeked my curiosity. I reasoned that a place billing itself as "where to go when your first plan falls through" either feels superbly confident in its offerings, or is like a middle child who has succumb to the notion that he'll never live up to his older sib.
How it went down: Though I haven't decided which way my vote swings come February, I elected the Obama-inspired cocktail as my drink of choice for the night. Compared to some of the other more intense drinks—such as The Dude, a double-espresso White Russian with an ode to the Big Lebowsky—the Ciroc Obama sounded just right: perfectly refreshing, but not overly saccharine, which made sense considering the candidate who inspired the drink.
The bartender mixes Ciroc (vodka distilled from grapes), lemonade and a short shot of Chambord, and pours it over ice in a glass rimmed with grape sugar. With its fruity components, the cocktail's flavor could've easily gone the cough-syrup route. Instead, the blend balanced all notes perfectly, with the hint of raspberry from the Chambord taming the lemonade's tang and adding the just the right measure of sweetness.
Would I want to become a regular? As I nibbled on crunchy, garlicky waffle fries, I began to gain some insight into the bar's namesake. It wasn't a sports bar catering to ex-frat boys with its back-to-back flat screens or a hipster hangout with an indie-music-stocked juke and cheap PBR. It wasn't even an upscale lounge catering to Bucktown's condo-owning set. It's just a nice-looking, friendly bar that takes the neighborhood joint up a notch. Perhaps that explains the name: Anyone would feel welcome sitting in the U-shaped black chairs, sipping on booze and staring up at the glossy light fixtures and wood ceiling. And if you're going to have a fall-back bar, it might as well be one everyone will go to. Dana Kavan scours the city for drink deals so good you'll offer to buy a round and creative libations that outshine your average on-the-rocks concoctions. Want to give Dana tips on where to rack up a bar tab? Share your finds before her next night out.
|
|||||
| |||||
